Probably All Windows Users Know How To Close A Running Program: Press The X Button In The Upper Right Corner Or Right-Click On The Program Icon In The Taskbar And Select “Close Window.”

But if a program is not responding, closing requires more steps because you must open the Task Manager and end the process.

An upcoming Windows update will introduce a new feature that will make closing programs in Windows 11 easier. Here’s what you need to know and how to enable it.

Windows 11 version 23H2 adds a new entry to jump lists (text menus opened by right-clicking an icon on the taskbar) called End task. This option is next to the Close window option, which may seem the same at first glance. However, the End task feature is different.

Unlike the Close window, the End task terminates the program and its related processes, not just one or more windows. (This may depend on several programs and their settings). For example, clicking the Close window in Teams will run the app in the background with no game windows, while the End task option will kill all Teams processes (the Teams icon in the notification area that disappears in the GIF below be, watch.).

If this seems confusing to you, don’t worry. You don’t need to explain two buttons that look identical to your grandmother. Microsoft says the End task feature was initially designed for developers, so it’s disabled by default. Enabling it requires enabling developer mode, which you must first familiarize yourself with and understand.

How to activate

Currently, the End task option is available for testing in Windows 11 preview builds in the Dev channel (Canary is not supported). It would be best to upgrade to Build 23466 or later, then enable the two switches in the developer section.

• Open the Settings app and go to System> For developers.
• Enable Developer Mode and confirm this action.

• Switch on the End task button. Now you can terminate any running program by right-clicking using the corresponding option.

It should be noted that there is a way to access the End task feature without enabling developer mode. This involves using a third-party program called ViveTool, which most Windows test users use to discover hidden features and customize various settings.

Note:

Back up your important data before using ViVeTool. Playing with the operating System using such programs may introduce bugs and instabilities in unstable versions of Windows, so you should be prepared to fix any problems if they occur. Remember that the only way for Windows to be stable is to use its stable versions so that you have maximum confidence in your computer.

1. Download the ViVeTool software from GitHub and place the files in a convenient and easy-to-find folder.
2. Press Win+X and select Terminal (Admin).
3. In the Command Prompt profile, switch to the Command Prompt profile using the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+2 or by clicking the down arrow button.
4. Using the CD command, navigate to the folder containing the ViVeTool files. For example, if you have ViVeTool in C:\Vive, type CD C:\Vive.
5. Type vivetool /enable /id:42592269,42105254 and press Enter (by @thebookisclosed).
6. Close Windows Terminal.
7. Press Win+R and type regedit.
8. Copy and paste the following path into the Registry Editor address bar: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
9. Open the DeveloperSettings key under CurrentVersion. If this key does not exist, right-click CurrentVersion and select New > Key. Rename the key to DeveloperSettings.
10. Click Edit, select New > DWORD (32-bit) value, and rename it to TaskbarEndTask.
11. Open the new value and change its value from 0 to 1.
12. Restart your computer.

Now you can right-click on the running programs in the taskbar and select End task to terminate them.

To disable the setting, open Registry Editor, navigate HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DeveloperSettings and change the TaskbarEndTask value from 1 to 0. You can’t disable the feature in the Settings app (the option will be grayed out) without enabling developer mode, so using the Registry Editor is essential here.

Are you planning to use Windows 11’s new way to close programs? Tell us in the comments.