Microsoft has confirmed a persistent Task Manager issue affecting Windows 11 users following the optional preview update KB5067036 on 2025-10-28.
Issue Details and Impact
The update prevents users from quitting the Task Manager fully. When attempting to close it using the Close (X) button, the process continues running in the background. This leads to multiple 'taskmgr.exe' instances, consuming system resources and potentially slowing down device performance.
- The problem began with the KB5067036 update released on 2025-10-28.
- Multiple instances of Task Manager appear as 'taskmgr.exe'.
- Noticeable slowdowns can occur if many instances run unnoticed.
While a few hidden processes have minimal effect, dozens can degrade system speed significantly.
Temporary Workarounds
Microsoft has not released a fix yet but offers a temporary solution. Users can manually terminate each Task Manager process through a new Task Manager window. Alternatively, all instances can be closed by running 'taskkill.exe /im taskmgr.exe /f' in an elevated Command Prompt.
Apart from this issue, the KB5067036 update introduced an updated Start Menu and began implementing the Administrator Protection security feature. This update is optional and must be manually installed unless automatic preview updates are enabled.
