How To Open The Task Manager in Windows 10?

Windows Task Manager is a type of observation & control hub that basically displays and manages everything that is running on your system. The Task Manager will show you the currently running apps, background apps, system current state, etc. You can also use the Task Manager to manage these processes by using “End Task”, open the location of the app, selectively end some process tree, etc.

Learning to use the Task Manager is necessary for every Windows user. If there are any apps malfunctioning or any process is slowing down your system you can use the Task Manager to control or “End Task” the app or process.

Now to open the Task Manager there are various methods. The simple method of using the “CTRL + ALT + ESC” shortcut key doesn’t always work. So you have to know different methods to open the Task Manager. In this post, we have discussed 12 methods to open the Task Manager in any situation.

How To Open The Task Manager in Windows 10

Method 1- Using the keyboard shortcut “CTRL + ALT + ESC”

Using the Keyboard shortcut “CTRL + ALT + ESC” you can open the Task Manager in your Windows Operating Systems. This method of using keyboard key combinations is the most simple and easiest way to open the Task Manager. If your keyboard is working properly then using the “CTRL + ALT + ESC” keyboard shortcut is the very first method that you should use to open the Task Manager on your Windows operating system.

Method 2- Use the “Ctrl+Alt+Delete” shortcut to open the GINA screen

Using the “CTRL + ALT + ESC” keyboard shortcut to open the Task Manager doesn’t work in some situations. There are some apps, especially Games that block the function of the “CTRL + ALT + ESC” keyboard shortcut. In this case, you can try the “CTRL + ALT + Delete” keyboard shortcut. This shortcut will open the GINA(Graphical Identification & Authentication) screen. Choose the “Task Manager” option from the list of options that pops up after using the “CTRL + ALT + Delete” shortcut key.

Method 3- Open the Task Manager from the Windows Power User Menu

The above two methods of opening the Task Manager use the keyboard and there is no need of using your mouse. But this method will show you how to open Task Manager using a mouse. You can also use this method using a combination of keyboard & mouse.

Right-click on the Windows Start menu to open the list of options of the Windows power menu. Click on the Task Manager option from the list of options to open it. To open the Windows power start menu using the keyboard, press the “Win + X” keys and then select the Task Manager option from the list.

Method 4- Access from the Taskbar menu

You can also access the Task Manager from the Taskbar. Just Right-click on the Taskbar to open a list of options. Click on the Task Manager option to open it.

Method 5- Use a Run command

Using Run commands you can access different windows components. This method can be sued when there are problems with Windows Explorer. To do this, press the “Win + R” key on your keyboard to open the Run Dialog. Type the command “taskmgrand” and hit Enter to execute the command and it will open the Task Manager.

Method 6- Run the Task Manager executable

Like most apps on Windows, Task Manager also has an executable file, and to open the Task Manager you can try to find the Task Manager executable file and launch it. Now to open the Task Manager open “This PC” or “My Computer” and access this address C>Windows>System32. After accessing the location try to find the “Taskmgr” file and double-click on it and it will open the Task Manager.

Method 7- From the Start menu

You can also access the Task Manager from the Start Menu. to do this press the Windows button or click on the Windows icon on the leftmost corner of the Taskbar. Click on the Down arrow symbol and go to the Windows System section. Here you will find the Task Manager option, click on it to open the Task Manager.

Method 8- Pin Task Manager on the taskbar

To have faster access to the Task Manager on your Windows PC/Laptop you can try to PIN the Task Manager executable file to the Taskbar. To do this first find the Task Manager executable file from the C:\Windows\System32 location. Right-click on the “Taskmgr” and select the Pin to Taskbar option. You will find the Task Manager icon on the Taskbar, click on it to open the Task Manager.
To remove the Task Manager from the Taskbar, right-click on it and select the “Unpin this program from the taskbar” option.

Method 9- Create a desktop shortcut for the Task Manager

Similar to the way of pinning the Task Manager to the taskbar, you can also create a shortcut of Task Manager on the Desktop. Adding shortcuts to the desktop can be done in two ways.

In the first method, find the Task Manager executable named Taskmgr file from the C:\Windows\System32 location. Then right-click on it and go to “Send To”, then click on the “Desktop(Create Shortcut)” option. Now go to the desktop and you will find the Task Manager shortcut.

In the second method, you can use the Windows shortcut creation wizard to add a shortcut to the desktop. First, you have to right-click on the blank space of the Desktop window and go to the “New” option. From the extended list of options click on the “Shortcut” button to open Create shortcut window. Here you have to input the location of the Task Manager executable file i.e C:\Windows\System32\Taskmgr.exe and click on Next. Type in the name of the shortcut. In this case, it will be Task Manager, and click on the Finish button. You can find the Task Manager shortcut being added on the desktop.

Method 10- Use Windows search to open the Task Manage

Another way to open Task Manager is to search for it in the Windows Start menu. Open the Start Menu by pressing the Windows button or click on the Windows icon on the leftmost corner of the taskbar. Now you will write the Task Manager on the Windows search bar and the Task Manager option will pop up on the search list, click on it to open the Task Manager.

Method 11- Execute a command on Command Prompt(CMD)

Similar to the way of using commands on Run Dialog to open the Task Manager you can also use Command Prompt(CMD) and execute a command to open the Task Manager. First, open the command prompt from the Windows Start Menu and type in the command “taskmgr” and press Enter. The command executed will open the Task Manager window on your PC or Laptop.

Method 12- Open the Task Manager from the Control Panel

Task Manager can also be accessed from the control panel of your Windows system. To do this first open the Control Panel of your system. After the control panel window has opened, type the “Task Manager” in the search bar on the right top corner of the control panel window. You will find the Task Manager on the left side of the Control Panel window search list. Click on it and the task Manager window will open.

Also read : How to Activate Fox Sports on Roku in 2021

Conclusion-

These are some of the viable methods to open the Task Manager on your Windows Operating System. These methods include using the Keyboard and Mouse individually or use a combination of both to open the Task Manager. Here you will have to choose the method that suits you the best to open the Task Manager.

About the Author

Moumita Das

Editor

•Doctor in making 👩‍⚕️ •Love to spend my time writing ✍ •Freelance content writer

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