Actually, the task manager in Windows 10 is not something new. And there are different ways or task manager shortcuts in Windows 10 that will allow you to open it. This is one of the simple yet powerful built-in system monitoring tools that have been in almost all Windows versions. The task manager just gets better (if not the same) on each Windows operating system iteration.
There are actually features in Windows that we may not be aware of, yet. They are just lying around waiting for us to unlock them. One example is how we can make use of the dark mode theme on Windows 10. And speaking of dark mode, why not switch also your Microsoft Outlook to different themes?
Or maybe, it will interest you that there are different snipping tools, both free and paid, in our Windows system. There are other tools that are just there but we have not explored them yet.
The task manager in Windows 10, or any other Windows version, is popularly used to force close an app. The tool can be helpful when you need to terminate an application that is no longer responding.
What's In Here
What Benefits Does A Task Manager in Windows Gives You?
As we’ve said, the task manager is a system monitoring tool that can offer more than just letting you close an app. Here are some of the benefits of knowing the task manager’s shortcuts.
- Enables users to force close any application or process that is no longer responding.
- Monitor which software is eating much of your machine’s resources like CPU, Memory, Disk, and Network.
- Monitor what are the applications running in the background – especially that malicious software (malware).
- Organize your Windows startup by enabling or disabling them whenever your machine boots.
- For shared Windows machines, the task manager can show you who are the current users and what are applications they are using.
- Enables users to stop or start any processes.
Different Ways To Open The Task Manager In Windows 10 (and other versions)
Accessing the task manager on a Windows machine is not rocket science. True! However, there will be times when an application goes on a rampage, and opening a task manager might not be easy. The rouge application might prevent you to open the tool. That is why you need to know all the task manager shortcuts so that you can access and open the Windows task manager.
In this article, we will be sharing the different ways how to open or access the task manager in Windows 10. But not to worry because most of these are applicable to all Windows versions.
Method #1: Windows Keyboard Shortcut Keys
Microsoft Windows support page shared a couple of keyboard shortcuts for different Windows versions. But to make things easier for you, just press Ctrl + Shift + Esc simultaneously, and the Windows task manager will pop on your screen. This is probably the fastest way to bring up the task manager and the most common among the task manager shortcuts.
Method #2: Press Ctrl + Alt + Del Keys
Pressing simultaneously the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys from your keyboard is probably the most known way to bring up the Windows task manager.
Prior to Windows Vista, the Ctrl + Alt + Del keystroke will you directly to the Task Manager window. But starting Windows Vista these three-finger salute keystrokes have now a new job. What you are seeing now after pressing these keys is the Windows Security screen which provides the user not only the Task Manager. You can now lock your screen, switch to other users (for machines with more login profiles), and sign out from your own profile, and the Task Manager.
Method #3: Access Task Manager From The Power User Menu
The Power User menu was initially introduced in Windows 8. And it does still exist in Windows 10 with more options and features.
By pressing Windows + X (also known as WinX) will bring you to the Power User Menu. And as you can see in the image below, it gives you different options that will enable you to manage your Windows system. We will not be discussing them but with this step, you can also access your Task Manager.
Method #4: Access The Task Manager From Your Taskbar
Another way to bring up the task manager in Windows 10 or any other version is by accessing it through the taskbar menu. Just right-click on any empty space on your Windows taskbar then select Task Manager from the options.
Method #5: 2 Ways To Access The Task Manager From The Start Menu
If you are more into using the Start Menu, then you can access the Task Manager the same way you open your other applications too. You can either do the following to access the Task Manager from the Start menu.
- Click the Start menu and scroll down until you see the Windows System. You can click the Task Manager once you collapse the Windows System menu.
- Or, a faster way is to click the Start menu and then type “Task Manager”. You will be given the best match result like the image below.
Method #6: Opening Task Manager By Using A Run Command
You can also use the Windows Run command to invoke the Task Manager in Windows. Just click the Start Menu and type “Run” or press Window+R simultaneously to open the Run app. Then type the word taskmgr and then click the OK button like the image below.
Method #7: Find and Execute the Taskmgr.exe Directly
Another way to bring up the Windows Task Manager is by directly opening the Taskmgr.exe executable file from C:\Windows\System32.
Method #8: Creating a Shortcut In the Taskbar or Desktop
You can also create an executable shortcut of Taskmgr.exe on your desktop or pin it in your taskbar. All you have to do is go to C:\Windows\System32 then left-click the Taskmgr.exe. Then hold and press (right-click this time) on taskmgr.exe while you drag it on your desktop. Then you will see the option Create shortcuts here.
Or you can do the same steps but this time drag the taskmgr.exe file towards your taskbar.
Method #9: Run the Task Manager From A Command Prompt Or Powershell
If for some reason, the steps above is not working to open the task manager, you can use the command prompt or Windows Powershell.
All you have to do is open up a command prompt, either from the Start menu or Run command line, then type taskmgr. If that does not work, change the directory first to C:\Windows\System32 (by typing cd C:\Windows\System32 on the console), then type taskmgr.
Method #10: Find Your Way To Open The Task Manager From The Control Panel
Since the Task Manager is one of the Windows built-in tools to manage your system, you can surely find it from the Control Panel. You can open the Control Panel either from the Windows search (by clicking the Start menu and typing control panel) or the Run dialog by typing control.
Once you are in the Control Panel, type Task Manager in the search bar located at the top-right corner of the Control Panel window. Then the main window will filter the applications and show you System. The Task Manager can be found under System.
Wrapping It Up
Although for most Windows users, opening the task manager is not something that they will do every time. Not even randomly. But knowing how to open it in many ways is quite convenient especially if your Windows application is messing up.
But note this, the Task Manager, like any other application in Windows may not work as expected sometimes. And the only application you are hoping to help you in times like this can add up to your problems. If this is the case, most of the time, you resort to rebooting your machine. What will you do to escape from such a dilemma without you restarting your machine?
That is something we can discuss on a separate topic.
