Task manager is a simplified system component that is found in every version of Microsoft Windows. It provides useful information about the system starting from storage to statistics about each and every process of the system. It also shows the overall performance of the system that comes in handy during regular checks of the system. The Task Manager window is a simple interface that shows the number and names of the applications that are running on the desktop.ย
It has been noticed that Microsoft Windows had a huge improvement in the Task Manager section after the updated version of Windows 7. New features got added along with the improvement of the system functioning.
Ways to launch Task Managerย
In Windows 10, a Task Manager shortcut menu is present in the Start menu.
You can launch a Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc through the use of a keyboard. Or pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete and then selecting โTask Managerโ will also work.
Other than that, a right-click on the Windows Taskbar can also open a few options from which you can select Task Manager.ย ย
How to use Windows Task Manager
When an application on your desktop is malfunctioning or not responding, you can immediately open the Task Manager window by right-clicking on the window taskbar and selecting the โTask Managerโ option and then selecting the application, and then clicking โEnd Taskโ to forcibly close the application.
If you look closely, the Windows Task Manager has more accessible options like Switch To, Always On Top, End Task, etc. For finding these options, you need to select a program that is already running in the Task Manager and then right-clicks on it to reveal a list of options. Let us take a closer look at the functions of these options:
Switch To: you might not have figured out which application is not responding. For that, you can simply click on the โSwitch Toโ option that will bring forward in focus, the application that is malfunctioning.
End Task: Ending the task can be done through this option. This means you are putting a forcible stop to the running application.
Run New Task: The Run New Task option allows you to open any program, document, folder or website address on the desktop. You need to click on the โ Run New Taskโ to open the Create New Task window.
Open File Location: With this option, you will be able to open any File Explorer Window.
Always On Top: This option allows you to see the Task Manager window over any other running application on your desktop.
Search Online: To see what is the job of a program, you can use โSearch Onlineโ to do a Bing search about the particular program. This will let you see the uses of a particular program.
Properties: Compatibility options and finding out the version name or number of a program can be seen when you open the properties tab for any particular program.
Tabs of Task Manager Windowย
When you open the Task Manager window, you can notice that on the bottom left of the same window, there is an icon indicating an arrow and โMore Detailsโ options. Click on it to see a new interface appear that has many tabs present in it. When the tabbed interface appears, the โMore Detailsโ option changes to โFewer Detailsโ. The tabs that are present in the โMore Detailsโ interface are simplified here:
Processes: The first tab you will see is the Processes tab. This contains a list of all the applications that are running at that particular point in time. It also shows resource usage information and background processes along with memory disk, CPU, GPU and network.ย
Performance: The Performance tab has detailed graphs about the performance of CPU, Memory, Disk, Ethernet and GPU. from this tab, you can get detailed information about the working of your desktop.ย
App History: The App History tab shows detailed information of the applications running on the desktop and their CPU Time, Network, Metered Network and Tile Updates. It also shows the resource usage for the โcurrent user accountโ.
Startup: The Startup tab shows all the startup programs, or rather, a list of them. These programs are the ones that automatically start when your user account is signed in. to disable the startup programs, you have to go to Settings, then Apps and then Startup.
Users: This tab shows exactly how much resources the PC is using and to run what applications.ย
Details: This tab shows in detail the applications that are running on the desktop. This tab can also be called a detailed version of the Processes tab.
Services: The last tab in the Task Manager window is the โServicesโ tab. This tab gives information about the system services management. The information given in this tab is just another substitute for the information that we usually find in services.msc, the Services management console.ย
If you want a shortcut to the interface, you can easily take your mouse over to the Windows 10 taskbar and notice there is a Windows Task Manager icon. If you place your mouse over the icon, it will show you the current resource usage of CPU, memory, network usage and disk.
Summing up
Windows Task Manager can be said as a shortcut way of figuring out information about the storage, resource usage and working of your PC and comes in handy in times of hurry.ย