Imagine your computer's Task Manager, the go-to tool for troubleshooting and managing system performance, suddenly turns into a resource-hungry zombie, lurking in the background even after you think you've closed it. This is the unsettling reality for many Windows 11 users following a recent update. But here's where it gets controversial: Microsoft has acknowledged the issue but has yet to provide a permanent fix, leaving users to grapple with workarounds and questions about the company's update testing procedures.
The problem began after the release of cumulative update KB5067036 on October 28, 2025. Users quickly noticed that closing Task Manager using the [X] button didn't actually terminate the process. Instead, the taskmgr.exe instance remained active in the background, invisible yet resource-intensive. Each time Task Manager was reopened and closed, another instance was spawned, leading to a proliferation of 'zombie' processes. These rogue instances continued to poll hardware, causing noticeable CPU performance drops, increased application stuttering, and, in severe cases, system instability. Users running CPU benchmark tools like CPU-Z confirmed that the performance degradation was directly correlated with the number of background instances.
And this is the part most people miss: The issue affects both Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 24H2, across builds 26100.7015 and 26200.7015. While Microsoft labeled the update as a 'preview,' many users received it automatically by enabling the option to 'get the latest fixes and performance improvements.' This phrasing doesn't clearly indicate that such updates might be unstable or untested, leaving some users feeling unwittingly enrolled in a beta testing program. Criticism has since mounted, with many Reddit users expressing frustration over what they perceive as repeated quality assurance oversights. Some even reported that up to 30% of systems in virtualized test environments exhibited the bug after applying the update.
Microsoft has marked the issue as 'mitigated' in build 26100.7019, but a permanent fix remains pending. In the meantime, the company has offered several temporary workarounds:
- Manual Process Termination: Open Task Manager, right-click on the Task Manager process in the Processes tab, and select 'End Task.'
- Command Line Method: Launch an elevated Command Prompt and run the command
taskkill /im taskmgr.exe /fto forcefully terminate all active Task Manager instances. - Registry Tweaks: Advanced users have shared registry-level fixes that re-enable certain internal feature flags affecting Task Manager's process grouping and lifecycle behavior. However, these require administrative privileges and careful editing, making them less accessible to casual users.
Until a full fix is released, users are advised to avoid closing Task Manager with the [X] button and instead use one of the manual or command-line methods. Those concerned about system stability may also consider rolling back the KB5067036 update or disabling the 'get the latest updates' setting in Windows Update to avoid preview releases.
Here’s the bigger question: Should users trust Microsoft's preview updates if they risk introducing such critical issues? And how can Microsoft improve its testing procedures to prevent these problems in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Windows Task Manager is a cornerstone utility for both end users and IT professionals, essential for monitoring processes, CPU/GPU usage, memory consumption, and overall system performance. Its widespread reliance makes this issue particularly concerning, and users are eagerly awaiting a resolution. While Microsoft has confirmed it is investigating the problem, no timeline for a fix has been provided. Given the critical nature of Task Manager, a solution is expected in an upcoming cumulative or out-of-band update.
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