How To End Tasks Right From the Taskbar

Did you know that you can end tasks directly from the taskbar in Windows 11? You can add an End Task button to the right-click menu and save yourself the trouble of searching for the unresponsive program in Task Manager. It works on everything except system processes (like Windows Explorer or the Start menu, for example). In those cases, you'll still have to use Task Manager or reboot.

Anyway, this option isn't enabled by default. You'll have to find it in the Settings:

1. Go to Settings > System > Advanced.
2. Toggle on End Task. The option should be right at the top of the page, under Taskbar.

Alternatively, you may enable it in Settings > System > For developers.

Once you do, right-click a program's icon in your taskbar, and you should see End task next to Close window in the menu. Click on it, and it will instantly close the selected program.

Still, only use this button for frozen/unresponsive programs. If you just want to close a program normally, use Close window instead. End task serves as a "hard stop" - it immediately terminates the application. Simply closing the program is generally the safer procedure, going through the entire process of saving your data, checking for changes, and more.

So, don't use them interchangeably once you enable this button. With great power comes great responsibility, and all that.

For system apps, you can still use Task Manager:

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc and open the Processes section.
2. Look for the app/process you want to close in the Name column, right-click it, and select End task or Restart.

Hopefully, this feature saves you a couple of clicks and makes force-closing programs easier.

selma citakovic Selma is a gamer, geek and gremlin hunter with a passion for cyber security and smashing Windows bugs before they bite. She’s IBM-certified, loves real freeware, despises bloatware, and powers most of her troubleshooting with an unhealthy amount of coffee.

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