Chromebooks do have a Task Manager, even without a Ctrl+Alt+Delete shortcut. Press Search + Esc to open it, then select any frozen app, tab, or process and click End Process to force it to close.
Applies To
- Device: any Chromebook
- OS: ChromeOS
- Account: none needed
How Do I Open the Task Manager on a Chromebook?
Press Search + Esc anywhere on the Chromebook to open the Task Manager instantly.
Note: on Windows, the equivalent shortcut for Chrome’s own Task Manager is Shift + Esc.
It looks like the Chrome browser’s own Task Manager, but on a Chromebook it lists more than just browser tabs: Android apps and system processes show up too.
You can also reach it without the shortcut: click the three-dot menu in Chrome, then More Tools, then Task Manager.
How Do I Force-Close an App or Process?
Open the Task Manager, select the app or process you want to stop, and click End Process.
Note: the top item is usually the Chrome browser itself, and its End Process button stays disabled because you can’t kill the browser this way.
This works for Android apps too, select the app and click End Process to force-close it.
You can also end:
- System processes (proceed with caution, some are needed for ChromeOS to run properly)
- Chrome tabs
- Chrome apps
- Chrome extensions
Use the Task Manager to end an individual frozen app or tab. If the whole Chromebook is unresponsive, a reboot works better than hunting for a process to kill.
How Do I See More Detail in the Task Manager?
By default the Task Manager shows Task, Memory footprint, CPU, Network, and Process ID. Right-click anywhere in the Task Manager to add more columns, including:
- Profile
- Swapped memory, GPU memory, SQLite memory, JavaScript memory
- Image cache, Script cache, CSS cache
- NaCl debug report
- Idle wake ups
- File descriptors
- Process priority
- Keep alive count
FAQ
Is Chromebook’s Task Manager the same as Chrome’s Task Manager?
It’s built on the same Chrome Task Manager, but on a Chromebook it also lists Android apps and ChromeOS system processes, not just browser tabs and extensions.
Why can’t I end the top process in the list?
That’s usually the Chrome browser itself. Chromebook disables its End Process button because closing it would end the whole browser session.
What should I do if my whole Chromebook is frozen, not just one app?
The Task Manager only helps when a specific app or tab is stuck. If the entire device stops responding, hold the power button to reboot instead.
Search + Esc gets you to the Task Manager in one step, and End Process handles most frozen apps, tabs, and extensions. Reserve a full reboot for when the whole Chromebook locks up.
