If you’re trying to figure out how to open Task Manager on Mac, the tool you’re looking for is Activity Monitor. It lets you view running apps and processes, check CPU and memory usage, and troubleshoot performance problems on your Mac.
There are several ways to open Activity Monitor in macOS. If you only need to close a frozen app, Option + Command + Esc opens the Force Quit window instead. Below, we’ll focus on the main ways to access Activity Monitor and when that shortcut can be useful.
Open Task Manager on Mac with Activity Monitor
macOS doesn’t have an app called Task Manager. The closest equivalent is Activity Monitor, Apple’s built-in tool for viewing running apps and processes and checking system resource usage.
If you’re coming from Windows, many of the functions will feel familiar:
| Windows | Mac |
|---|---|
| Task Manager | Activity Monitor |
| View running processes | Activity Monitor |
| Check CPU usage | Activity Monitor > CPU |
| Check memory usage | Activity Monitor > Memory |
| End a task or process | Quit or Force Quit in Activity Monitor |
| Close a frozen app quickly | Option + Command + Esc |
To open Task Manager on Mac, use Activity Monitor. It’s built into macOS, so you don’t need to install anything.
If you’re using a Windows PC instead, see our guide on how to open Task Manager in Windows 11 and 10.
1. Open Activity Monitor with Spotlight
The quickest way to open Activity Monitor on Mac is with Spotlight:
- Press Command + Space to open Spotlight.
- Type Activity Monitor.
- Press Return when it appears in the results.
Activity Monitor will open and show the apps and processes currently running on your Mac.
2. Open Activity Monitor from Applications
You can also find Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder:
- Open Finder.
- Select Applications.
- Open the Utilities folder.
- Double-click Activity Monitor.
The full path is:
Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor
If you use Activity Monitor frequently, you can keep it in the Dock for faster access in the future.
Is there a Task Manager keyboard shortcut on Mac?
macOS doesn’t include a default keyboard shortcut that opens Activity Monitor directly. The quickest keyboard-based method is:
Command + Space → type Activity Monitor → press Return
If you’re looking for a Mac Task Manager shortcut because an app is frozen, use:
Option + Command + Esc
This opens the Force Quit Applications window, where you can select an app that isn’t responding and force it to close.
Keep in mind that Force Quit isn’t the same as Activity Monitor. Force Quit is mainly for closing unresponsive apps, while Activity Monitor lets you inspect running processes and system resource usage.
How to end a task or process in Activity Monitor
You can also use Activity Monitor to quit an app or background process:
- Open Activity Monitor.
- Select the app or process you want to close.
- Click the Stop (X) button at the top of the window.
- Choose Quit or Force Quit.
Try Quit first when possible. If the process doesn’t respond, use Force Quit to force it to close.
Avoid quitting processes you don’t recognize. Some are part of macOS or are required by other apps, and stopping them may cause unexpected behavior.
What can you see in Activity Monitor?
Activity Monitor shows how apps and processes are using your Mac’s system resources. Its main sections include:
- CPU: Shows how much processor power each app or process is using.
- Memory: Displays RAM usage and Memory Pressure.
- Energy: Shows how much energy apps are using, particularly useful on a MacBook.
- Disk: Displays data being read from and written to your storage.
- Network: Shows how much data apps and processes are sending and receiving.
Apple provides more details in its Activity Monitor User Guide.
Can you use taskmgr on a Mac?
No. The taskmgr command and taskmgr.exe are Windows-only tools and aren’t available in macOS.
If you’re looking for taskmgr for Mac, use Activity Monitor instead. It provides the process and performance information that Windows users typically access through Task Manager.
If you only need to close a frozen app, Option + Command + Esc opens the Force Quit window.
Conclusion
The Mac equivalent of Windows Task Manager is Activity Monitor. The quickest way to open it is to press Command + Space, search for Activity Monitor, and press Return.
From there, you can view running processes, check system resource usage, and quit apps or processes that aren’t responding.
If you only need to close a frozen app, use Option + Command + Esc instead to open the Force Quit window.
