As a Windows user, you’ll occasionally run into problems: unresponsive windows, high CPU usage, high disk usage, suspicious apps, etc. When that happens, the Windows Task Manager should be your first line of defense.
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What do you do in those situations? I bet your defense is opening up Task Manager, right? Task Manager lets us have a controlling hand over all the processes.
But, apparently, even Windows Task Manager fails to solve problems now and then. Though it did get upgraded to Windows 10, it still has some useful features. But evidently, it lacks at one point or another.
So, it won’t be a crazy idea to look into other options or alternatives. There are some pretty significant Task Manager alternatives for Windows 10. And, moreover, they are getting favorite day by day.
So, if you are one of them, who are looking for the best alternative to Task Manager, then you’re quest stops here. Like today, I’ll be giving you 6 Task Manager Alternatives for Windows 10.
So, let’s give them a try, shall we?
| No# | Name | Best for | Rating | Download | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Process Explorer | Programmers | ***** | Download | Read Review |
| 2 | Process Hacker | Troubleshooting | ***** | Download | Read Review |
| 3 | System Explorer | Basic Users | **** | Download | Read Review |
| 4 | AnVir Task Manager Free | Detailed Monitoring | **** | Download | Read Review |
| 5 | Extended Task Manager | Locked Files View | *** | Download | Read Review |
| 6 | DTask Manager | Clearing RAM | *** | Download | Read Review |
Number #1 – Process Explorer
Process Explorer is the most popular Task Manager Alternatives on the market. It’s a product of Sysinternals. This alternative is solely famous only because of the amount of information it gives you. But even with all of the features you won’t feel intimated by it.
It’s effortless to use. The display is color coded. So, it makes it easy to read and with a variety of columns in the primary Window. There are graphs available for you to know details about memory, CPU, GPU activity and network.
How it Works?
If you want to terminate a process all you have to do is just right click on it and then select Kill Process or press the Del key.
You will be able to suspend/resume and restart a process. A useful option search online will open a Google search for the process name and let you know details about it. If you want to know more then just double-click the entry and you’ll get a Properties window.
This window is full of information such as open threads, network connections, security details, performance activity, etc.
You can open the optional lower pane, and that will show you the DLL files and handles that are currently locking the process. You can close them here to release the process.
Though it might not have all the advanced level task killing option, it still has some tricks up its sleeve. You’ll get a portable version, so you don’t even have to install it.
Features Include:
- Color-coded processes list.
- Easy navigation.
- See which open files are using which processes.
- Set Affinity and Priority actions for processes.
- Restart, Suspend, Kill Process, and Kill Process Tree actions.
- Real-time CPU, GPU, RAM, and I/O diagnostic data and graphs.
Number #2 – Process Hacker
Process Hacker is kind of similar to Process Explorer. But it has some advanced features that will help you analyze the processes a bit better. The Process Window and services are color coded just like Process Explorer.
Service tab has some advanced functionality with the ability to start, stop or restart any service. You will find color coding in the Networks tab too. It makes it easy to read. In the Disk tab, you’ll be able to control and see what tasks are writing and reading from the hard drive.
You’ll get another dedicated window just for you to know which DLL’s or handles are attaching processing. And, you’ll be able to close them from here.
There are also some extra functions like terminating, suspending, resuming or restarting a process, inject DLL’s into the process, find out more about handles, reduce the Working set to free up memory, etc.
The Miscellaneous menu will allow you to terminate any lousy behaving app that is freezing now and then.
You’ll get more features such as sending the executable to VirusTotal, Jotti or Comodo for analysis, selected process priorities, Service creator, hidden process scanner, file signature verifier.
To replace Windows Task Manager just follow the path Hacker -> Options -> Advanced tab.
Features Include:
- Color-coded processes list.
- Easy navigation.
- Set Affinity, Priority, and I/O Priority actions for processes.
- Find processes by window and windows by processes
- Restart, Suspend, Terminate, and Terminate Tree actions.
- Manage services, network connections, and disks.
- Real-time CPU, GPU, RAM, and I/O diagnostic data and graphs.
Number #3 – System Explorer
System Explorer kind of looks like a web browser. They seem to have similar menus button and tabs system. This one is much more of a complete package of Process and system monitoring and managing.
Although, it doesn’t have the advanced feature like the previous ones. It’s a simple and easy Task Manager to work. But it contains an essential security scanner that will compare the processes to other online data entries.
This feature will help you in managing all the processes and have a systematic solution. In Process Management tab, you will be able to end, suspend or even restart specific tasks. However, you will get an option to send it to VirusTotal or Jotti for a virus scan.
You’ll also be able to search Google directly for a query. You can make some processes have more priority than other and also set the processor core affinity.
The ‘Processes memory usage cleanup option‘ in the System Utilities will drop the in-use memory for all running processes.
Features Include:
- Scan running processes against a vast database.
- Detailed CPU usage histories on a per-process basis.
- Store and compare File, Registry, and File+Registry snapshots.
- Set Affinity and Priority actions for processes.
- Restart, Suspend, End Process, and End Process Tree actions.
- Manage modules, autoruns, drivers, users, and more.
Number #4 – AnVir Task Manager Free
Anvir Task Manager comes with the both free and paid version. The paid version has more features included such as block processes, run programs as services, save priorities and temperature or SSD monitoring.
But the free version hasn’t fallen that much behind though. It still has quite a lot of features included. You’ll get quite extensive views and control over Startup processes. This one is a complete system tuning tool.
With this, you can kill a process, restart or suspend just like the rest of them. But you’ll get additional option to free up memories, search online through it or check for viruses at VirusTotal.
If you want to see detailed information about a process, just double-click it, and you’ll get all the info’s you need. You will also be able to stop any DLL’s or handles to occupy processes, check the performance of CPU, memory, disk and network activity.
You’ll be able to monitor, start, stop, delete or change any startup app on the Services tab. View tab will show you any hidden processes, and you’ll be able to stop them from here.
To replace Task Manager just follow the path Tools -> Options -> Properties.
Features Include:
- Monitor processes, services, Internet connections, CPU usage, disk usage, memory usage, DLLs, drivers, locked files.
- Terminate processes that you are not authorized to terminate.
- Tray icons for CPU, memory, network, disk, and battery.
- The temperature of CPU, video card, external USB HDD
- Remaining life for SSD drives.
- Load of a video-card CPU.
- Download and upload speed, amount of transferred data for network connections.
- Find locked files and DLL.
- Check files with 30+ antivirus engines.
- Startup manager.
- Save HijackThis log with additional info.
- Permanently block undesired processes.
- Show hidden processes.
Number #5 – Extended Task Manager
Extended Task Manager is more or less like the usual built-in Task Manager. But it would have more options for you to tweak around. The new tab named Ports will tell you the open network connections on the system.
So, you’ll be able to know when you will be accessing the network. The Performance tab will show a disk activity meter that will help you see what the processes are reading and writing on the disks.
The Summary tab is a combination of applications and performances to give you a full overview of what is going on.
Processes tab has an option to filter out processes, ending each task or freeze/ resume it.
You’ll be able to search the name of the process from within the manager. Another beautiful feature is the Show locked files option. This feature will display a list of applications that have a lock on the process.
You can release these applications or files to free up processes.
Features Include:
- Disk input/output activity with information about related applications
- Network port activity with IP addresses of external computers
- Information about applications that utilized most of the CPU or memory at any time presented on the charts
- Displays all files locked by a select process
- Finds all processes locking a specified file.
- Includes Summary tab for quickly assessing the overall state of the Windows system
- Allows freezing individual Windows processes
- Offer various visual and functional improvements to the standard Windows Task Manager
Number #6 – DTaskManager
If you want a simple Task Manager without any fancy color coding or interface, then DTaskManager is the right one for you. This one is extremely lightweight, and the interface is rather simple.
But even so, it would get the job done pretty great. You can use keyboard shortcuts to kill multiple processes at a time. This function just makes things easy.
You can end a process through different ways such as End Commands, or force quit or force quit while trying to bypass process permission. You will also be able to suspend or resume tasks which will free up disk space.
A unique option called Trim RAM usage will clean up all the processes and reduce the use up memory.
The user kernel module tab will allow anyone to view which files program using in the kernel. DTaskmanager also has TCP/IP networking ports.
Features Include:
- Display a list of the applications and processes running on the PC and details about them.
- Offer various ways to close a program or process such as end task, kill task or kill task override.
- Support to suspend or resume a process.
- Support to close more than one process at the same time by selecting them all.
- Work as a lightweight free application, portable version available.
Should I go for Alternatives?
If there is an unresponsive file, we always bring out Task Manager to the rescue. Although, sometimes the Task Manager itself, freezes. If something like this happens, what are you going to do then?
But if only this is the case then an Alternative would not be necessary. But if you want to know more details and have more control over the processes then Alternatives are the best choices.
What the Task Manager lacks you will find it in the Alternatives. Among the 6 best ones I would recommend Process Explorer and AnVir Task Manager. These two are worth a shot.
But the choice is yours. So, you should choose whatever best suits your taste.
Hasib is a born geek and loves tweaking his computer and gadgets for effectiveness and productivity. At WindowsChimp, he specializes in writing Tutorial guides and discovering new hacks to share.
