How to Check RAM, GPU, and CPU Usage in Windows 11

Keeping track of your system resources can be important, especially when things are going wrong or your computer is running slow. If you're using Windows, there are tools built into the operating system that allow you to quickly look up how much RAM , CPU , and GPU are being used by a particular process.

How to Check Windows 11 System Resource Usage Using Task Manager

Task Manager is one of Windows 11 's main system resource monitoring utilities . This tool is the easiest way to see which programs and processes are running and how much resources each one is taking up.

Here's how you can check your PC's system resource usage using Task Manager.

1. Press CTRL + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager .

2. Click the Performance tab . This tab displays your system's RAM, CPU, GPU, and disk usage, along with network information.

3. To see your RAM usage, select the Memory section . This section will tell you how much memory your system is currently using, how much memory you have, and its specifications, among other things.

How to Check RAM, GPU, and CPU Usage in Windows 11
Memory section in Performance tab

4. You can check your computer's processor usage by clicking on the CPU section . The processor box shows you the CPU usage percentage change, current clock speed, base clock speed, system uptime, etc.

5. Click on the GPU section to see how much GPU memory is being used. You can choose which one you want to see if your PC has two GPUs (like a laptop with an integrated GPU and a dedicated GPU).

Task Manager also has a neat summary view that only shows the system resource usage boxes. To switch to that view, right-click on Task Manager and select Summary View . The Task Manager window will then minimize as shown below.

How to Check RAM, GPU, and CPU Usage in Windows 11
Task Manager window

To see which programs are consuming the most resources, click the Processes tab . This tab shows all running applications and background processes, their memory, CPU, disk, network, and GPU usage. You can also free up system resources by selecting unnecessary third-party background programs (or processes and services) that you don't need and clicking the End task button .

How to Check RAM, GPU, and CPU Usage in Windows 11
Processes Tab

How to Check Windows 11 System Resource Usage Using Resource Monitor

Resource Monitor is a slightly more detailed monitoring utility than Task Manager in Windows 11. It first appeared in Windows Vista and has been part of every subsequent Windows release since. In addition to CPU, network, disk, and memory usage, Resource Monitor also displays real-time metrics like response time, throughput, and uptime, among others.

Here's how you can check system resource consumption using Resource Monitor.

1. Open the Start menu by pressing the Windows key , typing Resource Monitor and pressing Enter.

2. Select the Memory tab to view its resource usage graph. That tab includes a physical memory graph that shows how much memory is currently in use, how much is available, and how much is idle, along with usage percentage details.

3. Click the CPU tab to see a graph of its processor usage percentage.

How to Check RAM, GPU, and CPU Usage in Windows 11
Processor usage percentage chart

4. Select the Network tab to view processes with network (Internet) activity.

5. Click Overview to see details about memory, CPU, network, and disk usage in one tab.

How to Check Windows 11 System Resource Usage Using Performance Monitor

Performance Monitor is the most advanced monitoring tool available in Windows 11. It is designed to help analyze system performance and resource usage, and provides system summaries, performance reports, and real-time performance charts.

Here's how you can view performance and system resource details using Performance Monitor on Windows 11:

1. Open the Start menu by pressing the Windows key , typing Performance Monitor and pressing Enter.

2. Select Performance on the left side of the window to view summary system resource usage data.

How to Check RAM, GPU, and CPU Usage in Windows 11
View summary system resource usage data

3. Click Performance Monitor to view real-time performance data. By default, the graph displays processor performance counters.

How to Check RAM, GPU, and CPU Usage in Windows 11
Processor performance counter

4. To add more counters to the chart, click the + Add button .

5. Then select a counter, such as Memory, in the window shown directly below. The committed bytes stream for the Memory counter highlights the average RAM usage over time.

How to Check RAM, GPU, and CPU Usage in Windows 11
Select counter

6. Click the Add button .

7. Click OK to view the performance data for your selected counter on the graph.

You can analyze this data better by creating data collectors. To do so, select Data Collector sets in Performance Monitor. Right-click User Defined and select New > Data Collector . You can then set up a new data collector using the wizard that opens.

Information from data collectors will be available with reports. You can view information from data collector groups that you have run by clicking Reports in Performance Manager. Then select User Defined to view your data reports.

Check system resources with third-party tools

If you don’t like the built-in tools in Windows, there are plenty of third-party tools you can use to monitor your system resources. You can try something simple and lightweight like OpenHardwareMonitor , a free and open-source tool that shows you at-a-glance CPU, GPU, memory, and disk usage. It also lets you monitor minimum and maximum temperatures and fan speeds for various PC components.

How to Check RAM, GPU, and CPU Usage in Windows 11
OpenHardwareMonitor Interface

Using this tool is also quite simple, all you have to do is go to the OpenHardwareMonitor website and download the tool. Once downloaded, just double-click the executable file to run it and you will see all the metrics you need.

Alternatives to OpenHardwareMonitor include HWiNFO , Libre Hardware Monitor , and MSI Afterburner , which can also be used for overclocking. That said, even though Windows has discontinued desktop widgets, you can use 8GadgetPack to add system resource monitoring widgets to your desktop. However, keep in mind that the program hasn't been updated in a while, so there's a chance it may not work as expected.

How to Check RAM, GPU, and CPU Usage in Windows 11
Utility selection window

Windows 11 will become slower and less responsive to your actions when system resource usage is high (especially RAM and CPU). Whenever you feel the need to speed up Windows , check your PC's resource usage using the tools and utilities above.

Once done, you can identify which programs or background processes are consuming the most resources and close them. And when they get close to that limit, you should notice an improvement in overall system performance.

Sign up and earn $1000 a day ⋙

Leave a Comment

How to remove Copilot and other AI features in Windows

How to remove Copilot and other AI features in Windows

If you don't care about having extra bloatware on your system, there are ways to remove or disable Windows Copilot on Windows 11.

10 Windows 11 settings to maximize laptop battery life

10 Windows 11 settings to maximize laptop battery life

Laptop batteries degrade over time and lose capacity, resulting in less battery life. But after tweaking some deeper Windows 11 settings, you should see a significant improvement in battery life.

Microsoft spams Copilot QR codes on Windows 11 lock screen to lure users

Microsoft spams Copilot QR codes on Windows 11 lock screen to lure users

The year 2023 saw Microsoft betting heavily on artificial intelligence and its partnership with OpenAI to make Copilot a reality.

Microsoft details Bluetooth LE Audio requirements and support for Windows 11, 10

Microsoft details Bluetooth LE Audio requirements and support for Windows 11, 10

Microsoft introduced Bluetooth LE (low energy) Audio support with Windows 11 22H2 KB5026446 (build 22621.1778), also known as Moment 3, in May 2023.

Compare Windows 10 and Windows 11

Compare Windows 10 and Windows 11

Windows 11 has officially launched, compared to Windows 10 Windows 11 also has many changes, from the interface to new features. Please follow the details in the article below.

What a Classic 90s-Style Windows 11 Interface Would Look Like

What a Classic 90s-Style Windows 11 Interface Would Look Like

There's always something incredibly cool about the nostalgic user interface of 90s versions of Windows.

Microsoft: TPM 2.0 in Windows 11 is mandatory and non-negotiable

Microsoft: TPM 2.0 in Windows 11 is mandatory and non-negotiable

More than three years ago, when Microsoft announced Windows 11, the operating system immediately caused a lot of controversy.

2 ways to create Windows 11 bootable USB using Mac

2 ways to create Windows 11 bootable USB using Mac

Creating a Windows 11 bootable USB on a Mac is definitely more difficult than on a Windows PC, but it's not impossible.

Should I update Windows 11 now?

Should I update Windows 11 now?

Windows 11 officially launched on October 5, 2021. Unlike previous major Windows 10 upgrades, Microsoft is not encouraging people to upgrade this time.

Super slimmed down Windows 11 version is just over 100MB in size

Super slimmed down Windows 11 version is just over 100MB in size

Developer NTDEV has created a stripped down version of Windows 11 that's just 100MB.

More Windows 11 PCs Will Soon Get AI Copilot+

More Windows 11 PCs Will Soon Get AI Copilot+

Microsoft debuted most of its more advanced AI features with the Snapdragon X-powered Copilot+ PC, leaving many Intel and AMD-powered Copilot+ PCs out of the picture.

Windows 11 Market Share Is Quickly Catching Up to Windows 10

Windows 11 Market Share Is Quickly Catching Up to Windows 10

The October 2024 report provides an overview of Windows 11's market share compared to other versions of Windows.

Windows 11 will make a much-needed change to the Start menu

Windows 11 will make a much-needed change to the Start menu

The latest change being tested solves one of the most annoying things with Windows 11's Start menu, and hopefully it will actually make it to release.

How to hide/unhide the Taskbar on Windows 11

How to hide/unhide the Taskbar on Windows 11

In Windows 11, the taskbar takes up only a small portion of the display space at the bottom of the screen.

How to Restore WordPad in Windows 11

How to Restore WordPad in Windows 11

Microsoft is killing off its free rich text editor WordPad at the end of 2023 in an effort to transition users to premium Office apps.

How to fix “Well Need Your Current Windows Password” error on Windows 10/11

How to fix “Well Need Your Current Windows Password” error on Windows 10/11

Are you getting the “We'll need your current Windows password one last time” error? This annoying pop-up can prevent you from getting things done.

Quickly fix Unmountable Boot Volume error on Windows 10/11

Quickly fix Unmountable Boot Volume error on Windows 10/11

The Unmountable Boot Volume error occurs due to some installed software conflicting with the operating system or due to the computer suddenly shutting down,... In the article below, WebTech360 will guide you through some ways to fix this error.

How to Fix Clipboard History Error in Windows 11 Latest Update

How to Fix Clipboard History Error in Windows 11 Latest Update

If you use Clipboard History to store data for later use, there is a small chance that the data will remain empty no matter what you try.

How to remove Copilot and other AI features in Windows

How to remove Copilot and other AI features in Windows

If you don't care about having extra bloatware on your system, there are ways to remove or disable Windows Copilot on Windows 11.

Why is the laptop battery percentage estimate never accurate?

Why is the laptop battery percentage estimate never accurate?

Most laptop users have encountered a situation where Windows shows 2 hours of battery life left, then five minutes later it jumps to 5 hours or even 1 hour. Why does this time jump around like that?

10 Windows 11 settings to maximize laptop battery life

10 Windows 11 settings to maximize laptop battery life

Laptop batteries degrade over time and lose capacity, resulting in less battery life. But after tweaking some deeper Windows 11 settings, you should see a significant improvement in battery life.

Microsoft: PCs running Windows 11 21H2/22H2 will be forced to update to 23H2 next month

Microsoft: PCs running Windows 11 21H2/22H2 will be forced to update to 23H2 next month

Windows 11 version 21H2 is one of the major original releases of Windows 11 that began rolling out globally on October 4, 2021.

Microsoft spams Copilot QR codes on Windows 11 lock screen to lure users

Microsoft spams Copilot QR codes on Windows 11 lock screen to lure users

The year 2023 saw Microsoft betting heavily on artificial intelligence and its partnership with OpenAI to make Copilot a reality.

How to Disable User Accounts on Windows 11

How to Disable User Accounts on Windows 11

You can disable User Accounts so that others can no longer access your computer.

Buying a Windows laptop is harder than ever

Buying a Windows laptop is harder than ever

Is the NPU different enough to delay purchase and wait for the PC Copilot+ to become mainstream?

How to turn on and off battery saving mode on Windows 11 laptop

How to turn on and off battery saving mode on Windows 11 laptop

Windows 11's Battery saver mode is a feature designed to extend laptop battery life.

Microsoft Launches New Sticky Notes App for Windows 11

Microsoft Launches New Sticky Notes App for Windows 11

After keeping things the same for years, the Sticky Note update in mid-2024 changed the game.

How to fix IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL error on Windows

How to fix IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL error on Windows

The IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL error is a memory-related error that typically occurs when a system process or driver attempts to access a memory address without proper access permissions.

6 Ways to Copy File and Folder Paths in Windows 11

6 Ways to Copy File and Folder Paths in Windows 11

Paths are the locations of files or folders in Windows 11. All paths include the folders you need to open to get to a specific location.

Compare Windows 10 and Windows 11

Compare Windows 10 and Windows 11

Windows 11 has officially launched, compared to Windows 10 Windows 11 also has many changes, from the interface to new features. Please follow the details in the article below.