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Task Manager shortcut: how to open Task Manager on Windows

The Task Manager keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+Shift+Esc. Press all three keys together and Task Manager opens on Windows 11 and 10, with no menu in between. Ctrl+Alt+Del, then Task Manager, gets you there too.

Below: every way to open Task Manager, what to do when a program won't close, and how to open Task Manager on a PC you're using remotely, where your own keyboard catches some of these shortcuts first.

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  • Ctrl+Shift+Esc
  • Six ways to open it
  • On a remote PC too

Updated · Works on Windows 10 and 11

Task Manager shortcuts at a glance

Ways to open Task Manager on Windows 11 and 10
ShortcutWhat it does
Ctrl+Shift+EscOpens Task Manager straight away. The quickest way.
Ctrl+Alt+Del, then Task ManagerWorks even when the screen seems frozen, because Windows always answers Ctrl+Alt+Del.
Win+X, then TOpens the Start button's menu; Task Manager is on it.
Win+R, type taskmgr, EnterThe Run box. Also works from Command Prompt or PowerShell.
Right-click the taskbarChoose Task Manager. On Windows 10 and current versions of Windows 11.
Start, type Task ManagerSearch finds it like any other app.

Task Manager opens in its small view the first time on some PCs. Click More details to see every tab: Processes, Performance, Startup apps, Users, Details and Services.

How to close a program that isn't responding

  1. Step 1: Open Task Manager

    Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc. If nothing happens, press Ctrl+Alt+Del and choose Task Manager.

  2. Step 2: Find the program

    On the Processes tab, find it under Apps. A program that has hung usually says Not responding in the Status column.

  3. Step 3: End the task

    Select it and click End task. Anything you hadn't saved in that program is lost, so give it a minute first if it's busy with something big.

The same from the command line, if you know the program's name or process ID:

tasklist
taskkill /IM notepad.exe
taskkill /PID 4120 /F

/F forces it closed. Commands like these can go in a script too; see how to write and run a Windows batch script.

How to open Task Manager on a remote PC

When you control another PC, your own Windows catches some keys before any app sees them. Ctrl+Alt+Del always goes to your own PC, and so can Ctrl+Shift+Esc. Here's what works instead:

  • Windows Remote Desktop: press Ctrl+Alt+End and choose Task Manager, or right-click the remote taskbar. More in how to send Ctrl+Alt+Del in Remote Desktop.
  • RemoteAccessApp, Windows or Linux app: open the Keys menu in the session toolbar (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+K) and choose Task Manager. Choosing Ctrl+Alt+Del there offers Open Task Manager too.
  • RemoteAccessApp in a browser: open Shortcuts in the session toolbar and choose Task Manager.
  • Any remote tool: click the remote Start button, type Task Manager and open it, or run taskmgr.

Every session shortcut is in keyboard shortcuts in a remote session. To check what's running on a PC without opening a session at all, run tasklist with Run a command.

Task Manager opens but ignores your clicks?

On an administrator account, Task Manager runs as administrator, and Windows drops clicks from a remote app that doesn't have those rights. RemoteAccessApp can control it when the PC has the normal all-users install and unattended access is turned on at that PC. The help article an admin window is blocking my clicks has the details.

Task Manager won't open

  • Try Ctrl+Alt+Del first: Windows handles it itself, so it still responds when the desktop doesn't.
  • If you see "Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator", it's turned off by a policy. On a work PC, ask IT. On your own PC, it's the Remove Task Manager setting in Group Policy (User Configuration, Administrative Templates, System, Ctrl+Alt+Del Options): set it to Not configured.
  • Run sfc /scannow in Command Prompt as administrator to repair damaged Windows files, then restart.
  • If you suspect someone else is using your PC, the checks in is someone remotely accessing my computer start in Task Manager.

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