About
Windows Task Manager is a built-in tool for Windows that allows you to view all the applications that are running on your Windows device. This program allows you to monitor the applications, processes, and services currently running on your PC. There, you can see if unneeded applications are using your PC's resources. Quitting those unnecessary applications can help free up wasted memory, and also improve battery life and performance.
Environment
Windows Task Manager is only available to use on Windows devices. For Mac devices, please visit this Knowledge Base Article on Using Activity Monitor on MacOS.
Steps
To open Windows Task Manager, there are several ways to open it:
- Press CTRL-SHIFT-ESC
- Right-click an empty area of the taskbar, and then select Task Manager.
- Press CTRL-ALT-DELETE, and then select Task Manager.
Once you open Task Manager, you will see this screen:
The Processes tab will show you a list of programs running on your machine. You can select unimportant programs that are using the resources as indicated in the CPU, Disk, Memory, Network and GPU columns and select End Task. This will quit the program and free up resources, thus improving performance and battery life. If you are not familiar with the program that is using much of the PC's resources, it is best to not end that program, since it may be an important Windows process such as Updates.
At the top of the Task Manager window, you will see other tabs that allow you to view a live graph of PC performance, App history, Startup, Users, Details, and Services. The Startup tab allows you to control which applications automatically open once your PC is turned on. Disabling unnecessary apps at Startup can have a positive effect for boot times.
For more help, please contact ITS at its@manhattan.edu or 718-862-7973.