5 Methods to Open Task Manager with Shortcut on Windows

By Sruthy

By Sruthy

Sruthy, with her 10+ years of experience, is a dynamic professional who seamlessly blends her creative soul with technical prowess. With a Technical Degree in Graphics Design and Communications and a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics and Communication, she brings a unique combination of artistic flair…

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Updated March 7, 2024

Task Manager Shortcut is the fastest way to open Task Manager. Explore the various ways to know how to open task manager quickly:

Since NT 4 and Windows 2000, the Task Manager has been a part of all Microsoft Windows operating systems. It enables you to see every task (process) running on the computer as well as its general performance.

You can halt the frozen program, check the system resources that are available, and see how much memory a program is consuming by using the Task Manager.

You can keep an eye on the programs, processes, and services that are currently active on your computer using Windows Task Manager. In addition to letting you launch and stop apps and processes, Task Manager also provides you with useful statistics about your network and computer’s performance.

This article will discuss the many shortcuts or methods on how to open Windows Task Manager or how to open Task Manager or how to get Task Manager.

Task Manager Shortcut – How to Open Task Manager

Task Manager Shortcut

What is the Purpose of a Task Manager

The Windows Task Manager is typically used to perform something quite basic, such as viewing the currently running processes, while being a sophisticated application with a vast array of capabilities.

Of course, both open programs and those that Windows and your installed apps have started to execute “in the background” are mentioned.

Any of those current processes can be forcibly terminated using the Task Manager. You can also view how much each program is using your computer’s hardware resources and which apps and services are launched when your computer turns on.

In this article, we will walk you through every detail of the Windows Task Manager and about the Task Manager shortcut keys and you’ll be astounded at how much information this tool can teach you about the currently running apps on your computer.

Overview of the Task Manager Tabs

#1) Performance Tab

You may view several aspects of your computer system’s performance on the Performance tab. You cannot alter the options or stop the programs in this area. Users are simply shown with this feature how their machine is functioning with the services and tasks that are running right now.

You can see the following objects on this tab:

  1. CPU Use
  2. Use of Memory
  3. Use of Disk
  4. Ethernet and other types of networks
  5. Monitor for GPU Resource Usage

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) of a computer runs programs and executes tasks; the busier the CPU is, the more jobs it is handling. As a result, a computer with a high CPU frequently operates quite slowly. Users can keep an eye on their CPU’s health with the use of CPU Usage.

On the other hand, a computer’s memory consumption refers to how much RAM is being used at any given time. Your memory and disc usage may be very high if you are running several programs at once.

Performance Tab

#2) Processes Tab

The Processes tab includes:

  1. Apps: A list of currently running programs
  2. Background processes: These programs, such as antivirus software, Cortana (Windows 10’s personal assistant), Realtek Audio, etc., run in the background.
  3. Windows processes including service hosting, Server, Windows event log, etc., are run by this process.

You can view the information in depth about each procedure and its overall resource utilization on this tab as well. To select the columns you desire to display, right-click one of the list’s headings. A darker red color denotes greater resource utilization. Each column’s values are color-coded.

To sort by column, click on it. For instance, click on the CPU column to show the running processes ranked by CPU consumption, with the programs that use the most CPU at the top.

The overall resource utilization of all the processes running on your system is also displayed at the top of the column. To rearrange the columns, drag and drop them.

There are the following columns:

  1. Type: The process’s classification, such as Windows process, App, or Background process.
  2. Status: “Not Responding” will be displayed here if the application appears to be stuck. Sometimes after some delay, programs start responding, and other times they remain frozen. A green leaf will show up in this column if Windows has halted a program to conserve energy.
  3. Publisher: The organization that published the program. For instance, “Microsoft Corporation” is displayed in Microsoft Word” whereas Google Chrome displays “Google Inc.”
  4. PID: Procedure Identification Number (PID) that Windows has assigned to the process. Certain processes or system utilities might make use of the process ID. Each time a program is launched by Windows, a distinct process ID is assigned. If numerous instances of the same program are running, the process ID can be used to distinguish between them.
  5. Process Name: The process’s file name. For instance, the executable files for File Explorer, Word, and Task Manager are all named explorer.exe, WINWORD.EXE, and taskmgr.exe, respectively.
  6. Command Line: Complete command line is used to start the procedure. This displays any command-line arguments used to run the application together with the complete path to the process’s executable file, such as “C:WINDOWSExplorer.EXE.”
  7. CPU: The process’s CPU utilization, expressed as a proportion of your overall CPU resources.
  8. Memory: The number of MB or GB of working memory that the process is now utilizing on your computer.
  9. Disk: The amount of disc activity that a procedure is producing, shown in MB/s. The process will show 0 MB/s if it is not currently reading from or writing to the disc.
  10. Network: The process’s Mbps-based network is used on the active primary network.
  11. GPU: The percentage of Graphics Processing Unit’s (GPU) available resources that a process has consumed.
  12. GPU Engine: The process’s chosen GPU hardware and engine. This will reveal which GPU a procedure is utilizing if your computer has more than one GPU. To find out which number GPU 0 or GPU 1 corresponds to which tangible GPU, go to the Performance tab.

Processes Tab - Task Manager Shortcut

#3) App History

Each Windows app’s CPU and network consumption from the date shown on the screen until you enter the Task Manager is shown in the App History tab. Only Windows 10 and Windows 8 offer App History in the Task Manager.

app history

#4) Startup Tab

The Startup tab lists every program that starts up automatically every time your computer turns on, along with several crucial details about each program, such as the Publisher, Status, and Startup impact, which is the most useful data because it indicates whether the impact will be high, medium, or low.

This option is excellent for locating apps that you don’t need to run automatically and then disabling them. A fairly easy approach to speed up your computer is to disable Windows auto-start programs. Only Windows 10 and Windows 8 include Task Manager’s Startup tab.

startup -Task Manager Shortcut

#5) Users Tab

The list of users who are logged in and their active processes can be seen on the Users tab. You will only see your account if your Windows computer is exclusively used by you.

You may also see that other users’ locked sessions will appear “Disconnected” if they logged in, locked them, and did not sign out. Additionally, it displays the CPU, memory, storage, network, and other system resources consumed by each Windows user account’s active processes.

A user account can be made inactive by right-clicking it and choosing “Disconnect,” or it can be made to sign off by doing the same. Similar to locking a desktop session, the Disconnect option ends the desktop connection but leaves the program open and allows the user to sign back in. Like signing out of Windows, the Sign Off option ends all running processes.

If you want to terminate a task that is associated with another active user account, you can do so from this location.

The columns that are accessible when you right-click the headings are:

  1. ID: Each account of a logged-in user has a unique session ID number. Other apps are permitted to create their own user accounts, but session “0” is designated for system services. Since you often won’t need to know this number, it is by default concealed.
  2. Session: The kind of session that this is. For instance, if it’s being accessed on your local system, it will say “Console.” For server systems running remote desktops, this is particularly useful.
  3. Client Name: If a session is being accessed remotely, this is the name of the remote client system.
  4. Status: The session’s status; if a user’s session is blocked, for instance, the Status will read “Disconnected.”
  5. CPU: The total amount of CPU consumed by user processes.
  6. Memory: The total amount of memory utilized by user processes.
  7. Disk: The total amount of disc activity attributed to user processes.
  8. Network: The user’s processes’ overall network activity.

users - Task Manager Shortcut

#6) Details Tab

Each process that is active on your computer is fully described on the Details page. When performing advanced troubleshooting, the information supplied in this tab is helpful. Windows 10 and Windows 8 both have a Details tab in the Task Manager, and the functions of the Processes tab are comparable to Details in older Windows releases.

details

#7) Services Tab

In Windows 10, 8, 7, and Vista, Task Manager has a Services tab that displays all of the Windows services that are currently active on the computer along with their description and status. You have the option to change the status from Running to Stopped.

services

Ways to Open Task Manager in Windows

Mentioned below are some shortcuts to open Task Manager or shortcuts for Task Manager:

Method #1: Use Keyboard Shortcut

#1) The simplest and fastest option is to use the appropriate keyboard shortcut to start the Task Manager or keyboard shortcut for Task Manager. All you have to do to launch Task Manager is simultaneously press the Ctrl, Shift, and Esc keys.

This should be your go-to technique to open the Task Manager or how to bring up Task Manager or to open remote desktop Task Manager as long as your keyboard is functioning properly and nothing is preventing you from using shortcuts.

Use Keyboard Shortcut

Method #2: Enter ‘’taskmgr’’ in Run Box

#1) Hit ‘’Windows+R’’ Simultaneously to open Run Box.

Run Box

#2) Now enter “taskmgr” in the input box and click Ok to open the Task Manager.

open the Task Manage

process

Method #3: Use the Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys

#1) The GINA screen, often known as the ‘’ctrl+alt+delete’’ screen by most people, can be used to enter the Task Manager and is a very useful command for Task Manager.

You may be unable to launch the Task Manager with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Esc if you are using a lot of programs (often games). CTRL+Alt+Delete will still function, though, as they have precedence over the majority of processes.

task manager

#2) Just select Task Manager from the list of alternatives that appear by pressing the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+Alt+Delete.

.apps

Method #4: Create a Task Manager Shortcut on the Desktop

#1) Use any of the techniques we’ve discussed to launch Task Manager in order to pin a shortcut to your taskbar. Right-click the Task Manager icon in the taskbar when it is active and select “Pin to Taskbar”.

pin to taskbar

#2) After that, you can always use the shortcut to launch Task Manager.

shortcut

Method #5: Use Start Menu or Windows Search

#1) Open Start Menu and search for Task Manager

search - Task Manager Shortcut

#2) Now click enter and the Task Manager will appear.

view

Method #6: Using Windows + X Shortcut

#1) Click Windows + X simultaneously and go to Task Manager and open it. This is another Task Manager shortcut key.

desktop

background processes

Method #7: Using Task Bar

#1) Right Click on Taskbar and open Taskbar settings.

settings

#2) Now search for the Task Manager and click on the following as shown in the image below to open Task Manager.

open task manager - Task Manager Shortcut

Method #8: Using Control Panel

#1) Open Control Panel using Windows Search.

control panel

#2) Now search for Task Manager and open it.

system

Also Read =>> Solve “NVIDIA Control Panel Won’t Open” problem

Method #9: Using Command Prompt

#1) Open the Command prompt using Windows Search and run as administrator.

command prompt - Task Manager Shortcut

#2) Now type taskmgr and hit Enter to open Task manager.

adminstrator

adobe

Method #10: Using Task Manager Executable Files

#1) Alternatively, you can launch Task Manager by using its executable, taskmgr.exe. It is located in the location “C:/Windows/System32”

launch task manager - Task Manager Shortcut

FAQs on Shortcut to Open Task Manager

Q #1) What is the Task Manager, and why is it crucial?

Answer: Every version of the Windows operating system includes the Task Manager as a standard feature. It offers details about currently active programs, processes, and services in addition to performance, network, and memory data. Users can terminate programs, change priorities, and even shut down Windows using this feature.

Q #2) What is the function of a Task Manager?

Answer: To view the current state of active programs, processes, and services, utilize Task Manager. Additionally, the Task Manager will display useful statistics regarding the functionality of your network and computer.

Q #3) Why is my PC slow even though the Task Manager doesn’t indicate anything seriously wrong (typically at startup)?

Answer: This could be for a variety of reasons, including:

  • Viruses, rootkits, etc.: These can operate in the background and consume a portion of your RAM or CPU. Furthermore, if your system has a rootkit, it won’t show up in the Task Manager.
  • Windows updates: This may also be the cause of your high resource usage. As you mentioned, it happens in waves.
  • Third-party software: Additional third-party software may be running in the background and using your resources.
  • Hard disc issue: If your hard drive has a lot of faulty sectors, it will slow down your computer’s performance or potentially crash your computer or some software.

Q #4) Performance of the Task Manager’s disc in MB/s or MiB/s?

Answer: The Task Manager’s disk performance view uses MB/s (1000-based).

Q #5) What is the most common use of Windows Task Manager?

Answer: Using End Task to stop programs from running is undoubtedly one of the most frequent things done in Task Manager. When an application stops working, you may choose End Task from the Task Manager to shut it down without having to restart the computer.

Conclusion

Since Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000, Task Manager, originally named Windows Task Manager, has been a Task Manager, system monitor, and startup manager included with every version of Microsoft Windows. You can easily understand how the network works if your computer is online and you can examine the network status.

Windows Task Manager shows specific info about the programs and processes that are now operating on the computer and offers information regarding computer performance, including the names of running activities, commit charge, CPU Load, logged-in users, and some other services.

Microsoft updates the Task Manager with every new version of Windows, sometimes quite dramatically. In particular, the Task Managers in Windows 10 and Windows 8 change significantly from those in Windows 7 and Windows Vista, while those in Windows 7 and Vista differ significantly from those in Windows XP.

Tasks are software that is comparable to Windows 98 and Windows 95. You always have limited control over those tasks that are now executed by the Task Manager, including the ability to set process priorities, and processor affinity, start and stop services, and forcibly terminate processes.

The use of End Task to stop programs from running is one of the most frequent actions performed in Task Manager. If the application stops responding, you can end the task without having to restart the computer by choosing End Task from the Task Manager.

Mentioned above are a few shortcuts for launching the Windows Task Manager or Windows Task Manager shortcut to open Windows Task Manager.

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