How do you diagnose performance problems with the task manager?

1 How to access the task manager

There are several ways to open the task manager on your Windows system. The easiest and fastest way is to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and select Task Manager from the menu that appears. Alternatively, you can right-click on the taskbar and choose Task Manager from the context menu. You can also use the search box on the Start menu and type task manager, then click on the result. Once you open the task manager, you will see a window with different tabs and options.

2 How to view the processes and applications

The first tab you will see is the Processes tab, which shows you all the processes and applications running on your system. You can sort them by name, status, CPU, memory, disk, or network usage by clicking on the column headers. You can also search for a specific process or application by using the search box on the top right corner. To end a process or application, you can right-click on it and choose End task from the menu. This can help you free up some resources and improve your system's performance.

3 How to view the performance and resource usage

The second tab you will see is the Performance tab, which shows you graphs and statistics of your system's performance and resource usage. You can see the CPU, memory, disk, and network activity and usage, as well as the temperature, speed, and utilization of your hardware components. You can also see the details of each component by clicking on it. This can help you identify any bottlenecks or issues that might be affecting your system's performance.

4 How to view the services and startup programs

The third tab you will see is the Services tab, which shows you all the services running on your system. Services are background programs that provide various functions and features for your system and applications. You can sort them by name, status, group, description, or PID by clicking on the column headers. You can also search for a specific service by using the search box on the top right corner. To start, stop, or restart a service, you can right-click on it and choose the appropriate option from the menu. This can help you manage the services and optimize your system's performance.

The fourth tab you will see is the Startup tab, which shows you all the programs that run automatically when you start your system. Some of these programs might be necessary for your system's functionality, but some might be unnecessary or unwanted. You can sort them by name, publisher, status, or startup impact by clicking on the column headers. You can also search for a specific program by using the search box on the top right corner. To enable or disable a program from running at startup, you can right-click on it and choose the appropriate option from the menu. This can help you reduce the startup time and improve your system's performance.

5 How to view the users and details

The fifth tab you will see is the Users tab, which shows you all the users who are logged in to your system. You can see their name, status, session ID, CPU, memory, disk, and network usage by clicking on the column headers. You can also see the processes and applications running under each user by expanding their name. To disconnect or sign out a user, you can right-click on their name and choose the appropriate option from the menu. This can help you manage the users and optimize your system's performance.

The sixth tab you will see is the Details tab, which shows you more information about the processes running on your system. You can see their name, PID, status, user name, CPU, memory, disk, and network usage by clicking on the column headers. You can also see more details about each process by right-clicking on it and choosing Properties from the menu. To end a process, you can right-click on it and choose End task from the menu. This can help you diagnose performance problems and troubleshoot errors.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?