3 Ways to Disable Task Manager for Specific Users in Windows

Quick Tips

• Quickly disable Task Manager, launch PowerShell > type reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableTaskMgr /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f > press Enter.
• Using Registry Editor: Go to Registry Editor > create DisableTaskMgr DWORD (32-bit) Value under System > type 1 in the Value Data field. 
• You can also use Group Policy Editor. Navigate to GPE’s Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > go to Remove Task Manage > enable it.

Method 1: Using Command Line or Powershell

Step 1: Press the Windows key, type PowerShell or Command Prompt, and click on Run as administrator.

Note: For the sake of this article, we will go with PowerShell.

In the prompt, click Yes.

Step 2: Type the following command and press Enter.

reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableTaskMgr /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

That’s it. The Task Manager gets disabled. If you want to enable Task Manager, type the below command.

reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableTaskMgr /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Your Windows Task Manager is back to normal now. If you want to disable the Task Manager using a different method, follow along.

Method 2: Using Registry Editor

Step 1: Press the Windows key, type Registry Editor, and click Run as administrator.

In the prompt, select Yes.

Step 2: In the top address bar, enter the mentioned address.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

Step 3: Under the System folder, right-click, select New, and choose DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Step 4: Type DisableTaskMgr in the name field.

Step 5: Double-click the new value, type 1 in the Value Data field, and press OK.

Finally, reboot the system to implement the changes. And that’s it! When the system boots back up, the Task Manager will be disabled.

Method 3: Using Group Policy Editor

The Group Policy Editor is only available for Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise versions. If you are using Windows 11 Home Edition, you can skip this method. 

Step 1: Press the Windows keys, type gpedit.msc, and click Open.

Step 2: In the left pane, under Local Computer Policy, select Computer Configuration.

Step 3: In the right pane, double-click on Administrative Templates. 

Step 4: Select the System option. 

Step 5: Under the System option, locate and click on Ctrl + Alt + Del Options in the sidebar, go to Remove Task Manager on the right, and double-click on it.

Step 6: Select the Enabled option. Finally, click on Apply > OK.

There you go. Now, all you need to do is reboot Windows. And once it boots back up, you can’t open Task Manager again. Whenever you try to open it, an error message will pop up.

If you want to roll back to normal mode, under the Remove Task Manager policy, select Not Configured > click Apply > OK. 

FAQs