If you’ve noticed a sudden performance drop without any recent changes to your PC, it’s likely an app is causing the issue. However, identifying the culprit can be tricky. That’s where these hidden Task Manager columns come into play. Learn how you can make use of these task manager columns to troubleshoot your Windows PC.
Content
- How to Activate Hidden Task Manager Columns
- Troubleshooting CPU Time – Track Which App is Continuously Using the CPU
- Base Priority – View CPU Priority of All Processes
- Troubleshooting GPU Issues – Monitor Which Apps Are Using GPU Resources
- GPU Engine – Find Out Which GPU and Engine a Process Is Using
- Handles – Check Program Resource Management Efficiency
- Power Throttling – View Which Processes Are Being Throttled
How to Activate Hidden Task Manager Columns
There are plenty of extra columns in the Window Task Manager. These extra columns are hidden by default, and you have to manually activate them to be able to view their statistics.
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager. Move to the Details section, right-click on the title bar of any column, and choose the Select column option.
You’ll find dozens of activatable columns here. To show one in the Task Manager, check the checkbox next to it and click on OK. You can activate multiple columns at the same time using these steps.
Tip: You can click on any column’s title to sort all processes by the information in that column, toggling between ascending and descending order with each click.
Troubleshooting CPU Time – Track Which App is Continuously Using the CPU
CPU Time shows the accumulated CPU time a process has actively utilized the CPU since it was started. This can help detect rogue processes, as many apps, including games, typically don’t require heavy CPU usage for extended periods.
Apps don’t usually stress the CPU continuously; they often need only brief bursts, after which components like the GPU or RAM handle much of the load. This column shows the total active CPU time for a process, including minor uses. For example, most games might show a few minutes of CPU time over an hour of gameplay.
In the column, ignore System Idle Process and look for processes consuming excessive CPU time, especially if they’re not actively in use. On average, non-active apps should consume minimal CPU time over several hours. If a process is consistently using a CPU, it might be hogging resources.
Base Priority – View CPU Priority of All Processes
Base Priority is another important metric that helps find resource-hogging apps. Not only that, it also helps find if your main program is getting the CPU power it should. By default, most processes run at normal priority. The problem comes when a process has a higher or lower priority than normal, as it means it’s getting less or more CPU resources than others.
Although Windows is good at automatically managing these priorities, it can make mistakes. Sometimes it can put important program processes on lower priority or make less important programs higher priority. Some apps can also choose priority on their own, which can sometimes cause trouble depending on your PC resources.
You should click on the Base priority column title to bring the highest priority processes to the top. Here you can overlook the system processes with High priority since that’s normal behavior. You need to look for regular apps that have Above normal, High, or Realtime priority. If a less important app has higher priority, then it could be taking away resources from others.
Click on the column title again to bring low priority process to the top. Make sure that your important apps have at least Normal priority. If not, you can manually set it by right-clicking on a process and going to Set priority.
Troubleshooting GPU Issues – Monitor Which Apps Are Using GPU Resources
If you are specifically facing performance issues with GPU-heavy programs like games or video editing software, then the GPU column can help you to identify the cause. This column shows the exact GPU usage of all processes in real time. If you have dual GPUs, then it will show their consumption combined.
Just sort the column by higher GPU-using processes at the top and you’ll see all the processes that are currently utilizing GPU and how much. Apart from the app/game you are currently using, if other processes are using the GPU as well, you can close them to free up the resources.
Furthermore, it can also help detect GPU bottlenecks if your program is constantly using 90%+ of GPU resources.
GPU Engine – Find Out Which GPU and Engine a Process Is Using
Although this is more useful for people with dual GPU setup, it can help people with specific graphics requirements as well. The GPU Engine column shows which GPU is being used for a program and which engine, like 3D, video encoding, copy, etc.
If you are seeing lower performance in a GPU-heavy app, maybe it’s using the integrated GPU instead of the dedicated one. This column will show status like GPU 1 or GPU 0, indicating which GPU the process just used. If it’s using an incorrect GPU, you can select the preferred GPU by going to System -> Display -> Graphics in Windows Settings.
The ability to see the GPU engine can be useful when you are having trouble running a specific type of app. For example, games will usually show the 3D engine being used and video editing will show video encoding. You can see which other processes are sharing the same engine and possibly hogging the resources.
Handles – Check Program Resource Management Efficiency
Handles are references to resources like files, registry keys, CPU threads, or network connections that a process uses. Programs can open hundreds or thousands of handles, but unusually high handle counts can signal poor resource management.
It’s hard to say exactly how many handles are too many, as each app differs. The key is whether a program efficiently closes unused handles and opens new ones. You’ll see its count constantly going up and down when in use. If the handle count steadily rises without dropping, it could be an issue.
Apps that inefficiently manage handles may start with a few thousand and accumulate tens of thousands of handles, potentially slowing the system. In such cases, you’ll probably have to update or replace the app as it’s an issue at the app’s end.
Power Throttling – View Which Processes Are Being Throttled
By default, Windows throttles the power of less important processes to save power and resources. Sometimes it can throttle important processes as well that can decrease the performance of individual apps. If you are facing a performance drop while using a specific app, the Power throttling column can show if it’s getting throttled.
Sort the processes by the Power throttling column and it will show all processes that have power throttling enabled. If any process of your app is getting throttled, you can right-click on it and uncheck the Efficiency mode option to disable throttling.
If you don’t want your apps getting throttled in the future, you can fully disable throttling as well.
Individually, these columns may not be enough to find performance-hogging processes, but combined they will surely find the culprit. Furthermore, performance drops can also result from overheating, in which case cooling down the CPU should restore normal performance.
Image credit: Freepik. All screenshots by Karrar Haider.
Karrar Haider –
Staff Writer
Karrar is drenched in technology and always fiddles with new tech opportunities. He has a bad habit of calling technology “Killer”, and doesn’t feel bad about spending too much time in front of the PC. If he is not writing about technology, you will find him spending quality time with his little family.
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