task killer means

How to Use the Taskkill Command in Windows 10/11

Create your own personal kill lists

The Command Prompt is home to many powerful utilities that can help you troubleshoot problems or even fix your Windows installation. Along with the usual culprits like the System File Checker and Diskpart , the Taskkill command is another useful tool for any Windows user.

As the name suggests, the command can kill tasks and processes, freeing up system resources. It is more useful than other similar methods because of its versatile filtering options, allowing a clever user to set up automated kill lists to prevent unnecessary programs from hogging memory.

To get you started, here is a short primer on how to use the Taskkill command on Windows 10 or 11.

Why Do You Need to Use the Taskkill Command?

Using the Taskkill command isn’t the only way to shut down Windows tasks and processes. The most common way of killing a process is through the Task Manager .

The Task Manager allows you to view all running processes and end any process with a few clicks. This method is easy to use and doesn’t require you to painstakingly type in code in a black terminal. Why then should you even bother with Taskkill?

Versatility. If you only want to kill a couple of extra processes every now and then, the Task Manager is undoubtedly the best tool for the job. But if you wish to end a large number of processes daily, you need a method with a bit more customization.

With the Taskkill command, it is possible to shut down whole batches of processes at once, based on specific filters. You can even set up certain commands as shortcuts, allowing you to run them with a double-click from the desktop at any time.

The Basic Syntax of Taskkill

• To use the Taskkill command directly, we first need to open the Command Prompt . Simply search for cmd in the Start Menu and select Run as Administrator .

• To kill a process with the Taskkill command, you need its name or its PID. Entering tasklist will give you a complete list of all running processes, along with their PIDs and memory usage.

• You can now use the command tasklist /IM “NAME” /F to kill any process, where NAME has to be replaced with the actual name of the task you are looking to end. The /F parameter forces the process to terminate, which can be useful for many pesky tasks that don’t want to shut down.

• To use the PID instead, enter taskkill /IM PID /F, where PID is the numerical value of the process from the previous list. The results are the same.

Using Taskkill With Filtering Flags

So far, the taskkill command may just seem like a more convoluted way of doing what the Task Manager could already do. Using tasklist to get the names of all running processes and targeting each one manually is a rather tedious way of terminating a task.

But that’s not the only way to use taskkill. There are many filtering options you can use to automatically find particular types of processes and kill them without having to know their names or PIDs.

Here are all the filters available for use with taskkill:

• STATUS: Basically, the status of the process. Can be RUNNING, NOT RESPONDING, or UNKNOWN.
• IMAGENAME: The same names brought up by tasklist.
• PID: A numeric ID that can be seen through the tasklist command.
• SESSION: The session number.
• CPUTIME: The duration for which the process has been using the CPU. It’s given in the standard double-digit hours:minutes:seconds format.
• MEMUSAGE: The memory usage of the task in KB.
• USERNAME: The name of the user account from which the task has originated.
• MODULES: Name of the DLL being used by the process.
• SERVICES: For processes associated with Windows services, this gives the name of the service.
• WINDOWTITLE: As it says, the title of the process window.

Some of these filtering options are more useful than others. For example, you can use the USERNAME option to shut down processes from a particular user, which can be useful in managing networked computers.

Most of these filters can also be combined with logical operators. But instead of using mathematical symbols, they are denoted by contractions of the actual phrases. For example, equal to becomes eq , not equal to becomes ne , greater than becomes gt, and so on.

To demonstrate, here is the command to end all processes that are not responding:

taskkill /FI “STATUS eq NOT RESPONDING” /F .

The /FI flag must be included for using any filter, followed by a string containing the filtering expression. All other filtering options can be used similarly, terminating processes matching a set condition.

Creating Taskkill Applications With File Shortcuts

Running Taskkill commands from the Command Prompt isn’t the only thing you can do with the tool. You can bind a Taskkill command to a desktop shortcut to use it instantly as well. This allows you to execute a particular kill list without opening up cmd and entering a bunch of text in it.

• To create a taskkill app, right-click on any empty space on your desktop and select New > Shortcut.

• Now in the target for the shortcut, we’ll enter the taskkill command, prefaced by taskkill.exe to allow it to run. Using the same command we demonstrated in the previous section, we get taskkill.exe /FI “STATUS eq NOT RESPONDING” /F .

• Just save this shortcut with any name you want, and you’re good to go. Double-click on this newly created shortcut at any time to instantly terminate all not responding processes.

Clean-up System Memory With the Taskkill Command

The Taskkill command is a brilliant way to end many similar tasks at once without manually going over each individual process in the Task Manager. It might seem a bit daunting to use at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll find it relatively easy to work with.

The host of filtering options makes Taskkill a potent and flexible tool. It allows you to kill processes based on parameters rather than having to determine individual tasks on your own judgment.

Better yet, you can easily save specific Taskkill commands as desktop shortcuts. They act as mini-apps you can use without a hassle to kill a class of useless processes at once.

Levin Roy is a software engineer who loves writing about technology. Whether it is Windows tips-and-tricks or in-depth guides about application development, Levin uses his practical experience and technical skills to create articles that can help solve tricky problems. Read Levin's Full Bio

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How to Use Taskkill to End Processes in Windows

Last Updated: June 26, 2023 Tested

Ending a Process

Forcefully ending a process, ending all non-responsive programs.

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 9 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. This article has been viewed 45,551 times. Learn more...

Taskkill is a Windows Command Prompt (cmd) command that ends one or more tasks. It's kind of like ending a task with Task Manager, but from the command line. [1] X Research source Taskkill can also do things like forcefully end a program if it won't close normally, or it can terminate multiple programs at once. For most people, Task Manager is the best program to use, but knowing taskkill is useful if you are writing a program, or if you need to do something more advanced. This wikiHow article will teach you how to use the taskkill command to force quit programs on your Windows PC.

Things You Should Know

• Run the tasklist command first to see which tasks are running.
• To kill a task, run taskkill /IM imagename .
• To end all tasks that aren't responding, run taskkill /FI "STATUS eq NOT RESPONDING" .

• To start Command Prompt as administrator, right-click it, and select "Run as administrator". You will need to do this to end any programs that are also running as administrator.

• You will probably have to scroll down to review all of the processes since they won't fit all on one page.

• For this example, the whole command would look like taskkill /IM notepad.exe .

• Remember to add the space before typing /F .

Expert Q&A

• The taskkill command is not case sensitive Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• There are many other things that taskkill can do, but most people will not need to use them. You can view all arguments for the taskkill command here . Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• Be careful with the command prompt. Although taskkill cannot really harm your computer, other commands can cause damage. You can always see what a command does by typing the first part, and then typing in /? after it. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/taskkill
• ↑ https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/tasklist

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Taskkill – CMD Command Kill Processes in Windows

We use the taskkill command to terminate applications and processes in the Windows command prompt. Running taskkill is the same as using the End task button in the Windows Task Manager.

With taskkill , we kill one or more processes based on the process ID (PID) or name (image name). The syntax of this command is as follows:

You can use the tasklist command to find the PID or image name of a Windows process.

The /F option tells Windows to force kill the process:

Kill a Process by PID

In the following example, we run the taskkill command to terminate a process with a PID of 1000:

The multiple processes can be terminated at once, as shown in the following example:

Kill a Process by Name

To kill a process by its name, we use the /IM option. In the following example, we run the taskkill command to terminate the notepad.exe process:

The /t option tells Windows to terminate the specified process and all child processes. In the following example, we force kill Microsoft Edge and its child processes:

Command Options

Terminate a process with a PID of 4000:

Terminate spoolsv.exe (which is the Print Spooler service on Windows):

Using /f and /t options to forcefully terminate the entire process tree of the Microsoft Edge browser:

Force kill any process that starts with the name note:

In the following example, we terminate all processes that are not responding by using a filter:

In the above example, eq stands for equal. You can use the following filters with the /fi option.

Run taskkill command on a remote computer:

In the above example, the process with PID 5936 will be terminated on a remote computer with an IP address of 192.168.1.100 .

Note that the Windows Firewall must be configured on the remote computer to allow the taskkill command. Click the link below for instructions on how to do it.

All right, here's the end of this tutorial. While working on the CMD, you can run taskkill /? to display the help page, command options, and filters of the tasklist command.

The PowerShell equivalent to the taskkill is the Stop-Process cmdlet. But you can always use taskkill in PowerShell as well.

• TaskKill: Kill process from command line (CMD)

We can kill a process from GUI using Task manager . If you want to do the same from command line., then taskkill is the command you are looking for. This command has got options to kill a task/process either by using the process id or by the image file name.

Kill a process using image name:

We can kill all the processes running a specific executable using the below command.

Example: Kill all processes running mspaint.exe :

Kill a process forcibly

In some cases, we need to forcibly kill applications. For example, if we try to to kill Internet explorer with multiple tabs open, tasklist command would ask the user for confirmation. We would need to add /F flag to kill IE without asking for any user confirmation.

/F : to forcibly kill the process. If not used, in the above case it will prompt the user if the opened pages in tabs need to be saved.

To kill Windows explorer, the following command would work

The above command would make all GUI windows disappear. You can restart explorer by running ‘explorer’ from cmd.

Not using /F option, would send a terminate signal. In Windows 7, this throws up a shutdown dialog to the user.

Kill a process with process id:

We can use below command to kill a process using process id(pid).

Example: Kill a process with pid 1234.

Kill processes consuming high amount of memory

For example, to kill processes consuming more than 100 MB memory, we can run the below command

More examples

Sometimes applications get into hung state when they are overloaded or if the system is running with low available memory. When we can’t get the application to usable state, and closing the application does not work, what we usually tend to do is kill the task/process. This can be simply done using taskkill command.

To kill Chrome browser from CMD

Kill Chromedirver from command line

To kill firefox browser application

To kill MS Word application(Don’t do this if you haven’t saved your work)

Sometimes, the command window itself might not be responding. You can open a new command window and kill all the command windows

This even kills the current command window from which you have triggered the command.

i have a question about this. I have a process that runs in my domain that puts outlook suspended. As soon as I do a task kill forced as administrator it runs.

I wrote a little script, now i want to add admin rights to the script via GPO.

Can you help me with that?

Kind regards,

Taskkill /f /Im V4GLTE.exe

I want to kill 3 images once a condition is matches, taskkill /fi “USERNAME eq %USERNAME%” /im java.exe ssonsvr.exe wfshell.exe

could anyone tell me what is the right syntax to do so?

How can keep the line below from showing in the open DOS box?

SUCCESS: The process “program.exe” with PID 2868 has been terminated.

taskkill /f /im blah > nul

im just saying on admin cmd command like this: (taskkill /f /im wininit.exe /t ) and my windows frezze and blue screen of death hehehe im was very stupid

Now set it as a startup item or a task in the task manager!

That’s gonna crash their computer forever, resulting that you will need to buy a new computer o-o

I didn’t see how to kill specific file. for example i have three A.docx, B.docx, and C.docx files and I want kill just A.docx. if I use taskkill /IM winword.exe then I will kill all of them.

When you kill with image name, it kills every process so all files would be closed. To kill a Word session for a specific file, use the process id.

I use this command: taskkill /IM iperf.exe /F from regular command line window and it fails but when I run same command from command line that was run as administrator – it works fine – why and what can be done?

Well, its clear that you need be administrator for kill this processes ;)

But how can you taskkill all??

Hold down the power button for 10 seconds or run the command “shutdown /s”

Open command prompt with administrator

in command prompt, type following command taskkill /IM Excel.exe

and press enter

how to kill my Wifi or internet access if my VPN dies? I mean there is a specific task to kill-close immediately my internet?

Please how to kill a program as administrator. I have created a cmd file with the comand taskkill /im programname /f but it doesn’t kill the program, so put at the end the comand pause to see what happened and have noticed that it gave me access denied. Please how can i do? Thanks Enzo

Use Taskkill /t /f /im `your cmd file name` /t terminate all process including sub-ones /f with force /im with image name

ok..can any say how we can able find PORT number just by typing the PROCESS ID

Be careful never user *taskkill /t /f /im explorer.exe* or your desktop will disappear!

or in that case; Press the Windows key + r Type explorer.exe press enter

is there any way to kill specific tab of chrome through this taskkill as if we use chrome.exe to kill ,it will terminate all the processes.

I have a program and when I close that, it displays a OK / Cancel message window. How can I pass ‘OK’ to TASKKILL command. Please help……

I dont want to open cmd every time is it possible to make a .bat file that can auto-kill the process? for example: taskkill /f /im GTA5.exe

How to kill a process based on command line, since many process run with same name. Example ade.exe ade.exe, I want to kill only one based on command line. I’m not supposed to use pid to kill the process

Is there any way to just end all programs in one go?

I also just found the awnser to my own question: taskkill /F /T /FI “memusage gt 1”

How do I kill the administrator? He is a very annoying person…

How do I close a specific tab in chrome using batch file?

Why can’t I get this to kill all cmd.exe?

taskkill /f /im cmd.exe will only work on a single instance. If you have more than 1 instance it will not kill any instances.

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How to Identify and Kill Any Process in Windows 11 and Windows 10

We show you how to kill a process in Windows 10 with Task Manager, Command Prompt's taskkill, PowerShell, and third-party tools.

Table of Contents:

For the most part, Windows programs function just fine, but when one misbehaves it’s often necessary to kill its process. At times, apps can refuse to close, get stuck on a blank screen, or suddenly consume a lot of system resources. Terminating the task will force it to close and free up your system for normal functioning.

Identifying and Killing a Process of Single Windows and Background Apps

There are various ways to kill a process, but all of them make use of an application’s PID (Process ID), a unique identifier that ensures only the correct one is terminated. However, it’s worth noting that terminating a specific application process can still have knock-on effects on the rest of the program’s functions if they rely on it.

The most common way in Windows 11 and Windows 10 to terminate a process is through Task Manager. But today we’ll also be covering how to kill a process with PowerShell, how use the taskkill command in Command Prompt, how to find a process ID with Process Explorer (Microsofts optional advanced Task Manager) and using a two-click-method via a task bar button.

Different Methods to Kill a Process for Different Needs

Some programs run several processes at once which means if you want to terminate the application completely you will have to kill all those processes. And there are cases where you will have a program window or system dialog but cannot identify the underlying process. In our tutorial you will find solutions for all of those issues.

How to Kill a Process in Windows 10 Task Manager

Task Manager is the bread and butter of Windows 10 task killers, providing a simple interface with all the information users need to make informed decisions about which applications they should close. Accessing it is as easy as pressing “Ctrl + Shift + Esc”.

How to Kill a Process in Windows 11 Task Manager

Task Manager has changed a bit in Windows 11, but still provides the standard method for killing tasks. Here is how it works to kill a process on Windows 11 with Task Manager.

How to Kill a Process with the Taskkill Command

If task manager isn’t an option because you’re using a Windows server install or it’s blocked by your administrator, you can achieve similar results through the use of the taskkill command in Command Prompt.

How to Terminate a Process with PowerShell

Alternatively, those familiar with PowerShell can use it kill tasks instead. This has the advantage of quite intuitive commands.

How to Identify the Process of any Open System Dialog or Program Window with Process Explorer

As you’ve likely realized by now, scrolling through a giant list to get the name or PID of an application can be an annoyance. To remedy this, you can use Microsoft’s Process Explorer.

How to Kill Any Window-Related Process Directly With Just Two Clicks

Though all of the above methods work just fine, if you find yourself having to kill tasks regularly they still aren’t ideal. For such use cases, we recommend Grizzly Bear’s “Kill”, a tiny 205KB app that you can pin to your taskbar to kill window process with two clicks.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions About Process Management in Windows

How can i prevent a program from automatically restarting after i kill its process.

To prevent a program from restarting automatically, identify and disable the mechanism triggering its launch, such as a Windows service, scheduled task, or startup entry. Use services.msc to manage services , Task Scheduler for tasks , and Task Manager’s “ Startup ” tab for startup entries. Be cautious when disabling services and tasks, as it may affect system functionality.

What is the difference between ‘End Task’ in Task Manager and using ‘taskkill /F’ in Command Prompt?

“ End Task ” in Task Manager attempts a graceful shutdown, allowing the application to save data, while taskkill /F in Command Prompt forces an immediate termination. The former is safer and less likely to cause data loss, whereas the latter is useful for unresponsive processes but with a higher risk of data corruption.

Is there a way to view the command line arguments of a running process in Task Manager?

Yes, to view command line arguments, open Task Manager, switch to the “ Details ” tab, right-click on column headers, and select “ Select columns ” to check the “ Command line ” option. This reveals the command line used to start each process, useful for understanding process context or debugging startup issues.

How do I find out what a particular process does before I decide to kill it?

Research the process name online on reputable sources or use third-party process management tools with built-in descriptions. Be cautious with system processes or essential application processes, as terminating them might impact system stability or functionality.

Can I use Task Manager to set priorities for processes?

Task Manager allows you to adjust process priorities under the “ Details ” tab by right-clicking a process and selecting “ Set priority “. Changing priorities can affect system performance and stability, so proceed with caution and avoid setting processes to “ Real-time “.

What should I do if a process I killed starts up again on its own?

Investigate if the process is managed by a service or scheduled task and use services.msc or Task Scheduler to disable it. For processes restarted by other applications, consider adjusting the application’s settings or uninstalling it if not needed.

Can I kill a group of related processes at once?

While Task Manager does not support this directly, Command Prompt and PowerShell allow scripting to terminate multiple processes, using commands like taskkill /IM name.exe /F or Get-Process -Name name | Stop-Process -Force . Use with caution to avoid terminating essential processes.

How can I tell if a process is frozen or just taking a long time to respond?

In Task Manager, processes marked as “ Not responding ” are likely frozen. High, unchanging CPU or memory usage can also indicate a process is stuck. For detailed analysis, use Resource Monitor to view the resources each process is using and diagnose unresponsive behavior.

What can I do if Task Manager itself is unresponsive or won’t open?

If Task Manager is unresponsive, try launching it from Command Prompt by typing taskmgr . If it fails, a system restart might be necessary. Persistent issues may indicate deeper system problems, potentially requiring system repair tools or professional help.

Are there any keyboard shortcuts to quickly access process management tools?

Utilize shortcuts like Ctrl + Shift + Esc for Task Manager, Win + R then type “ resmon” for Resource Monitor, and Win + X for access to PowerShell or Command Prompt. These facilitate quick navigation and management of system processes.

How do I kill a process that’s not listed in Task Manager?

For processes not visible in Task Manager, use “Services” to manage system services or Command Prompt/PowerShell for granular control with commands like tasklist and taskkill or Get-Process and Stop-Process . Exercise caution, as this can affect system operations.

Can terminating a process cause data loss?

Terminating a process, especially forcefully, can lead to data loss or corruption if the process is engaged in writing to a file or performing critical operations. Always attempt to close programs normally and use termination as a last resort for unresponsive applications.

How can I automate the killing of a specific process at scheduled times?

Use Task Scheduler to create a task that executes a taskkill command at scheduled times, such as taskkill /IM processname.exe /F , replacing processname.exe with the actual process name. This is useful for managing known resource-consuming or unresponsive processes.

What’s the safest way to experiment with killing processes if I’m unsure of the consequences?

Before experimenting, create a system restore point as a safety net. Start with non-critical applications, and monitor system behavior after terminating a process. For high-risk experiments, consider using virtual machines or sandbox environments for isolation.

Can I use Task Manager to find out which process is using a specific file?

Task Manager does not directly show file usage by processes. Use Resource Monitor or the openfiles command for this purpose. Third-party tools like Process Explorer provide a more user-friendly interface for identifying file usage by processes.

Extra: How to Set CPU Affinity via Windows Task Manager, System Properties, PowerShell, and CMD

Extra: How to Change Windows Startup Programs (Add, Delete, Enable, Disable)

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Windows: TaskKill – Kill Process by PID, Name, Port – CMD

Sometimes when an application in Windows hangs, freezes and stops responding the only way to terminate it is to kill from the command-line.

The taskkill command in Windows serves for terminating tasks by name or by process id (PID).

In this note i am showing how to find and kill a process by its name or by PID and how to identify a process by the listening port.

I am also showing how to troubleshoot “The process could not be terminated” and “Access denied” errors.

Cool Tip: Get the return code from the last command or application! Read more →

Kill Process by Name

List all Windows processes and find the full name of a process to kill (case insensitive):

Kill the process by name:

Kill Process by PID

List all Windows processes and find the PID of a process to kill (case insensitive):

Kill the process by PID:

Kill Process by Port

List all Windows processes listening on TCP and UDP ports and find the PID of a process running on a specific port:

Find the name of a process by its PID:

Kill the process by name or by PID:

Cool Tip: Windows grep command equivalent in CMD and PowerShell! Read more →

Troubleshooting

Kill the process forcefully in case of the following error:

ERROR: The process with PID XXX could not be terminated. Reason: This process can only be terminated forcefully (with /F option).

If you get an “Access is denied” error, you should open the command prompt as an administrator:

ERROR: The process with PID XXX could not be terminated. Reason: Access is denied

To run the CMD as an administrator, press ⊞ Win keybutton to open the start menu, type in cmd to search for the command prompt and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to launch it as administrator.

One Reply to “Windows: TaskKill – Kill Process by PID, Name, Port – CMD”

I have an app when launched forks into two processes with two different PIDs and they are random. Is there a way to monitor and kill a moving target like that where the executable name is the same as the parent process but the PIDs always change. The child process is a pure nuisance and serves absolutely no function to me.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

How-To Geek

Why you shouldn't use a task killer on android.

Some people think that task killers are important on Android.

Quick Links

Android doesn’t manage processes like windows, why task killers are bad, when task killers can help.

Some people think that task killers are important on Android. By closing apps running in the background, you’ll get improved performance and battery life – that’s the idea, anyway. In reality, task killers can reduce your performance and battery life.

Task killers can force apps running in the background to quit, removing them from memory. Some task killers do this automatically. However, Android can intelligently manage processes on its own – it doesn’t need a task killer.

Most Android users are familiar with Windows. On Windows, many programs running at one time – whether they’re windows on your desktop or applications in your system tray – can decrease your computer’s performance. Closing applications when you’re not using them can help speed up your Windows computer.

However, Android isn’t Windows and doesn’t manage processes like Windows does. Unlike on Windows, where there’s an obvious way to close applications, there’s no obvious way to “close” an Android application. This is by design and isn’t a problem. When you leave an Android app, going back to your home screen or switching to another app, the app stays “running” in the background. In most cases, the app will be paused in the background, taking up no CPU or network resources. Some apps will continue using CPU and network resources in the background, of course – for example, music players, file-downloading programs, or apps that sync in the background.

When you go back to an app you were recently using, Android “unpauses” that app and you resume where you left off. This is fast because the app is still stored in your RAM and ready to be used again.

Proponents of task killers notice that Android is using a lot of RAM – in fact, Android stores a lot of apps in its memory, filling up the RAM! However, that isn’t a bad thing. Apps stored in your RAM can be quickly switched to without Android having to load them from its slower storage.

Empty RAM is useless. Full RAM is RAM that is being put to good use for caching apps. If Android needs more memory, it will force-quit an app that you haven’t used in a while – this all happens automatically, without installing any task killers.

Task killers think they know better than Android. They run in the background, automatically quitting apps and removing them from Android’s memory. They may also allow you to force-quit apps on your own, but you shouldn’t have to do this.

Task killers aren’t just useless – they can reduce performance. If a task killer removes an app from your RAM and you open that app again, the app will be slower to load as Android is forced to load it from your device’s storage. This will also use more battery power than if you just left the app in your RAM in the first place. Some apps will automatically restart after the task killer quits them, using more CPU and battery resources.

Whether RAM is empty or full, it takes the same amount of battery power – decreasing the amount of apps stored in RAM won’t improve your battery power or offer more CPU cycles.

At this point, there are probably some people who are thinking that this isn’t true – they’ve used a task killer in the past and it’s helped increase their battery life and improve their Android phone’s performance.

This may actually be true. If you have a bad app that’s using CPU and other resources in the background, a task killer that closes the misbehaving app can improve your battery life and make your phone faster.

However, using a task killer to deal with a misbehaving app is like using a shotgun to kill a fly – you may fix your problem, but you’re inflicting a lot of other damage in the process.

Instead of using a task killer in this situation, you should identify the bad app and uninstall it, replacing it with an app that works properly. To pin down the app that’s misbehaving, you can try the Watchdog Task Manager app – it will show you which apps are actually using CPU in the background, not which apps are harmlessly being stored in memory.

Task killers can also cause other problems by killing applications that you want running in the background -- for example, if you use an alarm clock app, you may find that your task killer forced the alarm clock app to quit, preventing the alarm from going off.

CyanogenMod, the popular community-developed Android ROM, won’t even accept bug reports from users using task killers, saying that they cause more problems than they solve.

In summary, you shouldn’t use a task killer – if you have a misbehaving app wasting resources in the background, you should identify it and uninstall it. But don’t just remove apps from your phone or tablet’s RAM – that doesn’t help speed anything up.

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Applies to: Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012

Ends one or more tasks or processes. Processes can be ended by process ID or image name. You can use the tasklist command command to determine the process ID (PID) for the process to be ended.

This command replaces the kill tool.

Filter names, operators, and values

The WINDOWTITLE and STATUS filters aren't supported when a remote system is specified.

The wildcard character ( * ) is accepted for the */im option, only when a filter is applied.

Ending a remote process is always carried out forcefully, regardless whether the /f option is specified.

Providing a computer name to the hostname filter causes a shutdown, stopping all processes.

To end the processes with process IDs 1230 , 1241 , and 1253 , type:

To forcefully end the process Notepad.exe if it was started by the system, type:

To end all processes on the remote computer Srvmain with an image name beginning with note , while using the credentials for the user account Hiropln , type:

To end the process with the process ID 2134 and any child processes that it started, but only if those processes were started by the Administrator account, type:

To end all processes that have a process ID greater than or equal to 1000 , regardless of their image names, type:

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Command-Line Syntax Key

tasklist command

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End one or more processes (by process id or image name).

The process name must include the file extension, or a wildcard.

Kill and then restart Windows Explorer:

TASKKILL /F /IM explorer.exe START explorer.exe

Kill including child processes (/T):

TASKKILL /S system /F /IM notepad.exe /T TASKKILL /PID 1230 /PID 1241 /PID 1253 /T

Force Kill (/F):

TASKKILL /F /IM notepad.exe /IM mspaint.exe TASKKILL /F /FI "PID ge 1000" /FI "WINDOWTITLE ne untitle*" TASKKILL /F /FI "USERNAME eq NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM" /IM notepad.exe

Kill on a remote System (/S):

TASKKILL /S system /U domain\username /FI "USERNAME ne NT*" /IM * TASKKILL /S system /U username /P password /FI "IMAGENAME eq note*"

“Here's to the success of our impossible task!” ~ Soviet dissidents, 1975

Related commands

TSKILL - End a running process. PsKill - Kill processes by name or process ID. TIMEOUT - Delay processing of a batch file/command Equivalent PowerShell: Stop-Process - Kill a process. Equivalent bash command (Linux): kill - Kill a process.

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12 Best App Killers For Android To Optimize Your Device

Android phones come with a lot of features that make our lives easier. But most of the time, Android users cannot take full advantage of its capabilities because the apps run without mercy. App killers for Android  check for apps that unnecessarily run in the background and kill them to save battery and optimize your device.

Some apps let you select the apps that you want to close manually. Others do an auto-scan to discover the troubling apps and disable them automatically. This is a crucial step to improve the performance of your device and extend battery life. When the resource-consuming apps end, the device starts functioning optimally, and the essential apps get more focus. If you are still doubtful about getting one, understand if your Android device really needs a task killer .

12 Best App Killers For Android To Save Battery

Most app killers for Android kill apps efficiently and do a little more for an optimized device. Some apps you will find here are also app managers that give complete info about how the running apps affect your device. So, choose an application killer for Android from the list of the best ones by understanding how it works.

1. Greenify

Let us start the list of the best app killers for Android smartphones with the most popular and highly optimized app, Greenify. Greenify does not exactly fit into the category of killers; rather, it uses hibernation technology to lead the problem-causing apps to a state of hibernation.

Additionally, Greenify has an Aggressive Doze mode that enables better battery saving. The app is also capable of recognizing battery-draining apps and reducing the time they run in the background. When they go into hibernation mode, they don’t use up resources like before.

Low-end devices greatly benefit from Greenify as the Android app ends device lag if any. It works with both rooted and non-rooted Android devices.

Download Greenify

2. Taskmanager

No, we are not talking about the Task Manager every computer user is familiar with. Taskmanager is an app compatible with Android devices and is used to kill the apps that are unnecessarily running in the background.

Taskmanager is the best free Android app killer that comes with three themes to choose from. It gives you a list of apps running currently and the RAM available. You can just give a single tap on the app name to kill it.

The app also lets you create a list of ignored apps, including those you don’t want to stop. All the apps that are often used can be put into this list. The killer app for Android has no ads, and it is a great blessing. Note that it doesn’t auto-kill apps.

Get Taskmanager

3. KillApps

KillApps is one of the few app killers for Android that comes bundled with many features. A single tap is all you need to kill the apps that crave resources. You can permanently stop an app from running in the background if you prefer.

You can stop system apps and third-party apps using KillApps. Listing apps and setting rules defining how they should run is easy. As the app can shut down background apps automatically, you don’t have to manually do it every time your smartphone goes slow. In addition, the app makes other apps use less memory and speed up your phone.

Download KillApps

4. Task Killer

Task Killer app lists apps running on your phone and information about how much space they consume. So you can decide which apps to kill and which to keep. Check the box near the apps to select them and tap the Kill Selected button.

Thankfully, the auto-kill feature does not allow the apps on Android to restart on their own. You can automate the killing process by setting a time limit. For apps, you always want to run in the background, like social media apps, create an ignore list to skip them.

Get Task Killer

5. Auto Optimizer Premium

Every Android device works best if it is optimized for use with app killers for Android. Auto Optimizer Premium saves a lot of battery power by stopping the background apps. In addition, the premium version offers many advanced features, which you can test during the free trial period.

Auto Optimizer Premium puts your unwanted apps into hibernation mode so they won’t actively take up resources. As a result, your phone will save its battery for important apps. The features like Touch Block, Video Enhancer, and more make it quite different from the regular app killers.

Download Auto Optimizer Premium

6. Hibernation Manager

Whether you want to hibernate your CPU, settings or apps, Hibernation Manager is ready to serve you. If you close it manually, you cannot trust an app to remain inactive. But the apps closed by the app killer will stay closed, even for non-rooted devices.

If you are not using your device, the Hibernation Manager app may prevent apps from accessing the internet. Thus, the data consumption of your phone is reduced. There are several things the app can do to make your phone work better, so don’t see it as a mere application killer for Android.

Get Hibernation Manager

When you install Skit on your device, you just don’t get one of the best app killers for Android but also a comprehensive apps manager. The app is simple to use but very useful in managing the apps on your device.

With Skit, you can stop any app that drains your device’s battery by running in the background. You can also extract or uninstall apps, view its components and activities, and do more with the app. In addition, you can get a deep analysis of how the app works and the permissions set.

Download Skit

8. Advanced Task Manager

Advanced Task Manager works with devices up to the version of Android Nougat 7.0. It gives you a list of background apps and lets you decide which ones you want to end. You can even group apps under the ignore list to save them from being stopped.

Many features in Advanced Task Manager help you delete bad files, uninstall unnecessary apps, and do much more. While the manual mode lets you kill selected apps manually, the auto mode kills all apps that consume battery by running in the background.

Get Advanced Task Manager

Naptime is one of the best app killers for Android that puts the apps to a good nap. Android has a built-in doze feature that comes to use while using the app. When the device screen is off, the app reduces your device’s battery consumption. As a result, the background apps enter a power-saving state.

When the device is turned on, the doze mode turns off, and the apps resume working. Naptime works with only rooted devices. So, the app suits advanced users who have practice working with Android devices.

Download Naptime

10. App Killer and Manager

The name App Killer and Manager gives an idea of what the app is about. It can manage the apps on your Android device and kill the unwanted ones that simply drain the battery. In addition, it brings all the hidden apps and services to light.

Once you identify the apps, you can decide whether or not they should run. If they stop functioning, the CPU and RAM get much relief, resulting in better performance. The memory cleaner in the app auto-kills services that it identifies as unwanted. If you want to save apps from being killed, you can make a list and keep them untouched.

Get App Killer and Manager

11. SystemPanel 2

It is not surprising that the best app killers for Android can also be the best system monitoring app. SystemPanel 2 is the best Android app that keeps track of how the RAM, network, and CPU work and affect the performance of your device.

Opening the app will give you detailed information about battery usage, active apps, power consumption, and more. This gives you an idea of which apps are detrimental to the optimum performance of your device. You can then disable such services and apps that run in the background unnecessarily.

Download SystemPanel 2

12. Super Toolbox

We are not done with app managers yet, and here is the last one on the list. Super Toolbox is an excellent app manager that shows running app details in neat categories. This way, you can quickly identify what needs to run in the background.

The attractive features of the app are a power-saving mode, a one-tap boost option, and regular automated cleaning. The automated cleaning feature automatically closes all the battery-draining apps that need not run always. You can also whitelist apps that are often used.

Get Super Toolbox

Final Thoughts On App Killers For Android

Getting all the interesting apps on your Android smartphones can be tempting, only to regret it later. Many apps run in the background to sync data or send notifications, but they use the device battery unnecessarily. And this is where app killers for Android  play their part!

The best app killer for Android kills the apps that consume more resources without user intervention. But some apps list the background services, and you can kill them manually. You can even choose an app that is also an application manager for Android to boost device performance significantly.

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5 Best App Killers for Android You Should Use

Best App Killers for Android in 2020

1. greenify.

Download Greenify ( Free )

2. KillApps

3. Kaspersky Battery Life: Saver & Booster

Kaspersky Battery Life is another app that you can rely on to kill apps on Android. The app is meant to improve battery life by closing the background apps, but it can also improve the performance significantly. It lets you shut down unnecessary apps running in the background and limit their activities effectively . In case, the app blocks your favorite apps like WhatsApp or YouTube, you can whitelist them from Kaspersky’s scanner list. Furthermore, with this app, you can monitor apps that are taking a toll on your battery life and block them completely.

4. App Killer and Manager

The app requires root access to work which gives you another reason to root your Android . But if you are still against rooting, there’s a simple workaround you can use. You can do that by granting Naptime DUMP permissions via ADB by executing a couple of commands that conveniently pop up as soon as you use the app for the first time. It’s quite obvious that the app isn’t meant for absolute beginners and should only be used by someone who has at least a basic understanding of how ADB works.

Bonus: Advanced Task Manager

Download Advanced Task Manager ( Free , with ads)

Using Developer Options to Limit Background Apps

• Enable developer options on your device by repeatedly tapping on the build number in the ‘About Phone’ section of the settings menu.

• In the developer options, scroll down to the Apps section and tap on Background process limit.

• Tap on the number of background processes you want to allow and you’re all set.

Use The Best Android App Killers

Pranob Mehrotra

Nice post. I am follower all the posts in here. This post impressed me and wrote my own version of best app killers for android . Hope you like it, cheers.

Nothing helps anyone, these apps don’t know a half for anything. Especially the clean master, ES manager. They loot your android by seeking all the permissions.

You should have made a blog about how to remove bloatware.

None of these stop or kill the Verizon bloatware update they have called “systemupdate” (in order to make it sound important). Please provide the real list of apps that will auto kill a system app deemed bloatware. Thanks.

nice information sir i want to need of this

Basically we don’t need cleaning tools, except greenify rest all are junk, and how come any one suggest clean master, everywhere there are so much negative about cheetah mobile,

NO TO CLEANING AGENTS…

App Killing apps are of no use …Other than greenify and naptime remaining all of them are waste because both of them optimize the Android’s inbuilt doze feature to another level

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Michigan school shooter’s parents sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison for role in attack

Jennifer and James Crumbley first parents convicted in US mass school shooting over ‘simple actions’ that could have stopped it

The parents of a Michigan school shooter have each been sentenced to between 10 and 15 years in prison for their role in an attack that killed four students in 2021 in a case that has broken new ground as the US seeks to tackle its years-long epidemic of school shootings.

Jennifer and James Crumbley appeared in court on Tuesday as the first parents convicted in an American mass school shooting. During their trials prosecutors said “tragically simple actions” by both parents could have stopped the catastrophe.

The Crumbleys did not know their son, Ethan Crumbley, was planning the shooting at Oxford high school. But prosecutors said the parents failed to safely store a gun and could have prevented the shooting by removing the 15-year-old from school when confronted with a dark drawing by him that day.

Ethan, now 17, pleaded guilty and is serving a life prison sentence.

The couple had separate trials. Jurors heard how the teen had drawn a gun, a bullet and a gunshot victim on a math assignment, accompanied by grim phrases: “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me. My life is useless. Blood everywhere.”

Ethan told a counselor he was sad – a grandmother had died and his only friend suddenly had moved away. But he said the drawing only reflected his interest in creating video games.

The Crumbleys attended a meeting at the school that lasted less than 15 minutes. They did not mention that the gun resembled one James Crumbley, 47, had purchased just four days earlier – a Sig Sauer 9mm.

Ethan’s parents declined to take him home, choosing instead to return to work and accepting a list of mental health providers. School staff said Ethan could stay on campus. A counselor, Shawn Hopkins, said he believed it would be safer for the boy than possibly being alone at home.

No one, however, checked Ethan’s backpack. He pulled the gun out later that day and killed four students – Tate Myre, Hana St Juliana, Justin Shilling and Madisyn Baldwin – and wounded seven other people.

At the close of James Crumbley’s trial, the prosecutor Karen McDonald demonstrated how a cable lock, found in a package at home, could have secured the gun.

“Ten seconds,” she said, “of the easiest, simplest thing.”

Parents of students killed by Ethan Crumbley on Tuesday joined prosecutors in requesting that the school shooter’s parents get 10 years in prison.

“The blood of our children is on your hands, too,” said Justin Shilling’s father, Craig Shilling, while wearing a hoodie with the image of his son on his chest.

On the other hand, attorneys for Jennifer and James Crumbley sought mercy on behalf of their clients before Tuesday’s sentencing.

“Putting Mrs Crumbley in prison does nothing to further deter others from committing like offenses,” her attorney, Shannon Smith, said. Smith also argued that “any gross negligence” by Jennifer Crumbley were mistakes “that any parent could make”.

James Crumbley’s attorney, Mariell Lehman, said the nearly two and a half years that the couple had spent in jail unable to make $500,000 bond after their arrests should be enough punishment.

Lehman also said her client “did not believe that there was reason to be concerned that his son was a threat to anyone”.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

• US school shootings

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An alternative to the popular Windows OS utility Task Manager

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