9 Cool Facts About the Windows Task Manager

Typically, the Windows Task Manager is often used to end unresponsive applications in your program. It is very easy to do especially for a computer novice. You just right click your taskbar and select the Start in the Task Manager Button to open the tool. In the Processes tab, you highlight the application then press End Process to kill it.

While this has been the main purpose of this tool, its other nifty functions are put to waste because users aren’t informed. As such, here are some of the unpopular uses of the Windows Task Manager (WTM) to get you on the know.

1. It lets you see which applications consume your CPU and RAM.

Upon opening the WTM, go to the Processes tab. It will list all the running programs in your computer. If you click on the Memory (Private Working Set) heading, then it will arrange the programs based on its CPU and RAM usage. You can also see how much memory is used by each application, which is expressed in kilobytes.

2. It shows your actual usage of CPU and RAM.

In the Performance tab, you will see graphs that depict your CPU and RAM usage. In the left side, the bar graph will show how much of the memory is used in real-time. Beside it are the history graphs for CPU and Physical memory usage. It will show you the usage spikes over a specific time frame.

3. It lists all the programs that frequently read and write in your hard drive.

The Resource Monitor keeps a record of the disk activity of each program. The disk activity is measured by bytes per second. In the right side, there is also a graphical representation of the total disk activity. Through this, you can see if your hard disk is being utilized at a maximum rate. What is the implication of these data? If you are going to use a disk-intensive program, then you might want to close the other applications listed in the Disk tab.

4. It gauges how long you have been using a program.

Are you interested to know how long have you been on your computer? If yes, follow these instructions. At the top of the WTM, go to View then click Select Columns. Check the CPU time, and click OK. In the Processes tab, you will see the time elapsed for each running application.

5. It enables you to stop background programs from running.

There are times when even though you have closed an application, it continues to hog your CPU memory. What happens is that this program is running on the background. To completely stop the application, go to the Processes tab. Next, select the background program and click End Process.

6. It lets you send a message to another user.

The Users tab will list all the users who are simultaneously logged in your computer, either through a remote desktop connection or through local sessions. To send a message to another user, simply click his username in the Users tab then click Send message. A dialog box will pop up; you can enter the message title and your message in the fields provided. Lastly, click OK to send your message.

7. It can arrange your program windows.

If you right click the taskbar, you can choose a windows arrangement option such as Show Windows stacked, Cascade windows, and Show windows side by side. The task manager lets you do this too. In the Applications tab, hold CTRL as you click each program that you want to be arranged. Afterwards, you right click on the selection for the options. You can either choose Cascade, Tile Horizontally or Tile Vertically.

8. It monitors your network activity.

Does a webpage takes too long to load? You may consult the task manager for some ideas. The Networking tab will show you the internet usage of each adapter on a percentage basis. If you see high spikes in the graphs, some applications may be consuming too much of your internet connection, which in turn causes your web pages to load slowly.

9. It tells you which applications use your internet connection.

Assuming that in our scenario above, you want to prioritize internet browsing over the other programs. Thus, you need to stop some irrelevant programs from running; but how will you know which programs to stop? To do this, go to the Performance tab then click Resource Monitor. In the Network tab, it will show the applications that are using your network connection.

Indeed, the Windows Task Manager is an indispensable application. These functions make it a great productivity tool for every computer user, so better share this knowledge among your friends and colleagues.