6 Ways to Fix Task Manager Not Working on Windows 11

Quick Tips

• Task Manager may fail to open or function correctly if certain system files on your PC are damaged.
• Review registry or group policy settings to ensure Task Manager isn’t disabled on your PC.
• If the issue persists, consider using the System Restore feature or resetting your Windows PC.

Basic Fixes

• Install Windows updates: Such issues with Task Manager can also arise due to faulty Windows builds. You can try installing pending Windows updates to see if that fixes the problem.
• Scan for malware: If you have difficulty accessing the Task Manager and other Windows programs such as File Explorer, your PC may be infected with a virus. To be sure, scan your PC for malware using Windows Defender.

Fix 1: Run the SFC and DISM Scans

SFC (or System File Checker) scan is a handy tool that can help Windows diagnose your PC for corrupted files and repair them. If the Task Manager is malfunctioning due to corrupted system files, running the SFC scan should help.

Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon > select Terminal (Admin) from the resulting menu.

Step 2: Type the following command and hit Enter.

sfc/scannow

If the issue persists, perform a DISM (or Deployment Image Servicing and Management) scan instead. Similar to the SFC scan, DISM can repair system images and files on your Windows PC.

Open the Terminal app with admin rights again and enter the following commands one by one.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

After the scan is complete, restart your PC and see if the Task Manager is working or opening as expected in Windows 11.

Fix 2: Enable Task Manager via Registry Editor

Are you seeing the “Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator” error on Windows? It’s likely that the Task Manager is disabled via the Registry Editor. In that case, you must edit a few registry files to re-enable the Task Manager.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to launch the Run dialog box. Type regedit in the box and press Enter.

Step 2: Paste the following path in the address bar at the top and press Enter.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies

Step 3: Within the Policies key, select the System key. If you can’t find it, right-click on the Policies key, go to New, and choose Key. Name it System.

Step 4: Right-click on the System key, go to New, and choose DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new entry as DisableTaskMgr.

Step 5: Double-click the DisableTaskMgr DWORD, change its value to 0, and hit OK.

To apply the changes, restart your PC. After the reboot, you can access the Task Manager as before.

Fix 3: Enable Task Manager via Group Policy Editor

Similar to the Registry Editor, you can also use the Group Policy Editor to re-enable the Task Manager on Windows. Note that this method will only work if you use the Professional, Education, or Enterprise editions of Windows.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box, type in gpedit.msc, and press Enter.

Step 2: In the Local Group Policy Editor window, use the left pane to navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Ctrl + Alt + Del Options > double-click Remove Task Manager on your right.

Step 3: In the Remove Task Manager window, choose Disabled and click Apply, followed by OK.

Fix 4: Re-Register Task Manager Using PowerShell

If Task Manager won’t open or respond, you can also re-register it on your system. While this may sound difficult, the process only requires you to run a single command in Windows PowerShell.

Step 1: Click the search icon on the taskbar, type Windows PowerShell, and select Run as Administrator.

Step 2: In the PowerShell window, paste the following command and press Enter.

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}

Fix 5: Perform a System Restore

The System Restore feature in Windows periodically takes a backup of the entire system. You can use it to revert to the point when the Task Manager was working fine on your Windows 11 PC. Here’s how.

Step 1: Click the search icon on the taskbar, type create a restore point in the box, and select the first result.

Step 2: Under the System Protection tab, click on System Restore.

Step 3: Select Recommended restore and click Next.

Step 4: Review all the details and click Finish.

Fix 6: Reset Your Windows PC

Lastly, if all else fails, consider resetting Windows as a last resort. This will restore Windows to its default settings and resolve any issues. Don’t worry. this process won’t erase your personal files.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app. In the System tab, click on Recovery.

Step 2: Click on Reset PC.

Step 3: Select the Keep my files option and follow the on-screen prompts to finish resetting Windows 11.

After Windows 11 resets everything, the Windows Security app should work as before.