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Task Manager Not Responding / Opening: Fix

Find out what to do when Task Manager is broken

8 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

Task Manager is a useful tool, but many users reported that Task Manager is not working on their Windows 10 PC. This can be a big problem, and in today’s article, we’ll show you how to fix it.

Problems with Task Manager can be somewhat serious, and speaking of Task Manager issues, here are some problems that users reported:

What can I do if Task Manager is not responding or won’t open?

1. Modify the registry

If Task Manager is not working properly, the issue might be your registry. As you know, the registry holds all sorts of information and settings, and sometimes one of these settings might be incorrect, thus causing the problem to appear.

After making these changes, restart your PC and check if the problem is resolved. Since modifying the registry is a potentially dangerous task, we advise you to create a backup before making any changes. In addition, you can also create a System Restore point.

2. Perform an SFC/DISM scan

After the SFC scan is finished, check if the issue is still there. In some instances, the SFC scan might not be able to fix the problem, you’ll need to runDISMscan by doing the following:

Sometimes your system files can get corrupted, and that can lead to various problems. If Task Manager is not working, you might be able to fix the problem by running SFC or DISM scan.

Once the scanning is finished, check if the problem is still there. If you weren’t able to run the SFC scan before, try running it again after completing the DISM scan and check if that helps.

3. Use third-party tools

If the problem with Task Manager is still there, perhaps you can temporarily use a third-party solution as a workaround. There are many great free Task Manager alternatives, and some of them are even more advanced than Task Manager.

If you’re looking for a Task Manager alternative, be sure to check ourreview of best task manager software for Windows.

Task Manager is an integral part of Windows, and if you’re having any problems with Task Manager, be sure to try some of our solutions.

⇒Get AnVir Task Manager

4. Use chkdsk

If Task Manager is not working on your PC, the problem might be file corruption. Sometimes your system drive can get corrupted, and this can cause various problems in Windows.

To fix this and many other problems, users are suggesting that you perform a chkdsk scan.

After the scan is scheduled, it will start automatically once you restart your PC. Keep in mind that chkdsk scan can take about half an hour, sometimes even longer, so be patient.

Once the scan is finished, check if the problem with Task Manager is still there.

5. Create a new user account

If Task Manager is not working, perhaps the problem might be your user account. Sometimes your account can get corrupted, and this will lead to this and many othererrors.

Since there’s no easy way to repair a corrupted account, perhaps you might be able to fix the issue simply by creating a new user account.

Once you create a new user account, switch to it and check if the problem is still there. If the problem doesn’t appear on the new account, you can move your personal files to the new account and start using it instead of your old account.

6. Make sure that Task Manager isn’t disabled

In some cases, your Task Manager might be disabled by a system policy. This can be a problem, but you should be able to fix it by making a couple of changes in your registry.

After doing that, check if the problem with Task Manager is still there.

7. Scan your system

In some cases, it’s possible that thiserroroccurred due to malware. Certain malware might block Task Manager from running in order to prevent you from ending the malware application. However, you should be able to fix this problem simply by performing a malware scan.

There are many tools that you can use to scan your PC. First and foremost, you can try the built-in Windows Defender to run a scan if you do not have anything else installed. It is a pretty good tool that offers a high level of protection.

However, we recommend you to use third-party software because they are generally a little quicker to detect threats and have more security features than Windows Defender.

You can find plenty of goodWindows 10 compatible antivirus softwarethat will surely find and remove the issue.

8. Change Group Policy settings

If you keep having problems with Task Manager, it’s possible that the Task Manager is disabled by your group policy. Sometimes malware can do this without your knowledge, but you might be able to fix this problem by making a couple of changes in group policy.

After making these changes, check if the problem is still there.

9. Perform a System Restore

If the problem with Task Manager is still there, perhaps you can fix it by performing aSystem Restore.

After performing System Restore, check if the problem is still there.

By following these steps you should be able to fix any Task Manager-related issues on your PC. If you know of any other solutions that may work, leave us your suggestions in the comments section below.

Task Manager Not Responding / Opening: Fix#

What can I do if Task Manager is not responding or won’t open?#

1. Modify the registry#

2. Perform an SFC/DISM scan#

3. Use third-party tools#

4. Use chkdsk#

5. Create a new user account#

6. Make sure that Task Manager isn’t disabled#

7. Scan your system#

8. Change Group Policy settings#

9. Perform a System Restore#