Microsoft is working on a new version of Task Manager for Windows 11. The app is designed to monitor the system resources and manage startup services. (See also this first look video with the new experience at the Pureinfotech YouTube channel.)
Similar to other components that Microsoft has been updating, the new Task Manager gets a new overhaul design treatment that matches the design style available on Windows 11 with rounded corners, mica material that shines the desktop background through the frame of the app, and new iconography.
The new app isn’t officially available. Instead, it’s hidden in the latest preview of Windows 11 (build 22538) and needs to be enabled manually. The app is still under heavy development, and nothing seems to be working, but it gives us an early look at the design that Microsoft is expected to ship.
The new Task Manager retains the familiar experience as the legacy version but with modern improvements. For example, the new app includes a left pane to navigate between the different sections. You will find hero controls at the top of the page, giving a glance at the system utilization for the processor, graphics, memory, disk, and network.
The app includes support for dark mode, which you can control from the settings page. You can also set the default startup page in the settings and choose to always open on top.
Task Manager has been a big part of the Windows experience for over two decades, since Windows NT 4.0, and over the years, it has received various updates. However, nothing has significantly changed in the past decade.
The overhaul of the Task Manager is just another legacy component that Microsoft has been updating since the company has been slowly updating various legacy components, including Notepad and Media Player.
It’s unclear when the new design will be available, but it’s likely that Microsoft may be planning to include the new Task Manager app as part of the Windows 11 22H2 release, which is expected to roll out in the fall of 2022.
