Windows 11 KB5067036 issue: Task Manager won’t close and duplicates, may hurt performance
October 30, 2025
Windows 11 KB5067036 has introduced an unusual bug that users may find perplexing: the Task Manager duplicates itself every time it is closed. While Microsoft has yet to officially acknowledge this issue, our analysis indicates that approximately 30% of the 100 virtual machines tested have encountered this peculiar glitch. For those who frequently access Task Manager throughout the day, caution is advised, as this bug could potentially impact your PC’s performance.
Released on October 28, KB5067036 (Build 26200.7019 or 26100.7019) is an optional update that brings a refreshed Start menu, vibrant new battery icons for the taskbar, and an enhanced Recommended feed in File Explorer, among other features. Beyond these aesthetic enhancements, the update also addresses some functional aspects of the operating system.
Feature-rich Start menu setup in Windows 11 after the new Start menu update
One significant improvement is that Windows can now successfully shut down when using the Update & Shut Down option in the Start menu’s power settings. Additionally, Microsoft claims to have resolved an issue with Task Manager where applications were not properly grouped with their respective processes, leading to confusing performance metrics.
However, for those affected, the experience may be less than ideal. Our observations reveal that Build 26200.7019 or 26100.7019 disrupts the functionality of the Task Manager’s close button on certain machines. When attempting to close the Task Manager using the ‘X’ button, it may continue to run in the background, resulting in multiple instances being created each time it is reopened.
To verify if you are experiencing this ghost instance bug, simply press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, click the ‘X’ to close it, and then reopen it to check the Processes tab. If you notice an increase in the number of “Task Manager” entries each time you repeat this action, you are likely affected.
How severe can this issue become? In a test, I opened and closed Task Manager approximately 100 times, resulting in 100 instances, each consuming about 20–25 MB of RAM. This totals around 2 GB, which could pose a significant performance challenge for users with lower-end hardware. However, with 32GB of RAM at my disposal, the impact remains minimal. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that most users will need to open Task Manager that frequently unless they are troubleshooting performance issues.
What to do if the ‘X’ button does not close Task Manager?
Our tests have confirmed that the ghost instances issue in Windows 11 KB5067036 does not affect all users. If you find yourself impacted, it is advisable to refrain from using the ‘X’ button to close Task Manager. Instead, utilize the End task option to ensure it closes properly.
You will need to manually close each Task Manager process by selecting End task for each instance. Alternatively, for a more efficient solution, you can execute the command taskkill /im taskmgr.exe /f in Command Prompt to terminate all Task Manager processes simultaneously.
October 2025 has been a disaster month for Windows 11
The recent updates for Windows have been riddled with challenges. Following the October 2025 Patch Tuesday update on October 14, users discovered that connecting to LocalHost was no longer possible. This disruption meant that any application or website attempting to connect to 127.0.0.1 would encounter an “ERRCONNECTIONRESET” error.
In response, Microsoft released a server-side update to revert the faulty configuration that had disabled all LocalHost connections, which were dependent on Internet Information System (IIS). Unfortunately, this fix did not resolve the situation entirely, as it also inadvertently affected the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), rendering it unusable due to keyboard and mouse malfunctions.
Microsoft was compelled to issue an out-of-band update to rectify the issues with WinRE. As the month progressed, it appeared that Microsoft was finally addressing the myriad of problems. However, the emergence of the Task Manager ghost instance issue has raised concerns about the stability of Windows 11 updates. The cycle of fixing one problem only to create another seems to persist, leaving users to wonder about the reliability of future updates. Have you experienced any issues following the recent Windows update? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Windows 11 KB5067036 issue: Task Manager won’t close and duplicates, may hurt performance
Windows 11 KB5067036 has introduced an unusual bug that users may find perplexing: the Task Manager duplicates itself every time it is closed. While Microsoft has yet to officially acknowledge this issue, our analysis indicates that approximately 30% of the 100 virtual machines tested have encountered this peculiar glitch. For those who frequently access Task Manager throughout the day, caution is advised, as this bug could potentially impact your PC’s performance.
Released on October 28, KB5067036 (Build 26200.7019 or 26100.7019) is an optional update that brings a refreshed Start menu, vibrant new battery icons for the taskbar, and an enhanced Recommended feed in File Explorer, among other features. Beyond these aesthetic enhancements, the update also addresses some functional aspects of the operating system.
One significant improvement is that Windows can now successfully shut down when using the Update & Shut Down option in the Start menu’s power settings. Additionally, Microsoft claims to have resolved an issue with Task Manager where applications were not properly grouped with their respective processes, leading to confusing performance metrics.
However, for those affected, the experience may be less than ideal. Our observations reveal that Build 26200.7019 or 26100.7019 disrupts the functionality of the Task Manager’s close button on certain machines. When attempting to close the Task Manager using the ‘X’ button, it may continue to run in the background, resulting in multiple instances being created each time it is reopened.
To verify if you are experiencing this ghost instance bug, simply press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, click the ‘X’ to close it, and then reopen it to check the Processes tab. If you notice an increase in the number of “Task Manager” entries each time you repeat this action, you are likely affected.
How severe can this issue become? In a test, I opened and closed Task Manager approximately 100 times, resulting in 100 instances, each consuming about 20–25 MB of RAM. This totals around 2 GB, which could pose a significant performance challenge for users with lower-end hardware. However, with 32GB of RAM at my disposal, the impact remains minimal. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that most users will need to open Task Manager that frequently unless they are troubleshooting performance issues.
What to do if the ‘X’ button does not close Task Manager?
Our tests have confirmed that the ghost instances issue in Windows 11 KB5067036 does not affect all users. If you find yourself impacted, it is advisable to refrain from using the ‘X’ button to close Task Manager. Instead, utilize the End task option to ensure it closes properly.
You will need to manually close each Task Manager process by selecting End task for each instance. Alternatively, for a more efficient solution, you can execute the command taskkill /im taskmgr.exe /f in Command Prompt to terminate all Task Manager processes simultaneously.
October 2025 has been a disaster month for Windows 11
The recent updates for Windows have been riddled with challenges. Following the October 2025 Patch Tuesday update on October 14, users discovered that connecting to LocalHost was no longer possible. This disruption meant that any application or website attempting to connect to 127.0.0.1 would encounter an “ERRCONNECTIONRESET” error.
In response, Microsoft released a server-side update to revert the faulty configuration that had disabled all LocalHost connections, which were dependent on Internet Information System (IIS). Unfortunately, this fix did not resolve the situation entirely, as it also inadvertently affected the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), rendering it unusable due to keyboard and mouse malfunctions.
Microsoft was compelled to issue an out-of-band update to rectify the issues with WinRE. As the month progressed, it appeared that Microsoft was finally addressing the myriad of problems. However, the emergence of the Task Manager ghost instance issue has raised concerns about the stability of Windows 11 updates. The cycle of fixing one problem only to create another seems to persist, leaving users to wonder about the reliability of future updates. Have you experienced any issues following the recent Windows update? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.