tasklist

Display Running Processes

What Does It Do?

The tasklist command displays a list of currently running processes on a local or remote Windows system. It shows process names, process IDs (PIDs), memory usage, and other details about each running application or service.

Think of it like getting a live inventory of everything your computer is actively doing. Every program, background service, and system process shows up in this list, helping you understand what's consuming system resources.

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When Should I Use It?

Monitor System Resources

View which processes are consuming memory and identify resource-intensive applications.

Troubleshoot Performance

Identify processes causing system slowdowns or high CPU usage.

Verify Services

Check if specific services or applications are running on the system.

Security Auditing

Detect suspicious or unauthorized processes running on the system.

Common Commands

tasklist

Display all running processes with basic information (name, PID, memory usage).

tasklist /svc

Display processes with the services hosted in each process.

tasklist /v

Display verbose task information including status, username, CPU time, and window titles.

tasklist /fo csv

Export process information as CSV format for use in spreadsheets.

tasklist /fo list

Display output in list format with each property on a new line.

tasklist /nh

Display output without column headers (useful for scripting).

Pro Tip: Find Specific Processes

Combine tasklist with findstr to search for specific processes:

tasklist | findstr chrome

You can also use the PID from tasklist with taskkill to terminate processes: taskkill /PID 1234 /F

Try It Yourself

Practice tasklist commands in the interactive terminal below: