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How to open and use the task manager on a Chromebook
Chromebooks are solid PC replacements for many folks, but they may not have all the features you’re looking for. Multitasking is crucial, so the task manager is an important feature for someone switching to a Chrome OS device from a PC. Here’s how to open and use the task manager on a Chromebook.
Read more: What is Chrome OS, and who is it for?
QUICK ANSWER
To open the task manager on a Chromebook, open Google Chrome, click the three-dot menu button-->More tools-->Task manager, or press the Search + Esc keys from anywhere on the Chromebook.
JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS
Is there a Task manager for Chromebooks?
![Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook in the hand Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook in the hand](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Lenovo-IdeaPad-Duet-5-Chromebook-in-the-hand.jpg)
Chromebooks run Chrome OS, an operating system revolving around the Google Chrome browser. As such, they use Google Chrome’s task manager. It is more than sufficient since you can use the Chrome task manager the same way you would use the Windows task manager.
How to open Task manager on a Chromebook
To open the Task manager, open Google Chrome. Click the three-dot menu button at the top right. Navigate to the More tools label, and hover the cursor over it. A drop-left menu will appear. Click Task manager in that menu.
![Chromebook task manager menu option Chromebook task manager menu option](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Chromebook-task-manager-menu-option.jpg)
Alternatively, you can press the Search + Esc keyboard shortcut. You don’t have to open Google Chrome if you’re using the keyboard shortcut.
Also see: The best Chromebooks you can buy
How to use Task manager on a Chromebook
The Chrome OS Task manager works rather similarly to the Windows Task manager. You can click a process and then the End process button to terminate it.
![Chromebook task manager end process Chromebook task manager end process](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Chromebook-task-manager-end-process.jpg)
You can also select multiple processes by holding down the Shift or Ctrl key and clicking the processes you want. Clicking End process will end all the selected processes. If the button is greyed-out, then one or more of the selected processes cannot be terminated, and you will need to unselect those to proceed.
![Chrome OS task manager multiple process end Chrome OS task manager multiple process end](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Chrome-OS-task-manager-multiple-process-end.jpg)
If you want more resource parameters to be displayed, left-click anywhere on the task manager window, and click the parameter you want to see in the task manager. You will have to do that for each parameter you want to see.
![Chrome OS task manager parameters Chrome OS task manager parameters](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Chrome-OS-task-manager-parameters.jpg)
You can also click on the parameter label to sort the processes in ascending or descending order by resource use. In the case of the Task name, clicking Task will arrange the tasks in alphabetical or reverse alphabetical order.
![Chromebook task manager double clicked Chromebook task manager double clicked](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Chromebook-task-manager-double-clicked.jpg)
You can also double-click some tasks in the task manager, like tabs and extensions, to open them up in Google Chrome.
Read more: How to install Chrome OS Flex