Better Task Manager

Better Task Manager is a Windows desktop tool for admins who want a more practical view of processes, memory, firewall state, and live network connections.

The v1.0 app is written in C#/.NET WinForms and runs as administrator so it can query protected processes and create Windows Firewall rules.

Current Features

• App-based overview with grouped processes.
• Process view with PID, user, CPU, memory, threads, and executable path.
• Network view showing application, PID, user, protocol, local endpoint, remote endpoint, state, and executable path.
• Per-app Windows Firewall block/unblock actions.
• Firewall status in the app list and selected-app summary.
• Memory cleanup tools:
  • Trim app working sets.
  • Clear standby cache.
  • Release system cache.
• Dark UI with native dark title bar and dark-mode request for native controls.
• Local connection snapshot retention capped to 30 days.

Important Limits in v1.0

This is not yet a Portmaster replacement.

• Per-app upload/download bandwidth is not implemented yet.
• Current bandwidth display is adapter-level, not per-process.
• Network collection currently uses Windows connection data and process mapping, not a dedicated WFP/ETW service.
• True Portmaster-style traffic attribution, live rule engine, DNS visibility, and long-running background collection require a Windows service and WFP/ETW collector.

Requirements

• Windows 10/11.
• .NET 11 Windows Desktop Runtime or .NET 11 SDK.
• Administrator rights for firewall and memory maintenance actions.

This project currently targets:

net11.0-windows

Build

From the repository root:

dotnet build .\BetterTaskManager.slnx -c Release

Publish

.\scripts\publish-v1.ps1

The published app will be placed in:

artifacts\BetterTaskManager-v1.0

Run:

artifacts\BetterTaskManager-v1.0\BetterTaskManager.exe

Download

The v1.0 Windows x64 zip is also checked into this repository:

release-assets\BetterTaskManager-v1.0-win-x64.zip

Safety Notes

This app can force-kill processes, trim memory, clear standby cache, and add/remove Windows Firewall rules. Use those actions carefully.

Windows uses free RAM as cache on purpose. Memory cleanup tools are intended for troubleshooting, not routine maintenance.

Roadmap

The next major step is replacing the current live network snapshot approach with a background collector:

• Windows service running with admin privileges.
• ETW/WFP traffic capture.
• Per-process upload/download counters.
• Per-app history with one-month retention.
• Richer Portmaster-style app detail view.
• Rule list showing exactly why an app is allowed or blocked.