Another day, another Windows 11 24H2 update bug – this time, Task Manager shows zero apps running

It’s Halloween and while some people are getting treats, others are getting new Windows 11 24H2-related issues – this time a glitch in Task Manager. Microsoft has confirmed as much, but luckily it’s reportedly not as much a cause for concern as other recent 24H2 issues have been.

Microsoft’s acknowledgement of the glitch was spotted by Neowin in a new notification in Windows 11 24H2’s Health Dashboard, which catalogs the issues and other things of note that Microsoft has publicized about the new feature update. Normally, Task Manager lists how many apps and background tasks are currently running on your device to help you quickly see what’s using up your computer’s resources.

Neowin explains that after installing the latest build version of 24H2, KB5044384, some users have been shown the incorrect number of apps and background processes, with Task Manager claiming they have zero apps or processes running – which is impossible.

What this means and what to watch out for next

If this sounds familiar, there are two things to note. First, we don’t currently know if there’s an easy fix for this. Second, it seems like this glitch doesn’t impact Task Manager’s functionality much further. You’ll still be able to do things like see all the programs, apps, and processes you have running, check details about them, and stop them if necessary even if the group headings say that you have zero apps and processes running.

Microsoft’s acknowledgment also states that it’s working on a fix and I expect it’ll be added to a future update soon.

As far as we know, this only affects those using Windows 11 24H2 and if you use an earlier version of Windows, like 23H2, you should be unaffected. Furthermore, this is seemingly only a visual glitch and the running of Task Manager and your PC are also unaffected.

This Task Manager bug is another item on the list of problems that we’ve learned about since Windows 11 24H2’s release – including network connectivity issues and blue screens of death. This isn’t the most extreme error, but it undermines the entire purpose of Task Manager, which is intended to provide a clear and easy-to-interpret breakdown of all your running apps and background processes. Updates like 24H2 are intended to provide improved stability and introduce new features, and as new bugs keep cropping up, that’ll be less and less likely to be the impression users get while trying to use it.

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