Microsoft will release Windows 11 22H2 in the second half of this year, and the new system will come with a new task manager. This task manager is based on the current task manager. In a recent webcast, Microsoft analyzed the design and function of the new task manager, and explained why it abandoned the tab-based interface, adopted the hamburger menu, etc. move.
Microsoft explained that the reason for using the hamburger menu is that it wants the task manager to follow modern UI frameworks and the design principles of Windows 11. In the new system, many interfaces are clean, and Microsoft hopes the same will be true of the Task Manager.
The new task manager uses the hamburger menu to simplify the interface switching steps and keep the appearance and operation logic of the functional area and Windows 11 consistent. After clicking the hamburger menu, you can flip through different function pages, or use the shortcut “Ctrl+Tab” to quickly achieve this. The new design is very keyboard-friendly.
Microsoft hopes that users can use the most frequently used commands to take advantage of the empty space at the top of the application. In the new task manager, the original top tabs section now houses the common operations required by the task manager. People can create new tasks or run tasks with this without opening an additional menu. The commands at the top already show the relevant options.
Another notable change in the new version of the task manager is the new settings page, which can be used to toggle between dark/light mode and also set the default landing page.
In terms of icons, Microsoft decided to replace the pause icon with a pause icon to reduce clutter. The Task Manager has improved UI responsiveness and added a new feature called “Efficiency Mode” that reduces CPU usage for specific processes.
Microsoft says that when using Windows, it is common to see a particular process or application using a lot of resources (CPU). In the past, there was always only one option, and that was to kill it through the task manager; now, you can use efficiency mode, which not only throttles CPU resources but also improves UI responsiveness.
It is understood that the new task manager can only use efficiency mode to reduce resource consumption in CPU-intensive processes, but Microsoft is also exploring the mode’s support for memory and network-intensive processes, which may be implemented in future versions.