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6 effective ways to open Task Manager in Windows 10 or Windows 11

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Published onOctober 19, 2021

published onOctober 19, 2021

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If you’ve been a Windows user for a while, I’m sure you would’ve come across theWindows Task Managerat least once by now. Some users often find it difficult to open Task Manager in Windows 11, which is a major setback considering how important it is.

The last line of defense for every Windows user, the Task Manager is usually called upon when all your programs stop responding and your PC is stuck still and simply won’t budge from inactivity.

While theTask Manager can be used for much morethan clearing non-responsive tasks and errors, here we’ll focus on how to open Task Manager so as not to digress from our topic.

Moreover, there’s not just one, but multiple ways that you can open the Windows Task Manager in your Windows. Let’s start with the simplest one.

1. Open the Task Manager with a keyboard shortcut

1. Open the Task Manager with a keyboard shortcut

One of my personal favorites and probably the simplest one on this list, you can launch the Task Manager simply by pressingCtrl + All + Deletetogether. When you press the shortcut keys, you’ll see the Windows Security screen pop open on your screen.

From there, click onTask Manager, and the Task Manager window will open up. From here, you’re free to use Task Manager however you’d like.

2. Use the Power user menu

2. Use the Power user menu

You can also open the Task Manager from the Power User menu on your Windows computer. Put briefly, the Power User menu is a central place to access some of the most widely used Windows features.

To get started, press theWindows key + Xoption to open the Windows power menu. From there, select theTask Manageroption, and you’ll have the Task Manager window in front of you.

3. Launch Task Manager from the taskbar

Navigate andright-clickon the taskbar of your Windows 10 PC, or on the Windows icon in the taskbar on a Windows 11 PC and select the Task Manager from the diverse set of options available on your screen.

4. Use the Ctrl + Shift + Esc shortcut

Another shortcut on our list, theCtrl + Shift + Escshortcut, is slightly different from the Ctrl + Alt + Delete shortcut we’ve used above.

PressingCtrl + Shift + Escwill open Task Manager in just a few seconds on your screens, as opposed to Ctrl + Alt + Delete, where you’ll have to first go through the Windows Security menu. Use this one if you’re rushing and want to quickly launch the Task Manager.

To open Task Manager in Windows 10/11 from thetaskmgrEXE file, do the following:

The Task Manager will be launched on your screen. Alternatively, you can also enter “taskmgr.exe” in theRundialog box and hitEnterto launch the application.

Related:Task Manager Not Responding? Here are 4 Ways to Fix It

6. Use the Control Panel

This is a rather long-winded way, but you can also make use of the Control Panel to open Task Manager.

To get started, go to theStart menu searchbar, type in “control panel,” and select the best match.

In the Control Panel, go to the search option in thetop-rightcorner, type in ‘task manager’ in the search bar, and select the Task Manager option when it comes up.

If you’re also looking to refresh the look of your Task Manager in Windows 11, we have aseparate posthighlighting what the Task Manager is and what it’s used for.

We also invite you to check out our expert guide onhow to enable dark mode in the new Task Manager. Be sure to also check out our guide onhow to fix the Task Managerin case you run into trouble and it’s not functioning properly.

Open Task Manager in Windows 10/11

The Task Manager is another one of the free utilities from Windows that makes our day-to-day Windows workflow hassle-free.

Apart from helping you fix random hang-ups of Windows that pop up from time to time, it can also help you see and fix the processes that are running behind your PC, while at the same time, showing the app history, user, and service details of your Windows.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).

For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.

Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.

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