How to add End Task to Taskbar Right-click Menu in Windows 11

Windows Taskbar context menu for open apps always had an option to End Task that can quickly close a running application. It came in handy in case the program stopped responding. The option was removed but has not made it back to Windows. In this post, we will show you can enable or show the End task item in the Taskbar right-click context menu of Windows 11/10.

Use End task option to close Non-responding program directly from the Taskbar

When some app or a program is non-responding in Windows 11, we have to force close that app/program. We need to open the Task Manager, access the Processes tab, right-click on a program, and use the End task option for that item to close it. Now, Windows 11 has made this process easier as you can use the End task option directly from the taskbar for opened apps in Windows 11. Thus, you don’t have to open the Task Manager and follow multiple steps to close an unresponsive program.

You can right-click on an opened program or app in the Task Manager and use the End task option to terminate it, just like it is visible in the image above. While there are many other ways to force close a program, this native option is easier to use. But, before you can use this feature, you have to enable it first with some simple steps covered in this post.

How to add End Task to Taskbar Right-click Context Menu in Windows 11/10

There are four methods you can use to show the End task item in the Taskbar Context menu in Windows 11/10, as given below:

Enable End Task via Windows Settings
Enable End Task via Registry Editor
Enable End Task via Windows Terminal
Using ViVeTool

You will need admin permission to execute some of these suggestions.

Close a non-responding program directly from the taskbar

1] Enable End Task via Windows Settings

Open Windows Settings and click the System option on the left pane. Next, click the For developers option on the right.

Locate the End Task option on the right and toggle it to enable the end task in the Taskbar with a right-click.

Once you are done, close the Windows Settings app.

So, that is it! Therefore, all running app icons in the taskbar will show a new End task item in the context menu when you right-click it.

An easy way to get to the For developers settings page is to use the ms-settings:developers command. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box, type the command, and press the Enter key to open the For developers page.

Read: Add, Remove, Edit Context Menu items with Context Menu Editors

2] Enable End Task via Registry Editor

Open Registry Editor and copy and paste the path given below:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\TaskbarDeveloperSettings

Note: If the TaskbarDeveloperSettings key is not installed, right-click the Advanced subkey in the left pane, choose New > Key from the context menu, and name it TaskbarDeveloperSettings.

Double-click the TaskbarDeveloperSettings key. In the Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value pop-up window, type 1 into the Value data column and press OK.

If you do not have the DWORD, right-click the DeveloperSettings key on the left and click New > DWORD (32-bit) Value from the context menu. Next, name it TaskbarEndTask.

You can set its value to 1, as mentioned above, and you will see the End task option for the apps in the taskbar when you right-click them. To disable the feature, you can set the Value data to 0 and press the OK button to save the changes.

Read: How to force close a Program which Task Manager cannot terminate

3] Enable End Task via Windows Terminal

Using the Windows Terminal is another way to bring the End task option for taskbar applications in the context menu. Follow the steps given below to enable it:

Open Windows Terminal (Admin), copy and paste the command given below, and press the Enter key to activate the command:

reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\TaskbarDeveloperSettings /v TaskbarEndTask /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

This will make the End Task item available from the taskbar’s right-click menu for app icons.

To undo the command you activated, copy and paste the command given below and press the Enter key.

reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\TaskbarDeveloperSettings /v TaskbarEndTask /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

4] Enable the End task option for opened apps in Taskbar using ViVeTool

This experimental feature is currently hidden, so you need to use ViVeTool to enable or activate it. It is a very popular command-line tool to turn on hidden features of Windows 11/10 available in preview builds. Here are the steps:

Download the latest version ZIP file (3.3) of ViVeTool from github.com
Extract that file into a folder and open that folder
Right-click on the ViVeTool.exe application and select the Copy as path option
Type cmd in the Search box of Windows 11 and select Run as administrator option
When the elevated Command Prompt window is opened, paste the path of the ViVeTool.exe application there. Continue your command by adding the enable parameter and feature ID for the End task option. The entire command is:

ViVeTool.exe /enable /id:42592269

Finally, restart your Windows 11 PC.

Conclusion

The Windows 11 Taskbar’s new End task feature is easy to use and saves time, especially when you need to end an unresponsive or frozen app. Launching Task Manager, finding the application, and closing it is no longer necessary. It is crucial to remember that you will still have access to your familiar context menu items, such as the Close window option.

Now, if you try to right-click the Taskbar shortcut button for any program, the context menu will display the new End task option. This post also provides instructions to disable the previously mentioned option if you remove the End task option from the Taskbar context menu.

How do I force end a task without a Task Manager?

You can keep pressing ALT + F4 or the close button of the app until the task becomes unresponsive and Windows brings up the prompt to close it. It comes in handy when the Task Manager itself becomes unavailable.

Read: How to kill a Process using the Command Line

How do you end a task in CMD?

When using Command Prompt (CMD) on Windows, the “taskkill” command is used to terminate tasks. Its syntax is taskkill /f /im [process image name] where “/f” forces termination and “/im” specifies the process image name. For example, to terminate “notepad.exe,” use taskkill /f /im notepad.exe. However, it’s important to exercise caution as this command forcefully terminates processes without allowing for data saving or clean shutdowns.

How do I end all running tasks in Windows 11?

Windows 11 doesn’t come with a built-in option to end all running tasks. But, if you want to close multiple tasks or kill multiple processes or end several tasks at once, then you can use free software for this purpose. Ultimate Process Killer is one such tool you can use. In case you want to automatically kill non-responding tasks on your system, then you can use the Ultimate Windows Tweaker or add Kill All Not Responding tasks to the context menu in Windows 11.

How do I show running apps on my taskbar Windows 11?

Whenever you open an app or program in Windows 11, its taskbar icon appears or opens us indicating that the particular app is running or opened. However, if you have opened too many apps and programs and need to check all those running apps and other items from the taskbar, then click on the Task View icon present on the taskbar. It will show thumbnails of all opened applications including Microsoft Store apps, browsers, desktop applications, etc.

In case, the Task View icon is not present in Windows 11 taskbar, then you can add it using the Settings app. Access the Taskbar section (under the Personalization category) in the Settings app and use the Task view toggle to add it to taskbar.