Windows Task Manager is one of the basic and essential tools of the operating system. With the keyboard shortcut Control + Shift + Esc we will be able to quickly open this tool, from which we will be able to see all the programs, processes and services that are running, as well as control the use of PC hardware. This Task Manager may be sufficient for the average user. However, if we are advanced users, we will soon realize the great deficiencies that it has in terms of being able to administer and control our PC.
Luckily, it is not the only program of this type that allows us to have the hardware of our PC controlled. In this article we are going to see what are the best alternatives to this Windows Task Manager , alternatives that anyone can download and use without problems.
Process Explorer
Without a doubt, this is one of the best programs that we can find for this purpose. This program is the property of Microsoft, and offers a much more complete and detailed study of everything that is running on the PC. With it we can see a list with all the active and total processes of the system. Each process is accompanied by the status of the CPU in real time, in addition to an ID, the name of the company that signs it and its description. It also offers other interesting options, such as the ability to “kill” a process, show a tree of it, change and set new priorities, restart processes and much more.
One of the best qualities of this task manager is its integration with VirusTotal. Just by opening it we can analyze all the PC processes in this online antivirus, and know if they are reliable or if it could be a virus.
We can download Process Explorer from the following link .
Process Hacker
This is another alternative to the Windows task manager that, in addition to allowing us to see the use of our resources (memory, CPU or GPU) also allows us to see the threads of each process and displays them in different colors so that, in a single look, we can see the status of our PC.
One of the most interesting functions of this program is the possibility of helping us to delete files that are blocked. Process Hacker will allow us to see what process or processes are blocking that file, helping us to finish them and thus be able to delete the file without problem.
We can download Process Hacker from here .
System Explorer
Another alternative to this useful Windows tool. And also one of the oldest. This software has an interface that shows us all kinds of information about the consumption of computer resources: programs, services, running processes, network consumption for each process, etc. From it it is possible to end the processes that we do not want to continue running, but also, it also allows us to change the memory access priority of each one of them. It also integrates with VirusTotal, so it will help us to know if a process is dangerous or the processes that are running are clean.
We can download System Explorer from its website .
Task Manager Deluxe
This alternative task manager stands out for being a completely free program and, moreover, portable. It is compatible with all operating systems starting with Windows XP and offers us more detailed and organized information than the Windows task manager.
In addition to all the information offered by the default Windows tool, Task Manager Deluxe allows us to see the description of each process from the task tree, in addition to including other relevant data, such as the exact date that each process started, the type of application that is (32 or 64 bits) and more. In addition, it allows to end processes, monitor them and even raise certain privileges.
We can download Task Manager Deluxe from this link .
Process Monitor (Procmon)
Process Monitor, also known as procmon, is one of the direct competitors of the aforementioned Process Explorer. This alternative to the Windows task manager also allows us to see a list of all the processes that are running in memory, in addition to being able to see other important sections related to each one such as their ID, route, operation, etc. It will also allow us to interact with them very easily, since from the right button we can access their properties, highlight it in the list, create a filter, verify the summary of their activity, etc.
We can download Process Monitor from here .
Process Watcher
Another alternative to keep PC processes under control, but which acts in a different and original way, is Process Watcher. This program is responsible for automatically creating a log file for all new processes, as well as for processes that are modified, and automatically saves it in TXT format for future reference. Within this file we will find a large amount of data, such as the ID of each process, the path of the file, its size, the time of last access, time of writing and creation, signature of content, description, product name , its version, etc.
We can download Process Watcher from the following link .
Wise System Monitor
This program has a very attractive interface that can be used for various tasks, such as checking the RAM usage in real time from the PC, monitoring the processes that are running, or to see the download and upload speed for each of the processes that are running. It also has other functions, such as a floating window to check CPU usage by processes, the ability to end a specific process, check the speed of network traffic, etc.
We can download Wise System Monitor from here .
Daphne
Another program similar to the previous ones, whose main characteristic is that it allows us to see all the data related to the PC processes in a very simple way. This program gives us precise information about each process, in addition to having some characteristics that differentiate it from the rest. Thanks to it, we will be able to debug an application’s errors much more easily, and even end a process that has been blocked with a couple of mouse clicks. In addition, it offers the possibility of scheduling the task of finishing any process at a specific date and time.
We can download Daphne from this link .
TaskInfo
Another alternative task manager, totally free and open source. This program combines all the features of the Microsoft tool, along with other proprietary tools that expand the information on our system. TaskInfo is capable of analyzing all the processes that are running on our PC, even those that are configured to appear invisible, making it easy to identify worms, keyloggers and other types of spyware and malware.
We can download TaskInfo from the following link .
SterJo Task Manager
This process manager for Windows is characterized by being completely free and having a very simple and intuitive interface. In it we can see a total of four tabs, similar to those we see in the Task Manager of the operating system, from which we can easily access the processes, the registry, the services and the connections of the operating system.
This program allows us to see the ID of all the processes, the CPU usage, the location of the executable, priority, etc. In this way, we can have control over everything that runs in real time on the PC. In addition, we will also be able to control the properties of the files.
We can download SterJo Task Manager from its main website .
MiTec Task Manager
Another task manager for Windows that we can download to our PC completely free of charge. This software shows us a lot of interesting information about the state of our PC and its hardware. This program has a classic control of Windows processes, it allows us to see the hardware that we have installed on the PC, all the services installed and enabled, system information, a graph with the use of each process, memory consumption, adapters network and a summary of overall system performance.