What I missed In Windows 11, it is possible to "End Task" from the taskbar.

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What I missed In Windows 11, it is possible to "End Task" from the taskbar.

I like to think of myself as trendy, on-point with my kids, and on point about the latest technological developments. But even those of us who scour Windows for useful features occasionally miss one: in Windows 11, you can now "end a task" from the taskbar.

There is no need to launch Task Manager to terminate a non-responsive program (a process that always feels overburdened), and with a simple adjustment, it becomes a right-click option for a program that is misbehaving in the taskbar.

To enable this feature, first make sure Windows 11 is updated to the latest version (via Tom's Hardware). Next, use the Win+I shortcut combo or open the Settings menu from the Start and Search menus. Click on "System" in the sidebar and you will find the "Developer" tab.

There you will find an option to enable the "End Task" option when you right-click on a program in the taskbar.

Pressing the little toggle allows you to happily run misbehaving applications without having to invoke the task manager like some sort of dinosaur. I knew about this feature from the very beginning. I just hadn't told anyone about it. I even read Jeremy's interview article last February when he was talking about the possibility of this feature. Promise.

This feature seems to have been added a while ago in Windows 11 version 23H2. However, users who have installed the latest optional update KB5040527 will notice that it no longer warns that a process is not responding before stopping the task. Even more useful!

Well, let's just say it was my mistake. Still, it is now much easier to terminate a malfunctioning program. Nevertheless, you may forget that this option was enabled and launch Task Manager to terminate a malfunctioning program, or press Ctrl+Alt+Delete for nostalgia's sake. Age comes to us all, and I have a PC muscle memory that needs reprogramming.

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