How to open Task Manager on Windows 10

How to open Task Manager on Windows

In this guide, we will see eight different methods so you can learn how to open Task Manager on Windows 10 in your favorite way.

Most Windows users often encounter a problem where their PC slows down or stops functioning without an apparent reason.

This leads to the termination of all the running programs and applications.

However, users cannot detect the process causing the trouble.

If you can relate to the above situation, Windows Task Manager is the tool you will need to open in order to fix the issue.

It tells you about the programs that are running on your system alongside their power usage.

In this way, this tool will help you figure out which app or program is consuming the most power, hence slowing down the system.

Table of Contents

  1. How to open Task Manager on Windows 10
    1. A quick overview of Windows Task Manager
    2. 8 different ways to open Task Manager
  2. Wrap Up

How to open Task Manager on Windows 10

A quick overview of Windows Task Manager

When you first open Task Manager, you will see real-time stats and status of all the running apps and plenty of background processes.

In the processes tab, you will get the option of stopping these apps and programs by selecting the desired program and clicking the “End Task” button at the bottom of the window.

Furthermore, you can also review the usage history of the apps or monitor your CPU usage by switching to the “App history” or “Performance” tab, respectively.

Below we have listed the five crucial tasks monitored by the Task Manager in any Windows operating system:

  • CPU denotes the % of resources used by a particular process;
  • The network column represents the amount of data in Mbps consumed by each process;
  • Power Usage is displayed as “Low”, “Very low”, “Very High” and estimates the total resources used by a process;
  • Memory accounts for the amount of RAM consumed by the running process.

8 different ways to open Task Manager

  • Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete

One of the easiest ways to run Task Manager on your computer is by pressing Ctrl, Alt, and Delete keys simultaneously. In the previous versions of Windows, this keyboard shortcut would directly take you to the task manager utility.

However, since the release of Windows Vista, it was reformed. Now pressing these keys will take you to the Windows Security Essentials screen.

The screen contains five actions you can take, including Lock, Switch user, Sign out, Change password, and Task manager. You can click Task Manager on the security screen, and it will start running on your computer screen.

  • Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc

This is another useful keyboard shortcut that will let you open the Task Manager in a few seconds.

And, unlike the first shortcut, this will take you directly to the Manager app.

All you have to do is press Ctrl, Shift, and Esc keys simultaneously, and the Task Manager window will pop up on your screen.

Remember, this keyboard shortcut may not work while some processes and applications are running in the background.

  • Use Windows+X

The power user menu is a quick access tool added in the latest versions of the Windows system.

It provides access to all the core utilities and management programs within a computer system, including Disk Management, Windows PowerShell, and Task Manager.

You can open the power user menu by pressing the Windows and X keys on your keyboard. Next, you can select the Task Manager option from the menu, and it will open up quickly.

In case your keyboard is not working or connected to the PC, you can right-click on the Start Button using the mouse, and it will take you to the Power menu.

  • Access Task Manager from Start Menu or Run window

Start Menu is a more traditional way of accessing Task Manager. You can do this in two simple ways.

The first is to type task manager in the Windows search bar or Start Menu and tap on the “Open” option to run the Manager.

An easier way of doing this is by typing or copying the executable file command “taskmgr.exe” in the Windows search box and pressing the “Enter” key.

Moreover, you can utilize the run box to open Task Manager on Windows 10. Just press the Windows + R keys, and paste the above executable file command in the Run box, and press Enter.

Using a Run command is the go-to method of accessing program files and processes in Windows 10.

  • Open Task Manager via File Explorer

Task Manager is also an executable program like all other programs you download on your PC. To launch this program, you will have to open the “File Explorer” window on your desktop and then follow these steps:

  • Click on the “Local Disk (C:)” drive in the file explorer window;

  • Next, tap on “Windows” and then on “System32”;

  • Now, scroll down until you locate a file named “Taskmgr”;

  • Finally, double-click on it to start Task Manager.
  • Create a shortcut on Desktop

If you are tired of memorizing shortcuts and want to open Task Manager with a single click, you can create a desktop shortcut in the following ways:

Using Shortcut Wizard

If you want to create and add the shortcut to your taskbar, you can utilize the shortcut wizard tool for this purpose:

  • Open the “Shortcut” menu by right-clicking on an empty area on the main computer screen;
  • Go to “New” and click “Shortcut”;

  • Type or copy the following location in the “Create shortcut” window and tap on the “Next” button:

C:\Windows\System32\Taskmgr.exe

  • Give a name to the shortcut file and tap on “Finish” to add Task Manager Shortcut to your desktop or taskbar.

Using executable program file

Another easy way of adding Task Manager to your taskbar is by using an executable program file from the Windows File Explorer.

  • Use the tip# to locate the Task Manager in Windows Explorer;
  • Right-click on the “Taskmgr”;
  • Now, go to the “Send to” option to reveal the context menu;
  • Finally, click on the “Desktop (create shortcut)” option in the context menu.

You will now be able to see the Task Manager icon on your taskbar.

  • Open Task Manager using Command Prompt

You can also use the “Command Prompt” app for accessing the Task Manager tool on Windows 10. Simply type taskmgr command in the Command Prompt window and hit “Enter” to run the Manager utility on your PC.

  • Pin Windows Task Manager to the taskbar

Luckily, Windows provides you with the option of pinning your favorite programs to the taskbar. So, if you want one-click access to the Task Manager, you can easily pin it to the desktop via the Start menu.

  • Type “Task” in the Start Menu;
  • Click on the “Pin to taskbar” option to add Task Manager Utility to the taskbar.

Wrap Up

Task Manager is a powerful Windows tool that lets you monitor all the running processes on your computer.

The app displays the real-time performance details of your system resources, and it also lets you terminate and launch new tasks much faster.

Although all the above-discussed methods to open Task Manager works great, keyboard shortcuts, particularly the Ctrl + Alt+ Esc combination is the most preferred way of accessing Task Manager in Windows 10.

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