5 ways to open Task Manager on Windows 10
Task Manager is an integral part of Windows. It’s one of those tools that end users, even inexperienced ones, know about. When an app on Windows 10 freezes, the TaskĀ Manager is where you go to quit it.
Everyone knows that you can open Task Manager with the Ctrl+Alt+Del keyboard shortcut. You can also right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager from the context menu but, for whatever reason, if this doesn’t work or you’re unable to execute these two obvious methods, here are 5 other ways to open Task Manager on Windows 10.
Windows Search & Cortana
Windows Search can find, and open Task Manager, as can Cortana. In Windows Search, you can enter either ‘Task Manager’, or ‘taskmgr.exe’ to look for it. If you prefer to use Cortana, you can tell it to open Task Manager, and it will.
Run box
The run box can also open Task Manager however, you cannot enter its user friendly name to do so. Use the Win+R keyboard shortcut to open the run box, and then enter the following in it. Tap Enter to open Task Manager.
taskmgr.exe
Start button
If you right-click the Start button, you will see a menu called the Power User menu. You can also bring this menu up with the Win+X keyboard shortcut. One of the items listed on this menu is the Task Manager. Click it to open the app.
File Explorer
Open File Explorer. It doesn’t matter which folder/directory you open it in. It can open to Quick Access for all it matters. Click inside the location bar, and enter the following. Tap enter to open Task Manager.
taskmgr.exe
You can also navigate to the following location in File Explorer, and look for the ‘taskmgr.exe’ app. Double-click it to open Task Manager.
C:\Windows\System32
Command Prompt & PowerShell
In both PowerShell and Command Prompt, you can enter the following and tap Enter to open Task Manager.
taskmgr.exe
You don’t need admin rights to do this since Task Manager is an app that the average, non-admin user has access to as well.
Bonus method: Xmeters
All the above methods require several clicks or key taps to open Task Manager. If your job has you opening it several times a day, you might be interested in a simple, one-click solution.
Consider using Xmeters. It’s a great app that shows you CPU, GPU, Network, and Disk usage on the Taskbar. It is highly cusomizable and when you click the graphs this app adds to the Taskbar, it opens Task Manager. We’ve reviewed the app before, and it’s a personal favorite of mine that I use everyday.
