By Delia / Last update January 20, 2022

Microsoft has been working hard to update the system interface of Windows 11, and gradually redesigning the native apps to match the modern design style. Following the Windows Media Player, Notepad, and Photos apps, some users have also discovered a hidden task manager with a new UI in the latest Build 22538.

Microsoft has not changed the Task Manager UI since Windows 8 in 2012, which means this is the first major change in 10 years. As you can see from the image, the new version of Task Manager features Windows 11's Fluent Design, support for light/dark modes, and the previous top bar menu replaced with a sidebar.

new task manager night

However, this Task Manager is still in its early stages, many features are not available, and the UI is not fully adapted and needs further optimization, which may be the reason why Microsoft hide it for now.

task manager fluent design

How to try the hidden Task Manager in Windows 11

This new Task Manager requires upgrading to Build 22538 in the Dev channel, the latest version Microsoft pushed out today, and then using ViveTool to turn it on manually.

Download ViveTool (https://github.com/thebookisclosed/ViVe/releases) and unzip it

Then run Terminal as administrator in the ViveTool directory and enter the following command.

vivetool addconfig 35908098 2

vivetool addconfig 37204171 2

vivetool addconfig 36898195 2

vivetool addconfig 36898195 2

After restarting the computer, right-click the Start button and select "Task Manager" to see the new version of the interface.