Task Manager provides detailed information on what’s happening with the operating system. It provides real time system statistics on items such as CPU, memory, disk access, etc.
Task Manager can be started with any of the following methods:
- Ctrl-Alt-Del, select Task Manager
- Right click the task bar and select Task Manager
- Ctrl-Shift-Esc
Applications
The Applications tab is found in Windows 7 versions of Task Manager. This Applications tab lists user interactive applications that are in use. From this tab you can stop an application from running or launch a new application.
For Windows 8/8.1/10, the Applications tab was combined with the Processes tab.
Processes
The Processes tab shows all running processes whether they are user interactive processes or system tray apps, or processes running from other accounts.
The Processes tab is customizable. You can remove, add, or move columns as desired.
In Windows 8/8.1/10, the Processes tab combines all apps, processes, and services into a single tab for easier viewing.
Performance
The Performance tab lets you know what’s happening. You can view things like the CPU usage history or memory usage. It doesn’t replace Performance Monitor but helps you see what’s been happening over the last few minutes.
In Windows 8/8.1/10, the Perfomance tab provides CPU, memory, disk, Bluetooth, and network utilization metrics.
Networking
In Windows 7, networking metrics are shown in the Networking tab. In Windows 8/8.1/10, the Networking tab is consolidated into the Performance tab.
The networking tab lets your view network utilization, link speeds, and interface connection states.
Users
The users tab lists all users that are currently logged into that particular system. You can also see what they were doing in that session. From the users’s list in Windows 7, you can disconnect them, log them off, or send them a message.
In Windows 8/8.1/10, the Users tab provides more functionality. You can see detailed process information for each individual user and see performance statistics for each process.
