Windows 11 Task Manager Refuses to Die, Multiplying Processes and Slowing Down PCs
After installing the KB5067036 update for Windows 11, some users began noticing peculiar system behavior — when launching Task Manager, multiple instances of the process are created, each continuing to run in the background and consuming system resources. As a result, the very utility designed to terminate unresponsive applications ironically begins to slow down the computer itself.
The issue appears in the non-security test build of the update. Each time the Task Manager window is closed and reopened, a new background process is spawned, while the previous one remains active. If users frequently access the utility, the list of lingering instances gradually multiplies, occupying a significant portion of system memory. Though these copies can be closed manually, seeing dozens of identical instances of a program meant to ensure system stability has understandably frustrated many.
The root cause of the glitch remains undisclosed. According to the update’s release notes, Microsoft modified how Task Manager groups applications and their processes — a change that may have inadvertently introduced the bug. In the list of known issues, the company insists that “no failures have been detected”, and it has yet to provide any comment in response to journalists’ inquiries.
The original creator of Task Manager from the Windows NT era, Dave Plummer, has already commented on the situation on X (formerly Twitter), joking that “the code is so good, it refuses to die.” In an interview with The Register, he noted that the version of Task Manager from Windows NT4 can still launch and function — albeit with support for only up to eight processors. Plummer suggested that the current bug might stem from a section of code responsible for hiding the Task Manager window when the Esc key is pressed.
A rapid fix is unlikely. The issue does not affect all users and appears to be rolling out gradually. Nonetheless, the emergence of such a conspicuous defect has sparked another wave of criticism toward Microsoft, with system administrators recalling recent Azure outages and other problematic updates — once again raising questions about the company’s software testing standards.
A Task Manager that refuses to be stopped may sound like a joke — but for many users, it’s anything but amusing.
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