A component of Microsoft Windows | |
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Screenshot of Task Manager in Windows 10 showing the Performance tab
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Details | |
Type | Task manager, system monitor and startup manager |
Included with | Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and onwards |
Replaces | System Monitor |
Related components | |
Resource Monitor, MSConfig |
Task Manager, previously known as Windows Task Manager, is a task manager, system monitor, and startup manager included with Microsoft Windows systems. It provides limited information about computer performance and running applications, processes and CPU usage, commit charge and memory information, network activity and statistics, logged-in users, and system services. The Task Manager can also be used to set process priorities, processor affinity, forcibly terminate processes, and shut down, restart, hibernate, or log off from Windows. Windows Task Manager was introduced with Windows NT 4.0. Previous versions of Windows NT included the Task List application, which had far fewer features. The task list was capable of listing currently running processes and killing them, or creating a new process. In Windows XP only, a Shutdown menu is also present that allows access to Standby, Hibernate, Turn off, Restart, Log Off, and Switch User.
Windows 3.x and Windows 9x had a program known as tasks to display the programs currently running. This file was executed by running the taskman.exe
file from the Windows folder.
The program can be started in recent versions of Windows by pressing ⊞ Win+R and then typing in taskmgr.exe
, by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete and clicking Start Task Manager, or by pressing Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Esc.