Windows 11 Task Manager gets a makeover. Search engine, choice of display mode, integration into the Taskbar… Here is a summary of all the new features that await you in the new Windows 11 Task Manager, and how to access it in preview.
The ancestral Windows Task Manager is improving. The tool, which not only allows you to manage all running tasks and assign priorities to them, also offers the means to control all applications that have recently been launched, the time spent on them or to prevent certain programs to launch at the same time as Windows. In short, it is a real nerve center dedicated to Windows 11 applications.
But the tool still lacked some features and it is this deficiency that Microsoft currently wants to fill. In the latest build of Windows 11 on the Beta channelthe Task Manager is enriched with various noveltiesof which here is a complete summary.
Task Manager improves, list of new features
The first novelty of Task Managers is not really one. It’s more of a return of a feature. To call the manager, press the keys simultaneously [CTRL] + [ALT] + [SUPPR]. But under Windows 10, it was possible to also click on the taskbar using the right mouse button. If this option had disappeared with Windows 11, it is now making its big comeback. A simple right-click on the Taskbar, as shown in the screenshot below, now launches Task Manager.
The second novelty is probably the most interesting. The task manager is now adorned with a search bar for current applications. It was one of the most anticipated options in Windows 11. Certainly, Microsoft has made sure that running apps are grouped by type. But there are so many that you quickly get lost. The search engine, accessible from the upper part of Task Managerprovides a great way to track down a running application and see its impact on PC performance.
Last novelty: we now have the possibility of manage Task Manager display in dark mode / light mode regardless of Windows 11 display. If the OS is dark mode, you can display the manager in light mode, and vice versa. This option is accessible from the Settings function. Finally, Microsoft has also rolled out dark mode to all Task Manager dialog boxes.
How to install the new Windows 11 Task Manager
These new features are currently being tested by Microsoft, but you can already access them. To do this, you need to join Microsoft’s Windows Insider program. It’s free and it gives you access to the new options of Windows 11 in preview. Keep in mind, however, that this is a beta test program: some features may cause bugs or even make the system unstable. Ideally, it is better to use a second PC if you have one, or install a second instance of Windows 11 on your main PC (on another partition or a second hard drive).
To join the Windows Insider Program, here’s how:
- Click the Settings icon from the Start Screen button on the taskbar. Or press the keys simultaneously [Windows] + [I].
- In the right column of the window that appears, go to Windows Update.
- Click in frame Windows Insider Program.
- This is where you can join the famous program to test the new features of Windows 11 before everyone else. Note that it will be necessary enable optional diagnostic data.
- Once the program is joined, make sure you have selected the Beta channel updates. Most of the features related to Task Manager are reserved for this channel at the moment.
How to take advantage of new features in Task Manager from the Dev channel
Finally, if you have already joined the Windows Insider program and selected the Dev channel instead of the Beta channel, all is not lost. You can still enable the new Task Manager features. Here’s how to go about it:
- Download the Vivetool, the latest version being v0.3.2. This is an archive that you will need to unzip. Do it on the desktop or in any directory on your hard drive. In our example, we simply unzipped it into a folder named Vivetool located at the root of C:.
- Open the command prompt in administrator mode.
- Using the CD command, navigate to where you unpacked the Vivetool archive (in our example, we entered the command CD /then the command cd Vivetool).
- Enter the command vivetool /enable /id:39420424.
- Then restart your PC: the new Task Manager should now be available.
