Quick Answer
Press Search + Esc to open the Chromebook Task Manager. Click the unresponsive tab, app, or process in the list, then click End process in the bottom-right corner to force-close just that item without restarting the whole Chromebook.
What the Task Manager Shows
ChromeOS’s Task Manager lists every open tab, extension, and Android or Linux app as a separate row, along with how much memory and CPU each one is using. It’s the fastest way to identify exactly what’s slowing things down or refusing to respond, instead of guessing which of a dozen open tabs is the problem.
How to Use It
Step 1: Open the Task Manager
Press Search + Esc (the Search key is the magnifying glass or circle icon, usually where Caps Lock sits on a full keyboard).
Step 2: Sort by memory or CPU usage
Click the “Memory footprint” or “CPU” column header to sort every open item from highest to lowest usage, which quickly surfaces the worst offender.
Step 3: Identify the frozen item
Look for a tab or app showing unusually high CPU usage that isn’t dropping over time, which usually means it’s stuck rather than just temporarily busy.
Step 4: End the process
Click the row, then click “End process” in the bottom-right corner. Only that tab or app closes; everything else stays open and unaffected.
Step 5: Reopen if needed
If it was a tab, press Ctrl + Shift + T to reopen the last closed tab, or relaunch the app from the shelf or launcher.
Still Stuck?
If ending a process doesn’t bring the Chromebook back to normal, or if the entire screen is frozen and won’t even open the Task Manager, follow our guide for a Chromebook that’s frozen or unresponsive instead, which covers hard-reset steps. If the same tabs or apps keep ending up at the top of the memory list every day, that’s usually a sign of a Chromebook that needs a broader look at what’s making it run slow, and the Diagnostics app can rule out failing hardware as the underlying cause.
FAQ
Does ending a process in Task Manager delete any unsaved work?
Yes, for that specific tab or app, the same as closing it normally. Anything unsaved in that process is lost, though every other open tab and app is unaffected.
Why does the browser process itself show at the top of the list?
ChromeOS separates the main browser process from individual tabs, so “Browser” represents shared overhead rather than one tab, and generally shouldn’t be ended on its own.
Is this the same as Ctrl+Alt+Delete on Windows?
It serves a similar purpose, but ChromeOS Task Manager is lighter weight and focused specifically on ending individual tabs, extensions, and apps rather than managing full system processes.
