How to change the Task Manager start page in Windows 11

Task Manager provides a quick overview of the current state of the system and displays essential information. Its startup page displays useful details such as currently running background processes, applications, CPU, and memory usage. If you want to customize the look and feel of Task Manager, change this startup page. Today's article will look at how to change the Task Manager's start page in Windows 11.

1. Use Task Manager settings

If you want to quickly change the Task Manager's launch page, you can use its Settings tab. This option does not require modifying the Registry Editor or running additional scripts.

To change the Task Manager start page using the Settings tab, do the following.

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type taskmgr and press Enter to launch Task Manager.
3. Once in Task Manager, click Settings (gear icon).
4. You will see the default startup page drop-down menu at the top. This is where you can choose which page to display when the Task Manager opens.

The options available are as follows:

1. Processes
2. Performance
3. App history
4. Startup apps
5. Users
6. Details
7. Services​

After you make your selection, Task Manager will remember the setting and open the page you selected from now on.

2. Tweaking Registry Editor

Registry Editor is another way to change the default startup page for Task Manager. The process is a bit more complicated than using the Task Manager settings, but it offers more customization options. Be careful when modifying entries in Registry Editor, as incorrect changes can cause errors or destabilize the system. To avoid data loss, back up your Windows Registry before making changes.

To change the Task Manager start page using Registry Editor, follow these steps.

1. Open the Registry Editor window.

2. If the UAC prompt appears, click Yes to grant administrative rights.

3. In the left pane, navigate to the following key.

ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionTaskManager

4. Double-click StartUpTab in the right pane. If this is not there, right-click the Task Manager key.

5. From the context menu, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value .

6. Now name the value StartUpTab and double click on it.

7. Set its Value data to one of the following numbers to change the default startup page:

0 = Processes 1 = Performance 2 = App history 3 = Startup apps 4 = Users 5 = Details 6 = Services

8. Click OK to save the changes and close the Registry Editor window.

Next time you open Task Manager, it will display a page of your preference.

3. Using the REG . file

If the Registry Editor is not to your liking, you can use the REG file to modify the Task Manager start page. This process does not require registry editing and is very simple.

To create a .reg file, open Notepad and type the following:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionTaskManager] "StartUpTab"=dword:00000000

Here, the last digit reflects the type of startup page.

For example, if you want to set Processes as your default startup page, use 0 (00000000) . Similarly, if you want the Details page to display as default, set it to 5 (00000005) .

Other options are:

00000001 - Performance 00000002 - App history 00000003 - Startup apps 00000004 - Users 00000006 - Services

Now, click File and choose Save as . In the Save as dialog box , click the Save as type drop-down menu and select All files . Name the file with the extension .reg. For example, TaskManagerStartPage.reg.

Next, select Desktop from the left pane and click Save. After saving, double click on this newly created REG file. This adds the necessary details to the Registry Editor and changes the Task Manager start page.

If you want to revert the changes, delete the REG file and restart the computer.

Micah Soto

Update 24 July 2023