End a process

Applies to all editions of Windows Vista.
Which edition of Windows Vista am I using?

If you notice a process reducing your computer's performance—because it either uses a high percentage of central processing unit (CPU) resources or a large amount of random access memory (RAM)—you can use Task Manager to end the process. Try closing your open programs to see if the process ends before using Task Manager to end the process.

Be careful when ending processes. If you end a process associated with an open program, such as a word processing program, the program will also close and you will lose any unsaved data. If you end a process associated with a system service, some part of the system might not function properly.

1.	Open Task Manager by right-clicking the taskbar and then clicking Task Manager.
2.	Click the Processes tab to see a list of all the processes that are currently running under your user account, and a description of each process. To view all of the processes currently running on the computer, click Show processes from all users. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
3.	Click a process, and then click End Process.

Notes

To see if any services are running in a particular process, such as svchost.exe, right-click a process and then click Go to Service(s). Any services associated with the process are highlighted on the Services tab. If you do not see any highlighted services, then the process does not have any services associated with it.
To view more information about any process running in Task Manager, right-click the process, and then click Properties. In the Properties dialog box, you can view information about the process, including the location and size. Click the Details tab to view detailed information about the process.

End a process

See also