How to Use Task Manager to Fix a Slow or Frozen Windows Computer

Task Manager shows you what's running on your computer and lets you close programs that are frozen or using too much memory.

In this guide (4 steps):

1.Open Task Manager
2.Find what's slowing your computer down
3.Close a frozen or unresponsive program
4.Prevent programs from starting automatically

Open Task Manager

~19s

Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete on your keyboard at the same time. A blue screen appears with a small menu. Click "Task Manager." Alternatively, right-click anywhere on the empty space in the Taskbar (the bar at the bottom of your screen) and click "Task Manager." Task Manager opens showing a list of all running programs and processes.

Find what's slowing your computer down

~29s

Click the "CPU" column header to sort programs by how much processor power they're using (highest at top). Click "Memory" to sort by RAM usage. Any program using 80-100% CPU is likely causing slowdowns. If your computer feels slow overall, look for programs using high percentages and that you're not actively using.

Quick Tip

One program using 100% CPU is often an antivirus scan, Windows Update, or a web browser with too many tabs. Give it a few minutes before taking action — many high-usage tasks finish on their own.

Close a frozen or unresponsive program

~22s

If a program shows "(Not Responding)" next to its name in Task Manager, it's frozen. Click on that program's name once to highlight it. Click "End Task" at the bottom right (or top right in newer Windows versions). The program will close immediately. You may lose any unsaved work in that program — this is a last resort when the program won't close normally.

Prevent programs from starting automatically

~32s

Many programs start automatically when you turn on your computer, which slows down startup. In Task Manager, click the "Startup apps" tab. You'll see all programs that launch when Windows starts, and whether they have a "High," "Medium," or "Low" startup impact. Right-click any program you don't need to start automatically and click "Disable." This doesn't delete the program — it just stops it from starting with Windows.

Quick Tip

Good candidates to disable at startup: music apps (Spotify, iTunes), gaming apps, creative software — anything you don't use every single day. Keep your antivirus and cloud backup apps enabled.

You Did It!

You've completed: How to Use Task Manager to Fix a Slow or Frozen Windows Computer

Need more help? Get Expert Help from a TekSure Tech

When your Windows computer becomes slow, unresponsive, or a program stops responding, Task Manager is the tool that helps you understand why and fix it. Task Manager shows you every program currently running and how much of your computer's resources each one is using.

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