If your computer is performing slowly, you may want to consider closing some of the open apps. Background programs that operate silently, sometimes without your awareness, may be reduced as part of this effort as well. In this post, we will find out how you can use the Task Manager to know more about processes running on Windows PC. It applies to Windows 11, Windows 10, and any version of Windows.
How To Know More About Processes Running in Windows?
The Task Manager is the ideal location to begin monitoring applications. Using the Start menu or the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keyboard combination, you may get it running quickly. As a result, you’ll find yourself in the Processes window.
Below are instructions that can help you understand using the Task Manager in a much better way.
The Details Tab In Task Manager
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager to get things started. If the Task Manager opens in a compact view, click or touch on the More details option to get more information. Then choose the Details tab by clicking or tapping on it.
Click or hold on a process in the Processes tab and then click or tap Go to details to view the Details tab if you need additional information. In the Services window, right-click or hold down the Shift key while selecting any running service, and then choose Go to details.
Check Task Manager’s Details Tab Default Data
When you initially open the Details tab in Windows Task Manager, it displays a lot of data. At first, you may be feeling completely unable to cope. This data is shown in seven default columns:
- Name: Shows the name of the executing process. It is the only column that can not be concealed from view.
- PID: Displays a unique Process Identifier number. These numbers may be used to match a running service with an error or event that provides the PID.
- Status: Displays if a process is running or halted. Universal Windows Platform programs are stopped to preserve resources when they are not utilized.
- User name: Reveals the user’s name (including system accounts) executing a process under that user.
- CPU: Shows the proportion of CPU consumed by each process across all cores.
- Memory (active private working set): Displays the amount of memory utilized and reserved for each process, excluding data from halted UWP processes.
- UAC virtualization: Indicates whether User Account Control virtualization is Enabled, Disabled, or Not permitted for each process.
How to Add New Columns To Task Manager’s Details Tab
There are several options available if you wish to add extra details to the tab. To view what you can add, select columns by right-clicking or by holding down the shift key while clicking. Try hovering over the column heading to get a sense of what data is shown in a column. As you can see, they all display the same thing:
Package name: The name of the package to which a UWP app belongs. The column is empty when it comes to non-UWP applications.
Session ID: Displays the unique number of the user session executing a process and may be compared with the ID number given on the Users page.
Job object ID: It shows the ID of the job object in which the process is executing.
CPU time: Reveals the total processing time in seconds consumed by each process since it began executing. This data resets if a process is resumed.
Cycle: Displays the current percentage of CPU cycle time a process is taking.
Working set (memory): It shows the amount of physical memory presently consumed by each process.
Peak working set (memory): It shows the maximum amount of physical memory consumed by each process.
Working set delta (memory): Displays the amount of change in working set memory each process has utilized since the previous refresh.
Memory (private working set): It shows how much memory each process uses and reserves, including statistics from halted UWP processes.
Memory (shared working set): Displays the amount of memory occupied by each process that may be used by other processes if required.
Commit size: It shows how much virtual memory Windows 10 has set up for each process.
Paged pool: The amount of pageable kernel memory assigned to each Windows kernel or driver’s process is displayed.
NP pool: The amount of non-pageable kernel memory allocated to each Windows kernel or driver’s process is displayed.
Page faults: Reveals the number of page faults each process created since it began executing.
PF Delta: Displays the change in the number of page faults created by each process from the previous refresh.
Base priority: It shows the current priority of each process, this rating dictating the order in which the threads of a process are scheduled.
Handles: The current number of handles that each process has opened is shown.
Threads: The number of active threads for each process is shown.
User objects: Displays the number of window manager objects that each process consumes. Window manager items include windows, menus, cursors, keyboard layouts, and monitors.
GDI objects: Reveals the number of Graphics Device Interface objects utilized by each process to render the user interface.
How to Remove Unnecessary Columns from Task Manager
The Details tab in Task Manager may become rather crowded if all forty-six optional columns are active, so it’s best to retain the ones you’re interested in. It’s possible to hide a column from display by right-clicking or pressing and holding the column header and selecting the Hide column if you have an available column that you no longer need.
You may conceal several columns at once by right-clicking or pressing and holding the column’s header and then Selecting columns from the contextual menu.
How to Sort Processes in Task Manager
The processes shown under the Details page are organized alphabetically by default. When you click on a column header, the data in that column is sorted according to the values.
It’s okay if you like the data you see, but you’d want to rearrange it, then click or touch on the header of a column and drag it left or right to do so.
How to Terminate a Processes in Task Manager
Stopping processes fast to save up system resources is a widespread usage for the Details tab. Using the Task Manager’s End task button in the bottom-right corner will stop a selected process. You may also access a contextual menu by performing a right-click or pressing and holding on to any running process. To finish a job, click or touch on the End task button.
To end the whole process tree, choose the End process tree from the contextual menu and click or touch it.
Will My PC Run Faster With Fewer Background Processes?
Yes, your PC will run faster if you have fewer background processes running, but this certainly depends on how much pressure those processes exert on your PC. Suppose a heavy game running in the background will exert more pressure than 100s of small processes running in the background.
How Much Memory Space Should Be Free On My Computer For Optimal Performance?
There is no fixed number for that, but for your PC to work perfectly, having 20% free memory space should be great. The performance also depends on the specifications of your computer and not the memory space available alone.
Conclusion
Task Manager only displays programs running on your desktop, so keep this in mind. The “Users” page lets you see the processes of all the users that are currently signed in. Using this, you may check whether one of their open applications uses up all of the machine’s resources. Due to the inherent privacy and security considerations of accessing another user’s processes, you must be signed in as an administrator to see this information.