How do I open the Task Manager on a Mac?

macOS doesn't have a Task Manager, but you can access Task Manager-equivalent functions in two places. First, the Force Quit Applications dialog is where you can force malfunctioning programs to quit. To access the Force Quit dialog, select the Apple menu , then click Force Quit . Or, press Command+Option+Esc to bring up the Force Quit dialog. If you need to access information about memory consumption or process data, you'll need to open the Activity Monitor. To access the Activity Monitor, click Spotlight Search (the magnifying glass on the top right of your screen), and type in Activity Monitor .

How do I open the Task Manager on a Chromebook?

To open a Chromebook's task-management tool, click the Menu icon > More Tools and select Task Manager . For more data, select Stats for Nerds .

How do I open Task Manager on a second monitor?

An easy way to do this is to open Task Manager on your primary monitor, then use Windows+Shift+left arrow or right arrow to move the application window from one monitor to the other.

How do I open Task Manager as Admin?

To run Task Manager as an administrator, navigate to Task Manager using one of the methods described above. Then, right-click on Task Manager and select Run as Administrator . Enter the administrator password when prompted, then you'll open Task Manager as an administrator.

How do I open the Task Manager in Chrome?

To use the Google Chrome Task Manager , open Chrome and select Menu (three dots), then select More Tools > Task Manager . With Chrome's Task Manager, view a list of every open tab, process, and extension, as well as key statistics about memory usage, CPU usage, and network activity.

Computers, Laptops & Tablets > Microsoft

How to Open the Task Manager in Windows 10

Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc, right-click the Start button or the taskbar, or search for it

By

Nick Steinberg

Updated on October 9, 2023

Reviewed by

Jon Fisher

What to Know

Ctrl+Shift+Esc is the fastest way to open Task Manager in Windows 10. Ctrl+Alt+Delete also works.
Or, right-click the Start button, or anywhere on the taskbar, to access the Task Manager shortcut.
Task Manager's real location is in the System32 folder. You can open it there, too, or with the taskmgr command.

Task Manager is an excellent tool for keeping track of system processes, monitoring resource usage, and forcing memory-hogging applications to close. Microsoft has introduced several improvements to Task Manager over the years, but luckily, accessing it on Windows 10 hasn’t changed much from Windows 7.

How Do I Open Task Manager in Windows 10?

From the Start menu to keyboard shortcuts, there are multiple ways to open Task Manager in Windows 10. Here are the most common ways to do it:

Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc
Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete
Open Power User Menu by pressing Win+X
Right-click the taskbar
Use File Explorer
Create a shortcut

What Is the Fastest Way to Open Task Manager?

The easiest (and fastest) keyboard shortcut for opening Task Manager is Ctrl+Shift+Esc. This takes you directly to the utility in just a moment or two.

Other Ways to Get to Task Manager on a Keyboard

Here are a few other keyboard shortcuts to open up Task Manager quickly:

Ctrl+Alt+Delete

Ctrl+Alt+Delete is a popular shortcut across multiple generations of Windows, and up until Windows Vista, it brought you directly to Task Manager. The shortcut’s functionality has changed a bit with successive versions of Windows, as it now opens the Windows Security screen.

Once the Windows Security screen is open, select Task Manager from the menu to open it.

Win+X

Modern versions of Windows include a feature called Power User Menu that can be accessed by pressing Win+X. This menu provides quick access to a number of advanced system utilities, including Task Manager.

Opening Task Manager with Power User menu in Windows 10 (with Task Manager highlighted)

How Do I Open Task Manager Without Keyboard Shortcuts?

If you're more of a mouse user, you're in luck! There are several other ways to access Task Manager in Windows 10.

Right-Click the Taskbar

This method is pretty self-explanatory. All you need to do is right-click anywhere on the taskbar at the bottom of your screen, and select Task Manager.

Opening Task Manager by right-clicking Taskbar in Windows 10 (with Task Manager highlighted)

Use the Run Box or Start Menu

You can use Windows 10 search functionality to access Task Manager in a couple of ways.

Pressing Win+R will bring up the Run box, which has been a Windows OS fixture for decades. Enter taskmgr into the field provided and then press OK to open Task Manager.

Opening Task Manager with Run box on Windows 10 with "tskmgr" highlighted

You can also use the Windows 10 Start menu’s search box. Type taskmgr and press Enter.

Opening Task Manager with Windows 10 search function.

Locate Task Manager in File Explorer

If a manual search is more your style, you can look for the Task Manager executable directly in File Explorer.

Open File Explorer.
Select This PC.
Open C drive.
Open the Windows folder.
Go into System32.
Type taskmgr in the search bar and press Enter.
Open Taskmgr.

Create a Shortcut

If you find yourself needing to use Task Manager a lot, it might be a good idea to create a shortcut. There are a couple of methods for doing this.

While Task Manager is running, create a shortcut in the Taskbar by right-clicking the Task Manager icon and selecting Pin to Taskbar.

You can also create a desktop shortcut using the following steps:

Right-click an empty space on your desktop and select New.
Select Shortcut.
Enter this path to Task Manager in the System32 folder, and then press Next:
```
C:/Windows/System32/taskmgr
```
Type Task Manager as the name for the new shortcut and then press Finish.

FAQ

How do I open the Task Manager on a Mac?

macOS doesn't have a Task Manager, but you can access Task Manager-equivalent functions in two places. First, the Force Quit Applications dialog is where you can force malfunctioning programs to quit. To access the Force Quit dialog, select the Apple menu, then click Force Quit. Or, press Command+Option+Esc to bring up the Force Quit dialog. If you need to access information about memory consumption or process data, you'll need to open the Activity Monitor. To access the Activity Monitor, click Spotlight Search (the magnifying glass on the top right of your screen), and type in Activity Monitor.
How do I open the Task Manager on a Chromebook?

To open a Chromebook's task-management tool, click the Menu icon > More Tools and select Task Manager. For more data, select Stats for Nerds.
How do I open Task Manager on a second monitor?

An easy way to do this is to open Task Manager on your primary monitor, then use Windows+Shift+left arrow or right arrow to move the application window from one monitor to the other.
How do I open Task Manager as Admin?

To run Task Manager as an administrator, navigate to Task Manager using one of the methods described above. Then, right-click on Task Manager and select Run as Administrator. Enter the administrator password when prompted, then you'll open Task Manager as an administrator.
How do I open the Task Manager in Chrome?

To use the Google Chrome Task Manager, open Chrome and select Menu (three dots), then select More Tools > Task Manager. With Chrome's Task Manager, view a list of every open tab, process, and extension, as well as key statistics about memory usage, CPU usage, and network activity.

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