How to use Task Manager in Windows

If you grew up using Windows computers, you know that Ctrl + Alt + Delete is a magic combination that can get you out of sticky situations. It could help you restart the computer, shut it down, and even open up Task Manager, which could help you get windows that were stuck to close. Force-quitting something to make your computer normal again was a satisfying way to wipe a chaotic screen clean.

But most people probably haven’t thought about Task Manager much since those days. Either that or you only thought it could be used to force quit unresponsive browsers and apps. But Task Manager can do so much more. In fact, it can actually make your computer run more efficiently.

Whether you have Windows 10 or Windows 11, there are features embedded that can be put to good use within Task Manager. It’s no longer just for getting things that weren’t working to stop trying. It’s now for helping your entire computer work to its fullest potential. Here’s more on how Task Manager can be a secret weapon for Windows users.

Windows 11 Pro

Windows 11 Pro is the most premium version of the newest Windows operating system.

What you can get out of your Task Manager

It may look different depending on the OS

There’s a lot of information stored in Task Manager. If you haven’t looked into it before, you do need to be careful about what you’re poking around — you could seriously affect your computer and even make parts of the operating system less efficient if you don’t follow the right steps.

When you open Task Manager, it will open into Processes. It shows you all the processes that are currently happening, what’s taking up the most power, and how efficiently everything is running. If you hold down the Ctrl button, the Task Manager will freeze, allowing you to take a look at everything more closely. Once you let it go, the Task Manager will begin updating again and moving processes up and down the list as they turn on and off.

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If you notice that one of the apps is taking up a ton of CPU usage, you can end the task by right-clicking on it and clicking End task. This will stop it from running and will free up some space. The Task Manager is where you can find out which apps start when you open your computer, which allows you to change what starts up when you log in. This is done by clicking on the Startup Apps portion of Task Manager.

How to run Efficiency Mode

It only takes a few clicks to get it going

As you might have guessed, Efficiency Mode is a setting that helps your computer run more effectively. It’s easy to turn certain programs into more efficient ones, but be warned that it’s important to know exactly what each program does before you turn efficiency mode on. If you turn the wrong application into efficiency mode, it could slow down your computer even more.

Efficiency Mode is meant for lower-priority apps that may be taking up more CPU usage than you want them to. This can be true for apps that you may only use in certain situations, but your settings have them opening and running in the background. What you can do is:

1. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete.
2. Open Processes.
3. Scan the columns and see what is high in CPU usage. If there are some background apps that you don’t need to use at that moment, you can click on them.
4. Either left-click or right-click will do the trick. Left-click and then go to the top of the menu and click Efficiency Mode. If you right-click, a menu will pop up and Efficiency Mode will be one of the options. Click it.
5. Windows will have a window appear that asks you if you’re sure you want to turn on Efficiency Mode for that specific task. Click Ok.

This will lower the priority and make the power more effective for your computer.

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Look at stats in real time

This can give you an idea of what needs tweaking

The Performance tab gives you a deeper look at what’s running efficiently and what’s using more power than necessary. On the left side of Task Manager, you’ll find Performance as an option. Click on it, and you’ll see a line graph displaying your CPU’s performance. Below that, you’ll find Memory, Disk, Wi-Fi, and GPU — each shows real-time stats on what’s running smoothly and what else might be struggling.

If your computer’s running slowly, you might have too little memory or too many applications open at once. An overworked computer will slow down, but you can check how your CPU is handling the load. From there, go into Processes and limit the ones using the most resources. Once you’ve done that, head back to Performance to see if your adjustments are making a difference.

It’s all about balancing what you really need for your computer.

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