Task Manager is a help program that has shipped with every version of Windows since Windows NT. While it is mainly used for force-closing hung programs and checking system resource usage, Task Manager can also be used to toggle start-up applications, restart services, set priority, or access the files of a running application.
Option 1
The fastest and easiest way to open Task Manager is using your keyboard. On Windows, the shortcut to open Task Manager is Ctrl+Shift+Esc. This will open task manager immediately, without needing to access any menus.
Option 2
Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete (known as the Secure Attention Key) together will bring up the Secure Desktop -a menu containing options such as changing passwords and restarting the PC. Within this menu, there is a prompt to open Task Manager.
The Secure Attention Key is recognised on the kernel level, and used to ensure the menu you are accessing is the genuine one. Ctrl+Alt+Delete is also helpful for accessing Safe Mode or shutting down your PC if it hangs.
Option 3
Pressing Win+X or right-clicking the taskbar will open up the Quick Link Menu, similar to the start menu in Windows versions such as 95 or Vista. The Quick Link Menu allows you to quickly access powerful tools such as Powershell and Event Viewer, and contains a shortcut to open Task Manager.
Option 4
If for some reason none of the above works, or you particularly hate yourself today, you can open Task Manager through the Run menu. Press Win+R to open Run and type 'taskmgr', followed by the Enter key. The slowest of all the ways, I would not recommend it for any reason other than some far-off, unforeseen circumstance where all of the previous options are exhausted.
