Windows 11 22H2 Task Manager has received a major upgrade in front of beta testers in the development channel. Task Manager, still the best tool for finding applications that slow down PCs and kill running processes, is getting a search bar and more features to help users quickly identify applications that are hogging system resources.
Like the tab support in File Explorer, this is one of those features that many people have been asking for for a long time. The search bar is a standard feature that should have been there all along, but wasn’t until now. With the search bar, you can find an application or process like “File Explorer” by simply typing the name of the file in the search bar.
You can then select the process and right-click on it to perform actions such as “end the process” or open the location of the file. The search bar makes Task Manager more user-friendly, and you can now easily monitor your system’s resources by searching for the name of a specific application or process in Task Manager.
As you may know, Task Manager has also been updated to support Dark Mode in version 22H2 of Windows 11. However, it is not possible to open Task Manager in light mode when the operating system itself uses a dark theme.
Microsoft has also added the ability to change its theme directly through Task Manager’s settings. No matter what the active Windows theme is, you can now select your preferred theme in Task Manager.
Task Manager theme preferences in Settings
Microsoft has also enabled dark mode support for in-app dialogs. Almost all dialogs have been updated with dark mode and smooth design, but the two traditional dialogs – “Run New Task” and “Properties” – are still using the classic Win32 theme, at least for now.
Updated modern Task Manager dialog box
Microsoft is currently testing these Task Manager improvements in the Beta channel, and users outside of the Windows Insider Program will get the update in a few months.
According to sources familiar with the development, Task Manager received a major update in September 2022, and it looks like more changes are planned for the app. This is a welcome shift in Microsoft’s approach after many users thought Task Manager development had been abandoned by the tech giant for so long.
It’s also clear that Microsoft is now paying attention to the small details in popular apps like Task Manager, and we expect more design tweaks in the coming months.
