Task Manager is an essential utility in Windows 11 that shows you important details about your computer’s memory consumption, background processes, startup programs, and more. If you rely on it to force close apps and programs when they’re not responding, that will be a problem when Task Manager stops working on your Windows 11 PC.
If you encounter a similar issue where Task Manager becomes unresponsive or refuses to open, the solutions in this guide will help you troubleshoot and fix the problem. We have compiled a list of solutions to get Task Manager working again. So let’s get started.
1. Restart Your Computer
If you are unable to open or access the Task Manager in Windows 11, you can try restarting your computer. If the problem is due to a minor glitch or a process freezing, restarting your computer can bring everything back to normal.
2. Run the System Maintenance Troubleshooter
Your Windows 11 PC will be fine with desktop shortcuts, disk volume, file paths, etc. It comes equipped with a System Maintenance Troubleshooter that can detect and fix any irregularities related to So if you’re having trouble accessing the Task Manager in Windows 11, you can turn to. System Maintenance Troubleshooter for help. Here’s how.
Stage 1: Press Windows key + S to open Windows Search, type control Paneland press Enter.
Step 2: In the Control Panel window, change the view type to large icons and go to Troubleshooting.
Stage 3: Under System and Security, click Run maintenance tasks.
Follow the onscreen instructions to run the troubleshooter and then restart your computer to see if the Task Manager is working properly.
3. Run SFC and DISM Scan
SFC or System File Checker scan is a useful utility in Windows that can diagnose corrupt files on your computer and restore them with their cached versions. So, if the Task Manager in Windows 11 is not working due to a corrupt system file, you can try to run an SFC scan by following the steps below.
Stage 1: Right-click on the start menu icon and select Windows Terminal (administrator) from the menu that appears.
Step 2: Type the command mentioned below and press Enter.
sfc/scannow
If the problem persists, you can try running a DISM or Deployment Image Servicing and Management scan instead. Similar to the SFC scan, DISM can repair system images and files on your Windows. Here’s how to run it.
Start Command Prompt with administrator rights and enter the following commands one by one.
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Once done, restart your computer and see if the Task Manager is working fine.
4. Malware Scan
If you have trouble accessing Task Manager and other Windows programs such as File Explorer, your computer may be infected with a virus. To make sure of this, you can try scanning your computer for malware and viruses by running a quick scan.
5. Enable Task Manager via Registry Editor
If you still cannot access the Task Manager, you can examine the Windows Registry keys to make sure the Task Manager is not disabled from there. Windows Registry Editor is only available in Windows 11 Pro and later.
Warning word. The Windows Registry is a powerful tool on Windows. Making changes without knowledge can have serious consequences. So make sure you follow the steps carefully and back up your Registry files beforehand.
Stage 1: Press Windows key + R to launch the Run command. In summer regedit box and press Enter.
Step 2: Use the Address bar above to navigate to the key below.
DISM /Online /HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies
Stage 3: Expand Policies to search for systems. If you can’t find it, right click on Policies, go to New and select Key. Name it system.
Step 4: Right click on the system entry, go to New and select DWORD (32-Bit) Value. Name the new entry DisableTaskMgr.
Step 5: Double-click the DisableTaskMgr key, change its value to 0 and hit OK.
Restart your computer to apply the changes. Once it restarts, you should try to access the Task Manager.
6. Enable Task Manager via Group Policy
Similar to Registry Editor, Group Policy is an administrative tool used to make system-level changes in Windows 11. If someone has disabled the Task Manager on your PC, you can also use the Group Policy Editor to enable it.
Stage 1: Press Windows + R to open Run prompt, type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
Step 2: In the Group Policy Editor, use the left pane to go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Ctrl+Alt+Del Options.
Stage 3: Double-click on Uninstall Task Manager on your right.
Step 4: In the Uninstall Task Manager window that opens, select Disabled and click OK.
Restart your computer and see if you can access the Task Manager.
7. Perform System Restore
Like its previous iterations, Windows 11 comes with a System Restore feature that periodically makes a backup of the entire system. This feature automatically creates a restore point when it detects any major changes. You can use it to get back to the point where the Task Manager was working fine. Here’s how.
Stage 1: Open the Start Menu, type create a restore point and click on the first result that appears.
Step 2: Under the System Protection tab, click the System Restore button.
Stage 3: Here you can navigate to the recommended restore point or choose the second option yourself.
While Task Manager is working fine, choose a restore point and hit Next. Follow the onscreen instructions to perform a system restore.
Manage Task at Hand
Task Manager is a vital system maintenance tool in Windows. Sometimes, however, he may need some care himself. Hopefully, the solutions above helped you get it working again. As always, let us know if we missed any solutions in the comments below.
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