When applications become unresponsive in Windows, we often use the 'End Task' option and force-close them to get a fresh start. However, till now, the only way to end a task included diving into the Task Manager, which will feel like one too many steps after learning that you can add an 'End Task' button directly into the Windows 11 Taskbar. It's simple to enable this option. Let's get going.

Enable End Task for Taskbar from Developer Settings

This is the easiest way to add the End Task option directly into your Windows 11 Taskbar.

  1. Open the 'Settings' app (Windows + I) on your Windows 11 PC.
  2. Go to 'System' from the menu on the left.
  1. Scroll down and click the 'For developers' option.
  1. Enable the toggle for 'End Task'.
  1. That's it. Now, when you right-click a running app's icon from the Taskbar, you'll find an 'End Task' option in the context menu. Use it to force-close the app if it becomes unresponsive.

Use the Registry Editor

If you're somehow unable to use the above method to get the End Task button for the Taskbar, you can also use this alternative. By altering the value of the TaskbarEndTask key in the Registry Editor, the option will be enabled.

Note: You should not make changes to the Registry unless there's no other option. Also, before making any changes to the Registry Editor, always create a backup.
  1. Open the Run app (Windows + R) on your PC.
  2. Type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
  3. Click 'Yes' on the User Account Control dialog box.
  4. Navigate to the following location: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\TaskbarDeveloperSettings
  5. Double-click on the 'TaskbarEndTask' DWORD from the right pane.
  1. Change the Value data to 1 and click 'OK'.

Restart your computer, if needed, to implement the changes.

Adding an 'End Task' button directly to the Windows 11 taskbar provides a more streamlined way to force-close unresponsive applications than using the Task Manager. Users can enable this option through developer settings or editing the registry with just a few simple steps.