Discover the Colorful CLI App for Windows That’s Superior to Task Manager

For anyone who has navigated the myriad open programs and processes on a Windows system, the Task Manager is a familiar and often relied upon tool. This essential utility serves various purposes, from checking system specifications and resource usage to terminating unresponsive applications.

While Task Manager is beneficial for monitoring memory usage and assessing system health, there exists a more powerful alternative: a command-line based application known as htop.

Introduction to htop

An Engaging Terminal Tool

Htop running on a windows laptop. — Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOf

htop, initially developed for Linux in 2004, is an interactive process viewer designed to facilitate real-time monitoring and management of system activities. Unlike most command-line tools that present a bland, text-based interface, htop opts for a vibrant, color-coded display that enhances the understanding of system performance.

The htop interface is thoughtfully organized into three main sections. At the top, users can find colorful progress bars representing CPU core activity, along with memory and swap usage statistics. The central section lists all active processes, while the bottom area displays helpful function key shortcuts for quick access to various features.

Advantages of htop over Task Manager

Enhanced Data with Minimal Clicking

While Windows’ Task Manager provides adequate functionality for the average user trying to monitor PC performance, htop’s features make it a preferred choice among power users and those requiring more in-depth system control.

Htop showing CPU core usage. — Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOf

One of the most impactful advantages of htop is its comprehensive color-coding system, which provides immediate insights into system resource usage. For instance, green indicates user processes that consume CPU resources, blue denotes low-priority threads, red signifies kernel-level tasks, and orange represents time spent on interrupts.

Memory usage is also intuitively displayed, with green representing active memory pages, blue indicating buffer pages, and orange illustrating cached data. This clear visualization allows users to quickly diagnose issues without sifting through myriad menu options.

htop offers an impressive interface, providing full mouse support, allowing users to click on processes, scroll seamlessly, and interact with function buttons — all while retaining the simplicity of a command-line tool.

In addition, htop addresses common shortcomings of command-line interfaces by enabling both horizontal and vertical scrolling. This feature is particularly useful when analyzing lengthy command names or process parameters, ensuring that essential details are never obscured.

When it comes to process management, htop stands out notably. Users can easily terminate a malfunctioning process by selecting it and pressing F9. For those needing to adjust process priorities, htop allows quick changes using function keys F7 and F8. This process management is akin to accessing a specialized menu for everything currently active on your PC.

Htop tree view showing different processes. — Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOf

Moreover, users can visualize processes in a hierarchical tree structure (activated with F5), which proficiently illustrates parent-child relationships among active processes. This capability is a marked improvement over Task Manager’s standard views.

Implementing htop on Windows

htop is Accessible on Windows

Though initially crafted for Linux, Windows users can also enjoy htop’s benefits. A variety of ports and alternatives can replicate htop’s functionality on Windows. For those seeking the original htop experience, it can be executed natively on Windows via the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

For those looking for a port, btop4win is highly recommended. This open-source program enhances the original htop experience with modern features and works seamlessly on Windows 10 version 1607 and later, particularly within the Windows Terminal. Installation is straightforward using Winget with the following command:

winget install aristocratos.btop4win

Btop4win running on a Windows laptop. — Screenshot by Yadullah Abidi | No Attribution Required.

If you choose to use the original htop version, begin by installing WSL with a simple command:

wsl --install

This command sets up Ubuntu as your default WSL distro. After installation, proceed to install htop using:

sudo apt install libncursesw5-dev autotools-dev autoconf automake build-essential apt install htop

Once completed, you can access either btop4win or htop by entering their names in the respective Windows Terminal or Ubuntu terminal environments. While btop4win’s visually appealing interface may be more approachable for users new to command-line tools, htop remains user-friendly with some familiarization.

Both tools feature intuitive controls, with htop offering a helpful function key guide at the interface’s bottom for rapid navigation. Additionally, pressing H while in the tool brings up a detailed help menu listing all available shortcuts.

Maximizing htop Usage for Enhanced Control

Immediate Sorting, Filtering, and Termination

The question arises: is htop genuinely superior to Task Manager? The answer is contingent upon the user’s requirements. For standard users needing only to occasionally close a non-responsive application, Task Manager serves its purpose well. However, for developers, system administrators, or power users seeking intricate details regarding system performance and streamlined workflows, htop and its Windows adaptations indeed offer significant advantages.

With its combination of visually engaging graphics, mouse interactions, extensive information displays, and robust process management, htop transcends traditional Task Manager functionality. Once you try it, you may find using Task Manager feels surprisingly limited.

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