How to Open Windows Task Manager: Menus, Shortcuts, & More

Trying to open the Windows Task Manager to end a process or check your computer's performance? The Task Manager allows you to view various activities that occur on your PC. You can monitor running applications, CPU and RAM usage, startup apps (Windows 8 and 10 only), and services. You can also use it to end unresponsive or frozen applications. This wikiHow article will show you various ways to open the Task Manager in Windows 11, 10, and 8, including quick keyboard shortcuts.

Task Manager Keyboard Shortcuts

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to immediately open the Task Manager.
Press Ctrl + Alt + Del, then select Task Manager.
Press Windows key + X, then press the T key.
Press Windows key + R, type taskmgr, and press Enter.
Press the Windows key, type task manager, and press Enter.

Method 1

Method 1 of 13:

Ctrl + Shift + Esc

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Press the Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Esc keys at the same time. This keyboard shortcut will open the Task Manager in a new window.^{[1]
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- You're ready to look through your processes and end tasks. Clearing tasks that you don't need to run is a great way to speed up a slow Windows computer.^{[2]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 13:

Ctrl + Alt + Del

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This will open a menu.
If you're running an older Windows version, it might be listed as Start Task Manager. This will open the Task Manager in a new window.

Method 3

Method 3 of 13:

Taskbar Menu

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The taskbar is the bar running along the bottom of the screen that contains your Start menu. Doing so will show a context menu.
2
Choose Task Manager or Start Task Manager. It's towards the bottom of the context menu. This will open the Task Manager in a new window.
- You're done! You're ready to close unresponsive programs and change process priorities.

Method 4

Method 4 of 13:

Power User Menu

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Right-click the Start
button. It's at the lower-left corner of your screen. This brings up the Power User Menu.^{[3]
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- Be sure to use the right mouse button to click, not the left–clicking the left mouse button will just open the Start menu.
- You can also press ⊞ Win+x together to do this.
2
Choose Task Manager from the list of options. This will open the Task Manager in a new window.
- Alternatively, press the T keyboard key as a quick keyboard shortcut.

Method 5

Method 5 of 13:

Windows Search

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Launch the search feature. Follow these steps depending on your Windows version:^{[4]
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- Windows 11 & 11: Press the Start
  button, or press Windows key + S.
- Windows 8.1: Press ⊞ Win+Q.^{[5]
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- Windows 7 and Vista: Click the Start
  button.
This will open the Task Manager in a new window.

Method 6

Method 6 of 13:

Run Dialog

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This opens the Windows Run dialog box.
This will open the Task Manager in a new window.

Method 7

Method 7 of 13:

Command Prompt

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Open Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell. You can also start the task manager using a simple command.
- To open Command Prompt, type cmd into the Windows search bar, then press ↵ Enter.
- To open PowerShell, right-click the Start menu, then select Windows PowerShell or Terminal.
Be sure to type it exactly like that–note the missing letters in Task Manager.
This will open the Task Manager in a new window.

Method 8

Method 8 of 13:

File Explorer

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Open File Explorer. It's the yellow folder in the taskbar.
This highlights the current path, making it possible to enter a new one.
$Step 3 Type %SystemDrive%\Windows\System32 and press ↵ Enter.$

The contents of your System32 folder will appear.
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Double-click Taskmgr to open it. If you don't have file extensions hidden, you'll see "Taskmgr.exe" instead.
- You'll need to scroll down past the folders, which are always placed at the top.

Method 9

Method 9 of 13:

Start Menu

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Open the Start menu and select All. Depending on your version of Windows, you may need to select All apps instead.
2
Select the Windows System folder. This opens a new window containing quick links to several Windows system tools.
- If you don't see this option, try scrolling to the bottom of the app list–you may find a quick link to Task Manager here.
3
Double-click Task Manager. This opens Task Manager in a new window.

Method 10

Method 10 of 13:

Control Panel

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If you don't see the Windows Search bar in the taskbar at the bottom of the screen, press the Windows key to open it.^{[6]
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This will show you a list of results related to the task manager.
It's under the "System" section of the search results. You're done! The Task Manager will open in a new window.

Method 11

Method 11 of 13:

Pin Task Manager to the Start Menu

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1
Press the Windows key or click the Start menu. If you want a new, easy way to start Task Manager quickly, you can add its icon to the list of tiles on your Start menu.
- These steps will work on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
2
Type task manager. Don't select it–just type it for now.
3
Right-click Task Manager in the search results. A menu will expand.^{[7]
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4
Click Pin to Start. Once pinned, you will see Task Manager's icon as soon as you open the Start menu.

Method 12

Method 12 of 13:

Pin Task Manager to the Taskbar

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Open Task Manager using any of the above methods. If you want easy access to Task Manager, you can pin it to your Windows 10 or Windows 11 taskbar. The fastest way to open Task Manager is press Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Esc on your keyboard.
Depending on your taskbar settings, you'll either see the Task Manager icon (a series of blue lines and waves) or the words "Task Manager." A menu will expand.
This will make it so that the Task Manager always appears in the Taskbar, even when it's closed. You can click the Task Manager icon to reopen it.^{[8]
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Method 13

Method 13 of 13:

Make a Taskbar Shortcut on the Desktop

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A quick way to do this is to press Windows key + E. You can also right-click the Start button and select File Explorer.
This highlights the address at the top of File Explorer, making it easy to type or paste a new path into the field.
$Step 3 Type %SystemDrive%\Windows\System32 and press ↵ Enter.$

This will open your Windows System32 folder.
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Right-click "Taskmgr" in the System 32 folder. It might have ".exe" at the end of the name, depending on your file viewing settings. A menu will appear.
- You'll need to scroll down past the folders, which are always placed at the top.
If you're using Windows 10, you will be asked if you want to place a shortcut on the desktop. If you're using Windows 11, select Show more options first, then click Create shortcut.
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Click Yes to add the shortcut to your desktop. You will then have an icon for Task Manager on your desktop. Double-clicking the icon will open Task Manager instantly.

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Is it normal for a redundancy (17x) of "Microsoft Windows System Protection Background Tasks" to be running all the time?

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No that is not normal. This process is very taxing on the CPU processor of your computer. If it is running this test consistently then it probably means your Windows Operating System has corrupted files and you would need to do a fresh install of the operating system. You can also try to boot it in safe mode and try some trouble shooting there. If that doesn't work, back up your data in safe mode and bring your computer to a repair shop instead of sending it back to the manufacturer.

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My Windows 10 system keeps saying my computer is locked because my IP address is being used without my knowledge that contains websites that can steal my identity and that contain identity theft.

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You have a virus. You should follow the directions on How to Remove a Virus, and then you should reset your browser.

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Windows 10 keeps saying: "The code cannot proceed because AppVlsvSubsystems32.dll was not found." I tried to reinstall the program but my computer still isn't working. What can I do to fix this?

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Try downloading AppVlsvSubsytems32.dll and put it in your system and system32 folders. If this fails, then you probably need a new Windows installation.

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