It provides information about computer performance and running software, including names of running processes, CPU and GPU load, commit charge, I/O details, logged-in users, and Windows services.

The program can be started in recent versions of Windows by pressing ⊞ Win+R and then typing in taskmgr.exe, by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete and clicking Task Manager, by pressing Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Esc, by using Windows Search in the Start Menu and typing taskmgr, by right-clicking on the Windows taskbar and selecting "Task Manager", by typing taskmgr in the File Explorer address bar, or by typing taskmgr in Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell.

Prior versions of Windows NT, as well as Windows 3.x, include the Task List application, are capable of listing currently running processes and killing them, or creating new processes.

[2] Since around the release of Windows 2000, the CPU usage could be displayed as a tray icon in the task bar for a quick glance.

[3][4] In summary mode, Task Manager shows a list of currently running programs that have a main window.

This option can be turned on by choosing Show kernel times from the View menu.

When this option is turned on the CPU usage graph will show a green and a red area.

The Performance tab also shows statistics relating to each of the network adapters present in the computer.

Task Manager was originally an external side project developed at home by Microsoft developer David William Plummer;[6] encouraged by Dave Cutler and coworkers to make it part of the main product "build", he donated the project in 1995.

The original task manager design featured a different Processes page with information being taken from the public Registry APIs rather than the private internal operating system metrics.

In Windows XP only, there is a "Shut Down" menu that provides access to Standby, Hibernate, Turn off, Restart, Log Off, and Switch User.

[7] Prior to Windows XP, process names longer than 15 characters in length are truncated.

Beginning with Windows XP, the Delete key is enabled on the Processes tab.