Task Manager in Windows 11 ends one selected app at a time: press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, select the app on the Processes tab, and select End task. Microsoft does not document an “end all tasks” button, so to close many apps at once you repeat that step, use the taskkill command with a filter, or restart the PC.
Applies to: Windows 11. Checked against Microsoft Support and Microsoft Learn on October 7, 2026.
Before you end tasks
Ending a task closes the program immediately, without giving it a chance to save. Anything you have not saved in that app can be lost, so save your work in every app that still responds before you start.
It also helps to know what “all tasks” really means. Microsoft describes the Processes tab as a list of apps and background processes with the resource usage of each. Apps are the programs you opened yourself. Background processes include parts of Windows, drivers, security software, and sync tools that run without a window. The safe goal is to close the apps you opened, not every process on the list.
- One or two frozen apps: use Task Manager, described next.
- Every frozen app at once: use the taskkill filter for apps that are not responding.
- Many copies of the same app: use taskkill or PowerShell with the app’s name.
- The whole PC is misbehaving: restart Windows instead of ending dozens of processes by hand.
End tasks in Task Manager
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Task Manager opens. You can also right-click Start and select Task Manager.
- Select Processes. You see the list of apps and background processes, with columns showing how much of the PC’s resources each one is using.
- Find the app you want to close and select it once so that its row is highlighted.
- Select End task. The app closes and its row disappears from the list.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each other app you want to close, and then close Task Manager.
If the keyboard shortcut does nothing, press Ctrl + Alt + Del. Microsoft lists this shortcut as opening the security screen, where one of the choices is to open Task Manager. For more routes, see how to open Task Manager in Windows 11.
If only one program is stuck, our guide on how to force close an app on Windows 11 covers that single case in more detail.
Close every frozen app with one command
The taskkill command ends processes from Command Prompt or PowerShell. Its /fi option applies a filter, and one of the documented filters is STATUS, which accepts the values RUNNING, NOT RESPONDING, and UNKNOWN. That lets you target only the programs that have stopped responding and leave everything else alone.
- Open Command Prompt or PowerShell. If you cannot reach either, see the troubleshooting section below.
- Type the following command and press Enter:
taskkill /f /fi “STATUS eq NOT RESPONDING” /im * - Read the result that the command prints. If nothing matched the filter, no apps are closed.
Here is what each part does, according to Microsoft’s taskkill reference:
| Part | Meaning |
|---|---|
| /f | Forcefully ends the processes. |
| /fi “STATUS eq NOT RESPONDING” | Selects only tasks whose status is not responding. |
| /im * | The image name (the program’s file name). The * wildcard means all image names, and Microsoft says it is accepted for /im only when a filter is applied. |
| /t | Optional. Also ends any child processes that the process started. |
Close all copies of one app
When one program has opened many windows or left several processes behind, name it instead of selecting each row in Task Manager.
- Open Command Prompt or PowerShell.
- Type tasklist and press Enter. Windows displays the currently running processes with their names and process ID numbers (PIDs).
- Find the program’s name in the list, for example notepad.exe.
- Type taskkill /im notepad.exe, replacing notepad.exe with the name you found, and press Enter. Add /t to end its child processes as well, or /f if it refuses to close.
To end several different programs in one line, use their PIDs. Microsoft’s own example is taskkill /pid 1230 /pid 1241 /pid 1253, with each number replaced by a PID from tasklist. A PID belongs to one running process, so check the list again each time rather than reusing old numbers.
End tasks with PowerShell
PowerShell’s Stop-Process cmdlet stops one or more running processes on the local computer, by name or by PID.
- Stop-Process -Name “notepad” stops all instances of the Notepad process.
- Stop-Process -Id 3952 -Confirm stops the process with that PID and asks you to confirm first. Microsoft calls this good practice because the prompt shows the process name next to its ID.
- Adding -WhatIf shows what would happen without stopping anything.
To see which processes have a window open, Microsoft’s Get-Process reference gives this pipeline, which lists the ID, name, and window title of every process that has a main window title:
Get-Process | Where-Object -Property MainWindowTitle | Format-Table -Property Id, Name, MainWindowTitle -AutoSize
Use that list to pick the names or IDs you want, and then pass them to Stop-Process with -Confirm. You can list several names or several IDs separated by commas. Be aware that the list can include the PowerShell window you are typing in, so leave that one out.
Commands to avoid
Some advice online suggests a single line that ends every process on the PC. Do not use it. A filter that matches everything also matches Windows itself. Microsoft’s reference includes an example that ends all processes with a PID of 1000 or higher, which is meant to show the syntax, not as something to run on a PC you are using. The same page warns that giving a computer name to the hostname filter causes a shutdown that stops all processes.
Keep to filters that describe what you want to close: a status of not responding, a specific image name, or specific PIDs. If you truly need everything closed, a restart does that in an orderly way.
When restarting is the better choice
If most of your apps are frozen, or Windows itself is slow to react, select Start, open the Power menu, and restart the PC. A restart closes every app and reloads Windows, which clears problems that ending tasks one at a time will not. Our guide on how to restart Windows 11 lists the other ways to do it, including when the Start menu will not open.
How to confirm it worked
- In Task Manager, the app no longer appears on the Processes tab.
- In Command Prompt, run tasklist again and check that the program’s name is gone.
- The app’s window and taskbar button are no longer on screen.
Ending a task cannot be undone, but it is not permanent either. Open the app again from Start to bring it back. Work that was not saved before the task ended may not be recoverable, although some apps offer to restore a recent copy when they next open.
Troubleshooting
You get an “Access is denied” message
Microsoft’s Stop-Process documentation says that to stop a process that is not owned by the current user, you must start PowerShell with the Run as administrator option. The same applies in general to processes that belong to Windows or to another user. If you see this message for a process you do not recognize, that is usually a sign to leave it alone.
The app comes back after you end it
Some programs are designed to start with Windows or to relaunch a helper in the background. To stop an app from starting when you sign in, select Start > Settings > Apps > Startup and set its toggle to Off, or open Task Manager, select the Startup apps tab, choose the app, and select Disable. See how to change startup programs in Windows 11 for more detail.
An app is frozen and you cannot reach Task Manager
Click the frozen window and press Alt + F4, which Microsoft lists as the shortcut to close the active window. If that fails, press Ctrl + Alt + Del to switch to the security screen and open Task Manager from there.
You want End task on the taskbar
Windows 11 has an optional setting named End Task, described by Microsoft as “Enable end task in taskbar by right click.” Microsoft lists it on the Advanced page, which you open from System > Advanced in Settings on Windows 11, version 25H2 and later. On earlier versions these options appear on the For developers page in Settings. Once it is on, you can right-click an app’s taskbar button to end it without opening Task Manager.
Task Manager or the commands are blocked
On a work or school PC, your organization may restrict Task Manager, Command Prompt, or administrator access. Do not try to work around that. Save what you can, restart the PC, and contact your IT department if the problem continues.
You ended something and Windows is now acting strangely
Restart the PC. Windows loads its own processes again during startup, so a restart is the reliable way to recover after ending the wrong task.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an End All Tasks button in Windows 11 Task Manager?
Microsoft’s documentation describes selecting an app and then selecting End task, and does not describe a button that ends everything. To close many apps in one go, use the taskkill filter for apps that are not responding, or restart the PC.
Is it safe to end all tasks?
It is safe to end apps you opened yourself, as long as you accept losing unsaved work in them. It is not safe to end every process, because the list includes Windows components, drivers, and security software that the PC needs.
Will ending tasks make my PC faster?
Closing a program that is using a lot of memory or processor time frees those resources until the program starts again. For a slow PC, use the columns on the Processes tab to find the app that is actually using the most, and close that one instead of everything.
What is the difference between End task and closing an app normally?
Closing an app normally lets it ask you to save and shut down cleanly. End task and taskkill /f stop the process without that step. Try the app’s own close button or Alt + F4 first, and end the task only when the app does not respond.
Can I end tasks without opening Task Manager?
Yes. Use taskkill in Command Prompt, Stop-Process in PowerShell, or turn on the End Task taskbar setting described above.
Do I need to be an administrator?
Not for your own apps. You need administrator rights to stop processes that are not owned by your account.
Start with Task Manager for one or two stuck apps and keep the taskkill filter for the times when several freeze together. For the full list of options, see Microsoft’s taskkill reference, its Stop-Process reference, and its guide to troubleshooting processes with Task Manager.
Related: How to turn off Efficiency mode in Windows 11.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.