Helping people with computers... one answer at a time.
If Windows Task Manager doesn't have a menu or tabs, then it is probably running in what's called "Tiny Footprint" mode.
Why does Task Manager suddenly have no menu or tabs?
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Windows Task Manager has a mode that maximizes the data display by hiding the menu and title bar.
It's easy to accidentally get Task Manager into that mode.
It's just as easy to get it out.
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Task Manager
This is what you normally see when you open Task Manager. It varies slightly from version to version of Windows, but the issue that we're dealing with here has not.
Here's the version that you're probably seeing:
Note that there is no menu bar or window title bar. This is the so-called "tiny footprint"† mode.
Switching modes
Double-click anywhere in the empty area around the information display:
This is actually a toggle - double-click in normal mode and you'll get tiny footprint. Double-click in tiny footprint and you'll get normal.
Typically, that's the accident that got you here - somehow, the window was double-clicked on.
There's actually a Knowledgebase Article on it, based on Windows XP.
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† No, I don't know why it's called "tiny footprint". It's certainly not smaller; in fact, the displayed data takes up more, not less, of the display area. Perhaps the idea is that you can then resize the tiny footprint window to be significantly smaller and still display meaningful data.
(This is an update to an article originally published June 20, 2004.)
Article C2076 - May 28, 2011 « »
Leo A. Notenboom has been playing with computers since he
was required to take a programming class in 1976. An 18 year career as a programmer at Microsoft soon followed.
After "retiring" in 2001, Leo started Ask Leo! in 2003 as a place for answers
to common computer and technical questions. More about Leo.
June 25, 2012 8:51 AM
I had an issue with a Trojan that disabled my task manager, managed to find a solution using Google. This happened after that. Such a simple solution.. Not even something thats required.. Thanks for the simple solution.
December 27, 2012 1:14 AM
The power of double clicking.
I feel so stupid. haha.
thank you for this!
January 27, 2013 11:57 PM
thanks for your help .
February 21, 2013 5:55 AM
Thanks so much. I am forever amazed and eternally grateful that the internet is full of experts who solve problems for free. I did get into tiny footprint mode by accident as described, and I had never heard of it before. Task manager looks very odd that way.
March 14, 2013 4:22 AM
thanks you help me