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How to Open Task Manager in Windows 11

Task Manager is an essential tool in Windows to manage the computer better. Here are a few different ways you can open the task manager in Windows 11.

Though most of us don’t open it that much, the Task Manager is one of the essential tools. For example, if an app is not responding or misbehaving, you would use the Task Manager to force close or force quit the target application. Not only that, but the Task Manager is also the place where you manage the startup applications, see performance metrics, app history, signed-in users, process and service details, and more.

Considering the importance and usefulness of the Windows Task Manager, it is crucial to know how to open it. In fact, you should know multiple ways to open the Task Manager. Even if one way did not work, you could use another method to launch the Task Manager.

Now, compared to Windows 10, Windows 11 has so many new changes. One of those changes is how you launch the Task Manager. It’s not a big change, but Microsoft chose to remove a popular way to launch the Task Manager. That being said, it still is pretty easy to open it.

So, to get you started, this easy Windows 11 guide will show all the different methods to open the Task Manager in Windows 11. Know all the methods and use the one you find easy and comfortable.

How to open Task Manager in Windows 11

These are all the different methods to launch the Windows 11 Task Manager.

  1. Select “Task Manager” from the Start menu right-click menu
  2. Task Manager run command
  3. Keyboard shortcut to open the Task Manager
  4. Use the Task Manager executable in File Explorer
  5. Command to launch the Task Manager

1. Select “Task Manager” from the Start menu right-click menu

The power user menu is still present in Windows 11. That means you can open the Task Manager from it. Here is how.

First, right-click on the Start menu or press the “Windows key + X” keyboard shortcut. This action will open the Power User menu. Here, find the “Task Manager” option and select it. As soon as you do that, the Task Manager in Windows 11 will open automatically.

open task manager in Windows 11 from Start menu context menu

2. Task Manager run command

Like with any program in Windows, you can launch the Task Manager using the simple run command. In fact, being a system application, the run command is pretty simple to remember and run. Here is how.

First, open the Run dialog box. To do that, press the “Windows key + R” keyboard shortcut. In the run command box, type “taskmgr” and click the “Ok” button or press the Enter key on your keyboard. Doing this will immediately open the Task Manager.

run command to open task manager in Windows 11

3. Keyboard shortcut to open the Task Manager

To open the Task Manager, press the “Ctrl + Shift + Escape” keys together.

When the system freezes, and you cannot click anything, the keyboard shortcut is your friend. In fact, if you can ignore the awkward way of pressing the keyboard shortcut, it is one of the easiest and fastest ways to launch the Task Manager.

4. Use the Task Manager executable in File Explorer

Like any application, Task Manager has an executable. This means you can simply execute the exe file to launch the Task Manager. You need to know where to find it. That is where this tip comes in handy.

First, open the File Explorer with the “Windows key + E” shortcut or by clicking on the File Explorer icon on the taskbar. Next, go to the “C:\Windows\System32\” folder. Here, find and double-click on the “taskmgr.exe” file. This action will open the Task Manager like any other program.

task manager exe file

5. Command to launch the Task Manager

Of course, like with many system applications, you can also launch the Task Manager from the Command Prompt or PowerShell. You just need to execute a single command. In fact, it is the same run command.

First, open the Command Prompt or PowerShell by searching for it in the Start menu. After opening it, type “taskmgr” and press Enter. It should immediately open the Task Manager.

command to launch the task manager in Windows 11

If you want to launch task manager as admin, open the Command Prompt or PowerShell as admin and execute the command.

Note: You can also use the Command Prompt or PowerShell in the new Windows Terminal to execute the command.

That is it. These are all valuable and easy ways to open the Task Manager in Windows 11. As you can see, there is a suitable way for everyone to launch the Task Manager.

I hope that helps.

If you are stuck or need some help, comment below, and I will try to help as much as possible.

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