How to Run Task Manager from Command Prompt

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An easy-to-use guide to use Command Prompt to run Task Manager

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: March 20, 2024 Tested

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This wikiHow teaches you how to use Command Prompt to open Task Manager on a Windows computer.

Steps

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Open Start

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. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
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This folder will be near the bottom of the Start window.

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Click

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Command Prompt. It's near the top of the Windows System folder.
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This is the command to open the Task Manager program from within any directory on your computer.
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Doing so runs the command. You should see the Task Manager window open after a brief moment.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I get the "keyboard" on the computer so I can type in taskm?

Community Answer

You can run the "On-Screen Keyboard." It's located in the "Windows Ease of Access" folder inside the Start menu.

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Question

I can only pull up CMD on safe mode and open task manager, I cannot log in because it is so slow, so what do I do?

Community Answer

1. Open Start Image titled Windowsstart.png. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen. 2. Scroll down and click Windows System. This folder will be near the bottom of the Start window.

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Tips

An easier way to open Task Manager is to press Ctrl + ⇧ Shift + Esc simultaneously.

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Once you open Command Prompt, you can run this command on any Windows computer to open Task Manager, though you may need to type taskmgr.exe instead on Windows XP.

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You can typically open Command Prompt on any Windows computer by typing cmd into the Run app, or by typing command prompt into the Start search bar and then clicking the Command Prompt icon.

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Warnings

While you don't need to have administrator access on your computer to run this command, some networked computers will restrict your access to Command Prompt itself.

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How to Run Task Manager from Command Prompt

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