Enable/Disable End Task in Taskbar on Windows 11

The End Task in Taskbar feature on Windows 11 allows you to quickly terminate apps directly from the taskbar without having to use Task Manager. In this article, I will demonstrate multiple methods to enable or disable the taskbar end task option on Windows 11.

Starting with Windows 11 version 23H2, you can enable and use the End Task option to terminate unresponsive applications directly from the Taskbar. You don’t need to open the task manager on Windows 11 to end the processes any more. Unfortunately, not many users are aware of this extremely helpful feature because it is hidden under the “For Developers” section.

There are situations when you have no choice but to use Task Manager to forcefully end your unresponsive apps. In some cases, I noticed that even my task manager was frozen and failed to open. Having the ability to terminate apps and tasks from the taskbar comes in very handy in these situations.

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There are two important points that I would like to mention here. First, the End task option appears only when you right-click an opened app on the taskbar. If the app is not in use or in a closed state, you cannot end that app with the end task option. Second, you cannot enable the end task for the taskbar context menu on Windows 10. This feature is exclusively available for devices running Windows 11 only.

So let’s get started by exploring different methods that you can use to enable or disable the taskbar end task option on Windows 11.

Enable End Task option on Windows 11 Taskbar

Using the Settings app on Windows 11 to enable or disable the end task option on the taskbar is the easiest method that I can recommend.

Step 1: Right-click on Windows 11 Start and select Settings. You may also open settings by pressing the keys Win + I. In the left sidebar, click on “System,” then select “For Developers.”

Enable End Task in Taskbar on Windows 11

Step 2: Scroll down and toggle the End Task switch to enable the feature.

Step 3: To test if the End Task option appears on the taskbar, right-click on any app, and you will see the “End Task” option. When you select End Task, the selected app is closed immediately.

To disable the end task in the taskbar option on Windows 11, launch the Settings app. In the left sidebar, click on “System,” then select “For Developers.” Scroll down and toggle the End Task switch to disable the feature.

Disable End Task in Taskbar on Windows 11

Enable Taskbar End Task option using Command Prompt

For advanced users, the taskbar end task option can be enabled by running a simple command.

Click Start and type “CMD” in the search box.
Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
Enter the following command to enable the taskbar end task option.

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

Enable Taskbar End Task option using Command Prompt

To disable the end task feature from the Windows 11 taskbar, run the following command in the command prompt:

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

Disable Taskbar End Task option using Command Prompt

Enable End Task in Taskbar on Windows 11 via Registry

When you enable or disable the End Task option on the Windows 11 taskbar via the Settings app or CMD, the changes are actually stored in the registry. You can modify these settings in the registry to achieve the same results.

Tip: Before you make any changes to the registry, it is important to back up the registry settings and save them to a file. If something goes wrong, you can use this file to restore or revert your changes.

Launch the registry editor on a Windows 11 PC by running the command regedit.exe. In the registry editor, navigate to the following path:

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

The value of the TaskbarEndTask registry key determines whether the end task option is enabled or disabled.

If the TaskbarEndTask value is set to 1, the End Task option on the taskbar is enabled.
If the TaskbarEndTask value is set to 0, the End Task option on the taskbar is disabled.

In the screenshot below, the TaskbarEndTask value is 1, which means the End Task option is turned on and can be used to close the apps.