Optional Windows Update Causes Task Manager Zombie
Following a new update for Windows 11, the Task Manager can no longer be closed via the "X". However, a solution is simple.
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After installing the optional update KB5067036 for Windows 11 25H2 or 24H2, when you try to close the Task Manager by clicking the “X” in the upper right corner, it reappears. The Task Manager briefly disappears and then restarts immediately. A look at the list of tasks may also show that the program is running with multiple instances. This can consume significant CPU time.
The problem appears to be frequent and has already been confirmed by Microsoft. Previously, numerous users on Reddit had pointed this out. The update, which is one of the usual previews of new features, was released at the beginning of the current week. As is always the case with these previews, it is optional and does not need to be installed for a secure system.
Apparently, the bug only affects the handling of the close button (X) of the Task Manager window. As Microsoft itself recommends, the program is correctly terminated when you close the Task Manager via its list of running processes. Similarly, all instances can be closed via the command taskkill.exe /im taskmgr.exe /f in a command prompt with administrator rights. Microsoft has already confirmed the erratic behavior of the X in the Task Manager as a bug in the corresponding support article. It is expected to be fixed in upcoming updates.
Task Manager Zombies Are Not Entirely New
Former Microsoft developer Dave Plummer, who wrote some of the first versions of the Task Manager, offers a guess on the platform X regarding the cause of the new bug. According to Plummer, a click on the close button and other methods of ending a program have always been treated differently by the task manager. This, the developer suggests, might still be the case, meaning a click on “X” does not do what it should.
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According to Plummer, this was also the cause of a bug that many Windows users had already experienced in earlier versions: The Task Manager could be closed, but its icon in the notification area (system tray) did not disappear. In those cases, it only disappeared when the mouse pointer touched it.
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