If you are one of the many individuals who regularly depend on Windows 11’s built-in Task Manager to monitor system activity, manage background processes, or terminate unresponsive programs, you may want to exercise caution before installing Microsoft’s latest optional operating system update. Early reports from Reddit users, corroborated by The Verge’s technology journalist Tom Warren, indicate that the recently released Windows 11 KB5067036 update has introduced an unexpected and problematic glitch. This bug appears to cause Task Manager to duplicate itself whenever users attempt to close the application, leading to potential strain on system performance.
In essence, the issue seems to disable or otherwise interfere with the standard functionality of the Task Manager’s close (“X”) button. Rather than shutting the utility down as intended, clicking the button leaves the original instance of Task Manager running invisibly in the background and simultaneously spawns a new one on the desktop. As a result, each additional attempt to close and reopen the application multiplies its presence in memory, potentially consuming an increasing share of the computer’s CPU and RAM. Over time, this accumulation of active instances can degrade responsiveness, slow execution of everyday tasks, and in some cases, make the system feel noticeably sluggish.
Interestingly, the official documentation accompanying the KB5067036 update does list a Task Manager–related fix, specifically one that addresses a minor issue where certain applications were not properly grouped with their corresponding processes. However, no mention is made of any other changes to Task Manager’s functionality, and there is no acknowledgment of a defect resembling the cloning bug now being observed. Despite reports circulating widely across online forums and news outlets, Microsoft has not yet confirmed the existence of the problem. The support notes for the KB5067036 patch still display the statement that the company is “not currently aware of any issues with this update.” At this point, inquiries for clarification have been submitted to Microsoft, but there has been no official response.
Fortunately, the community of Windows enthusiasts and testers has already identified a temporary workaround that provides relief for affected users. According to Windows Latest and a Reddit contributor known as BNSoul, it is still possible to manually terminate each running instance of Task Manager by using alternative methods. Instead of clicking the unresponsive close button, users can select the “End task” command found within the Task Manager interface itself to force the targeted window to close successfully. For those seeking a more comprehensive solution, another option involves launching the Windows 11 Command Prompt and executing the command line instruction “taskkill /im taskmgr.exe /f.” Doing so instantly shuts down all active Task Manager processes in one step, restoring system stability until an official patch is released.
While this glitch may not pose a catastrophic risk to affected systems, it nonetheless highlights the importance of caution when installing optional updates—particularly for those who rely on performance monitoring tools as part of their daily computing routines. Until Microsoft releases a corrective patch or publicly addresses the issue, users may wish to postpone applying the KB5067036 update to avoid unnecessary system slowdowns or inconvenience.
Sourse: https://www.theverge.com/news/811233/microsoft-windows-11-task-manager-duplicate-bug
