Reset Task Manager to Defaults in Windows 10

Windows 8 and Windows 10 have a new Task Manager app. It looks completely different compared to Windows 7's Task Manager and has different features. It comes with a number of options that can be customized by the user. If you are not happy with the current settings of Task Manager, you can quickly reset them for your user account in Windows 10.

Task Manager in Windows 10 comes with neat features. It can analyze the performance of various hardware components and also shows you all the processes running in your user session, grouped by app or process type.

Windows 10's Task Manager includes a performance graph and startup impact calculation. It is able to control which apps launch during startup. There is a special tab "Startup" which is designed to manage startup apps.

Tip: You can save your time by creating a special shortcut to open the Task Manager directly on the Startup tab.

Also, it is possible to make Task Manager show the command line of apps on the Processes, Details and Startup tabs. When enabled, it will allow you to quickly see which folder an app is launched from, and what its command line arguments are. For reference, see the article

Show Command Line in Windows 10 Task Manager

In addition to these great features, Task Manager is able to show DPI awareness for processes.

The upcoming Windows 10 "19H1" will bring more useful features to Task Manager. There is a new menu command under "Options" that allows specifying a default tab.

For reference, see the following articles:

• Set Default Tab for Task Manager in Windows 10
• Force Enable Default Tab Feature in Windows 10 Task Manager

If you want, you can reset Task Manager in order to return it back to its default state that it has at your first sign-in. This will reset your customized columns, default mode (Fewer/More details), and any other option you have changed.

To Reset Task Manager to Defaults in Windows 10,

1. Close the Task Manager if you have it running.
2. Open the Start menu, and locate the Task Manager shortcut.
3. Press and hold the keys Alt, Shift, and Ctrl.
4. While holding the keys, click on the Task Manager shortcut.
5. Voila, it will start with defaults!

Also, there is a an alternative method you can use.

Reset Task Manager Settings with a Keyboard Shortcut

1. Close the Task Manager app.
2. Open Registry Editor.
3. Go to the following Registry key.

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion

   See how to go to a Registry key with one click.

4. Under CurrentVersion, right click the TaskManager subkey and select Delete from the context menu.

Next time you start Task Manager, it will re-create the TaskManager subkey automatically.

Before (a customized Task Manager):

After(defaults):

To save your time, you can download the following Registry file.

Download Registry File

Double-click on it to quickly reset the settings of Task Manager.

That's it.