Task Manager in Windows 11: Open It, End Tasks, Read It

Task Manager in Windows 11 is the tool you reach for when an app freezes, the fan suddenly roars, or the PC feels slow and you want to know why. It shows every running app and background process, how much CPU, memory, disk and network each one uses, and which apps start with Windows. This guide explains how to open it, how to end a frozen app without causing new problems, and what each page is for.

The steps match Windows 11 version 24H2, 25H2 and 26H2. Older versions of Windows 11 had a different layout with tabs across the top; the pages are the same, only the position changed.

How to open Task Manager

There are several ways, so at least one works even when the PC is struggling:

Method	How
Keyboard shortcut	Ctrl + Shift + Esc opens it directly
Start button	Right-click Start (or press Windows key + X) and select Task Manager
Taskbar	Right-click an empty part of the taskbar and select Task Manager
Security screen	Ctrl + Alt + Delete, then Task Manager (useful when the screen is frozen)
Run or search	Windows key + R, type taskmgr and press Enter, or search Start for Task Manager

If Task Manager opens as a small list of apps with no pages, select More details. Windows remembers the full view next time. To keep it handy, right-click its taskbar icon while it is open and select Pin to taskbar.

Close a frozen app with End task

When an app stops responding, its window may go pale and the title bar shows “Not responding”. Give it a minute first, especially if it is saving a large file. If it does not recover:

1. Open Task Manager and go to the Processes page.
2. Find the app under Apps. Frozen apps often show Not responding in the Status column.
3. Select it and choose End task at the top, or right-click it and select End task.

The app closes immediately and anything you had not saved in that app is lost. Other apps are not affected.

Add End task to the taskbar

Windows 11 can also put End task on the right-click menu of taskbar buttons, which saves opening Task Manager at all. According to Microsoft’s documentation of the Advanced settings page, the toggle is called End Task and enables end task in the taskbar by right-click. In Windows 11 version 25H2 and later it is in Settings > System > Advanced; on earlier versions it is on the For developers page. Turn it on, then right-click a frozen app’s taskbar button and select End task. On a work PC this switch may be locked by your organisation.

What not to end

The Processes page also lists Background processes and Windows processes. Many of these keep Windows working: the desktop and taskbar, sign-in, security, audio and networking. Ending the wrong one can make the screen go black, sign you out or force a restart.

Simple rules:

• End apps you opened yourself. Leave Windows processes alone.
• If you do not recognise a background process, right-click it and select Search online to read about it before you do anything.
• If a process uses a lot of resources but belongs to Windows Update or Microsoft Defender, it is usually doing scheduled work and will settle down.
• If the desktop and taskbar disappear because Windows Explorer was ended or crashed, open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, select Run new task, type explorer and press Enter.

Read the Processes columns

The columns show what each app is using right now. Select a column heading to sort by it.

• CPU: how busy the processor is. A brief spike when an app opens is normal; an app sitting near the top for minutes is worth a closer look. Our guide to Windows 11 high CPU usage covers the usual causes.
• Memory: how much RAM each app holds. Browsers with many tabs are often at the top. See Windows 11 high memory usage for what is normal.
• Disk: how hard the app is reading or writing to storage. A constant 100 percent disk figure has its own checklist in Windows 11 disk usage at 100 percent.
• Network: current network traffic per app, handy for spotting a large download or sync in the background.

Some versions also show Efficiency mode for an app, which tells Windows to give that process lower priority. It is greyed out for core Windows processes. Use it for a background app you want to keep open but quieter, not for the app you are actively using.

The other pages, briefly

Performance shows live graphs for CPU, memory, each disk, network adapters and the GPU, plus details such as how much memory is installed and the speed of the processor. Microsoft’s PC performance tips suggest reviewing this page and Startup apps to identify components using high resources. For a full list of your hardware, see check PC specs in Windows 11.

App history lists resource use by Store apps over time, useful for spotting an app that quietly uses a lot of network data.

Startup apps lists apps that launch when you sign in, with an impact rating from None to High. Right-click an app and select Disable to stop it starting automatically; Microsoft documents the same controls in Settings > Apps > Startup. Our Windows 11 startup apps guide explains which ones are safe to turn off.

Users shows what each signed-in account on the PC is using, handy on a shared family computer.

Details is the classic list of every process by file name, with its process ID and status. It is mainly useful when a support article asks for a specific process name.

Services lists Windows services and whether they are running. Starting or stopping services here is rarely needed at home; use it only when a guide you trust tells you to.

Task Manager settings worth changing

Select Settings at the bottom left of Task Manager. A few options make it more useful:

• Default start page chooses which page opens first. If you mostly check startup apps or performance graphs, start there.
• Real time update speed sets how often the numbers refresh. Slower updates make it easier to read a value that keeps jumping.
• Always on top keeps Task Manager above other windows, which helps when a full-screen app or game freezes and covers everything else.

None of these change how Windows runs; they only change how Task Manager behaves, so you can experiment freely.

When Task Manager is not enough

Task Manager tells you what is busy, not always why. If the same app keeps freezing, update it or reinstall it. If the whole PC feels sluggish even with nothing open, work through why Windows 11 is slow. If Task Manager itself will not open, restart the PC; if it still fails, run the system file checks in our Windows 11 troubleshooting guide.