On October 30th， reports emerged indicating that Microsoft’s Windows 11 updates， particularly those introducing new features like the recent KB5067036， have a tendency to bring along unexpected bugs. While KB5067036 was initially an optional update， it promised significant enhancements， including a revamped Start menu and upgraded functionalities for the taskbar and File Explorer. However， a critical bug has surfaced within the Task Manager itself.
The issue manifests as the Task Manager application failing to fully close when a user attempts to shut down its window. Instead， it continues to run in the background. Each subsequent attempt to open the Task Manager then generates a new instance， with testers observing up to 100 background processes of the application. This behavior not only consumes valuable system resources like memory and CPU， potentially slowing down overall system performance， but in some cases， has reportedly led to system freezes.
Fortunately， a workaround for this bug has been identified and shared on Reddit， the platform where the issue was first brought to light. One method involves manually terminating the Task Manager process from within the Task Manager itself. Users need to iterate through each lingering background instance and end its process.
For those who have inadvertently opened multiple Task Manager windows， this manual termination can be quite tedious. A more efficient alternative involves using the command prompt. By opening CMD and executing the command:
taskkill /im taskmgr.exe /f
This command will forcefully terminate all running instances of the Task Manager， effectively clearing the background processes in one swift action.
Ultimately， the permanent resolution of this bug lies with Microsoft. Given that the KB5067036 update is currently in a preview phase， with the final release anticipated within the next two weeks， there is a strong possibility that Microsoft will address this issue in a subsequent update. For users who have not yet installed this update， it may be prudent to wait， as there’s always a chance of other undocumented bugs being discovered. The allure of the new Start menu can perhaps wait a little longer for a more stable experience.
