How to fix “Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator” error in Windows

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The Windows Task Manager is an incredible tool that makes it easy for you to close programs that are misbehaving. Additionally, this tool helps you check the details of the processes running on your PC.
You can access the Task Manager in various ways, such as pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Alternatively, you can open the tool by pressing Win + R, typing taskmgr, and then hitting the Enter button.
Are you currently in a situation where you can’t open the Task Manager in Windows ? Whenever you try running this tool, an error message pops up that reads, “Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator”
You might be wondering, “why is the Task Manager disabled?” But worry not! We’ll take you through the best solutions for fixing the Task Manager when it won’t work.

1. Cause

Due to Malware

While trying to use the Task Manager, a third-party program, virus, or spyware might prevent you from using this tool. Usually, the Task Manager might fail to launch, and all you’ll see is the “Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator” error message.

Due to some registry settings blocking you from using Task Manager

In most cases, the administrator could do this to prevent you from closing important security programs, such as antivirus software.

2. How to fix?

In this article I will give 3 ways to fix “Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator”

Method 1: Using the Local Group Policy Editor

1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box
2. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor

In the left-hand side pane, navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Ctrl+Alt+Del Options. From there, double-click on the Remove Task Manager option on the right-hand side pane.

3.In the next window, select the Disabled or Not Configured option. From there, click Apply and then click OK.

Close the Local Group Policy Editor and restart your device. Your Task Manager issues should be resolved as soon as you finish applying these steps.
In case this doesn’t resolve your issue, there’s still one more method that could help you out

Method 2: Using the Registry Editor

To fix the Task Manager using the Registry Editor, follow these steps:
1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box
2. From there, type Regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor
Locate the navigation pane on the left-hand side and then open the System key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Policies > System

Click the System key. You should see a value named “DisableTaskMgr” on the right-hand side.If this value is not available, you’ll need to create it. But if the value is already available, you can skip to the next step

Right-click on the Policies key, click New, and then click Key
Name the new key as System
Right-click on the System key, click New, and then select DWORD (32-bit) Value
Name this newly-created DWORD value as DisableTaskMgr and press Enter.

3. Next, double-click the DisableTaskMgr value. From there, set the Value data to 0 (zero), and click OK to finish

The “Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator Windows 10” issue should now be resolved. Otherwise, restart your PC to save these changes.

Method 3: Using the Command Prompt

Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box
From there, type CMD and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter
Finally, click Yes on the User Account Control to run the Command Prompt as administrator
Type the following command and then press Enter

REG add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableTaskMgr /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

When the Command Prompt displays “The operation completed successfully,” your Task Manager should now be fixed. Reboot your computer to apply these changes.

3. Conclusion

We’ve discussed all the best methods that can help you fix your Task Manager in Windows . Now, you can simply apply any of these solutions to tackle the “Task Manager Has Been Disabled by Your Administrator” error.
And because this error is sometimes caused by malware, it’s advisable that you regularly scan your PC using antivirus software. This will ensure that your PC is always safe and doesn’t run into various issues.

Good Luck!