Tasklist and Taskkill Guide: View and Stop Windows Processes

Tasklist and Taskkill help you inspect running processes and force close stubborn apps. These built-in tools run in Command Prompt and give you control when Task Manager cannot respond.

How to Use Tasklist and Taskkill in Windows?

What Tasklist Does

Tasklist shows every running process on your system and includes details like memory usage, image names, and PID values.

When to Use Tasklist

• When Task Manager does not load
• When you need PID numbers
• When troubleshooting hangs or resource spikes

View All Running Processes

Run the following steps to display a complete list of processes:

1. Press Windows key and type cmd.
2. Select Run as administrator.
   
3. Type tasklist and press Enter.
   

Learn more in this full Command Prompt commands list.

Sort Processes by Memory Usage

Follow these steps to see which processes use the most RAM:

1. Open Command Prompt as admin.
2. Type tasklist /fo table /nh | sort /r /+64
   
3. Review the processes that consume the most memory.

If you need to navigate folders before running commands, check this guide on opening folders in Command Prompt.

Filter Processes by Name

Use these steps to filter your view to a specific app:

1. Open Command Prompt.
2. Type tasklist /fi "imagename eq firefox.exe"
   
3. Review the filtered results.

To improve your file management workflow, see this guide on copying files using Command Prompt.

When to Use Taskkill

• When apps freeze
• When CPU usage spikes unexpectedly
• When apps block shutdown
• When processes stay open after a crash

Close an App by Name

Follow these steps to stop an app safely:

1. Press Windows key and open Command Prompt.
2. Type taskkill /im notepad.exe
   
3. Press Enter.

Force Close an Unresponsive App

Use this method when apps ignore normal close commands:

1. Open Command Prompt as admin.
2. Type taskkill /f /im chrome.exe
3. Wait for the confirmation message.

Kill a Process by PID

Use these steps to terminate a specific instance of an app:

1. Run tasklist to view PID numbers.
2. Identify the PID to terminate.
3. Type taskkill /pid 1234 using the correct PID.

Stop Background Apps That Slow Your PC

Follow these steps to identify heavy background processes:

1. Run tasklist
2. Find resource-heavy items.
3. Terminate them with Taskkill.

Terminate Leftover Processes After a Crash

Use this to remove stuck app instances:

1. Run tasklist to find leftovers.
2. Note their PIDs.
3. Close them with Taskkill.

Troubleshoot Suspicious Activity

Follow these steps to control unfamiliar processes:

1. Inspect running items via Tasklist.
2. Identify suspicious entries.
3. Terminate them with Taskkill.

Tips for Best Results

Use these best practices:

1. Use /f only for frozen applications.
2. Verify PIDs before killing processes.
3. Use filters to reduce errors.
4. Create batch scripts for repeated tasks.

FAQs

Tasklist and Taskkill give you reliable control over frozen, heavy, or suspicious processes. Tasklist helps you inspect system activity while Taskkill lets you stop unwanted apps instantly.

You can improve control over open programs by using this guide on how to close running apps, which walks you through quick methods to shut down active or unwanted processes.