While so many native apps and services have gotten a makeover in Windows 11 and even Windows 10, the modern look of the Task Manager is long overdue. With Windows 11 Build 22543, Microsoft has quietly made a major change to the Task Manager — it’s still the most useful tool on Windows 11.
Microsoft is experimenting with a redesigned Task Manager for Windows 11 and was spotted in a preview build. This new look is only open to Microsoft internals, but by modifying system files, you can try out the half-baked new task manager.
As you can see in the screenshots, the refreshed design of the Task Manager matches the interface of Windows 11 and other native apps like Microsoft Edge or Settings. After the update, the task manager uses WinUI, Fluent Design and Mica mica material (a new translucent design element).
In addition, Microsoft has tweaked the basic interface of Task Manager, moving options such as Processes to a new menu. These options were previously available at the top of the Task Manager. In the new design, you’ll find these options in a menu on the left, similar to Settings and other modern Windows 11 apps.
An interesting discovery in the Windows 11 preview is the new ability to monitor the health of apps using the Task Manager. A feature seemingly called “App Health” will help users know when their app needs to be fixed (if it’s not responding).
Likewise, there will be a new “Startup Apps” section to help users identify apps that are slowing down the device during startup. For laptop users, the update to Task Manager will include another feature called “Battery Health,” which will help users understand the current state of the battery when running resource-intensive applications.
Laptop battery health has been a major concern for users over the past few years, especially after the release of Windows ARM and the Apple M1, so this new feature may be useful for some users. Trending, Microsoft is adding more mobile features to Windows 11 similar to those found on smartphones.
It’s worth mentioning that Microsoft has yet to announce a new task manager, and the leaked version isn’t fully functional. The Task Manager has quite a few bugs in Windows 11 preview builds, so if you use Task Manager a lot to close unresponsive programs, it might be a good idea to skip the Dev Channel version.