Users have expressed a range of experiences with Windows 11, version 24H2, from smooth performance to unexpected glitches in Office applications. While many users enjoy a seamless experience, others have encountered issues, particularly with the recent KB5044384 optional update. This update has been reported to misrepresent the number of active applications on users’ systems.
Windows 11 24H2 might fool you about the number of active apps
The KB5044384 update, released in October 2024, has introduced a bug that affects the Task Manager’s ability to accurately report the number of running applications. Instead of displaying the actual count, the Task Manager shows “0” for Apps, Background Processes, and Windows Processes. This discrepancy may not be particularly alarming for users with few active applications but can become a source of frustration for those managing multiple tasks.
Interestingly, this misreporting occurs only when the “Group by Type” view is enabled in the Task Manager. Users who have this setting disabled will not notice the issue, as the count for each group is automatically hidden. This nuance could lead to confusion, especially for those who rely on the Task Manager for monitoring system performance.
Microsoft has acknowledged the problem on its official Learn website and has committed to delivering a fix in the near future. In the meantime, users experiencing this issue can uninstall the KB5044384 update to restore accurate reporting. To do so, they can navigate to the Settings app by pressing the Win key + I, then proceed to Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates. From there, locating the KB5044384 update and selecting the Uninstall option will resolve the inconvenience.
