This document provides basic information about using Windows task manager in Windows 8. You can use Task Manager to start programs, start or end processes, manage startup programs, and view a dynamic display of your computer's performance.
Note: Your system administrator may have implemented a local policy on your computer to disable Task Manager. In this scenario, you should contact the system administrator or your help desk if you need local process control or the ability to monitor the computer's performance.
To start Task Manager, take either of the following actions:
If your task manager looks like image below, click More details to expand.
Exit a program: To exit a program, click the program that you want to exit, and then click End Task.
Note: When you exit a program in this manner, any unsaved data in that program is lost.
Start a program: To start a program, click File > Run new task. In the Create New Task dialog box, click Browse, locate and select the program that you want to start, click Open, and then click OK.
Note: This procedure is very similar to starting a program by using the Run command on the Start menu.
The Details tab displays information about the processes that are running on the computer. A process can be an application that you start or subsystems and services that are managed by the operating system. To end a process, follow these steps.
To match a process with a running program, right-click the program name on the Processes tab of Windows Task Manager, and then click Go To Details.Note: Proceed with caution when you end a process. If you exit a program in this manner, data that has not been saved will be lost. If you end a system process, a system component may no longer function correctly.
Click the Performance tab to view a dynamic overview of the performance of your computer. Below is an overview of the performance tab.
CPU
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Memory
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Disk
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Connections
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To view a list of programs that start when Windows starts, click the Startup tab.
The startup impact column indicates how much each program slows your computer down during startup. To stop a program from launching at startup, select the program that you would like to disable and click Disable.
This document was adapted from the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 323527.