FIX: Can’t set priority in Task Manager on Windows 10/11

Milan Stanojevic
by Milan Stanojevic
Windows & Software Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about PCs ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Read more
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Affiliate Disclosure
  • In some instances, it might be necessary that you change the priority of a certain process in Task Manager.
  • Unfortunately, many users reported that they can’t set priority in Task Manager, but there’s a way to fix that.
  • Want to learn more about Task Manager? This dedicated Task Manager article is a great place to start.
  • Looking for more helpful guides like this one? You can find them in our Fix Hub.
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Sometimes you might need to change the priority of a certain process in Task Manager. However, users reported that they can’t set the priority in Task Manager on Windows 10.

This can be a problem, and in this article, we’re going to show you how to fix this issue once and for all.

What do I do if I can’t set priority in Task Manager on Windows 10?

1. Go to Safe Mode

  1. Open the Start Menu, click the Power button, press and hold the Shift key and select Restart.
    restart PC can't set priority in task manager windows 10
  2. Now go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings and click on Restart.
  3. One the PC restarts, press F4 or F5 to enter Safe Mode.
  4. After entering the Safe Mode, check if the problem is still there.

If there’s no problem in Safe Mode, it’s rather likely that your settings or installed applications are causing this issue, so you might want to try disabling certain applications and check if that helps.

2. Show processes from all users

  1. Make sure that you’re using an administrator account.
  2. Open Task Manager.
  3. Now click on Show processes from all users.
  4. After doing that, try to change the priority and check if the problem is resolved.

3. Make sure that Administrators have full control

  1. Start Task Manager.
  2. Locate the process whose priority you want to change.
  3. Right-click the process and choose Properties.
    task manager properties can't set priority in task manager windows 10
  4. Go to the Security tab and click on Edit.
    edit security settings can't set priority in task manager windows 10
  5. Select Administrators and check the Full control option in the Allow Now click Apply and OK to save changes.
    full control permission can't set priority in task manager windows 10

You can also give Full control to the Users group, but that comes with some minor security risks.

4. Disable User Account Control

  1. Press Windows Key + S and enter user control. Select Change User Account Control settings.
    change user account control settings can't set priority in task manager windows 10
  2. Now move the slider all the way down to Never notify. Click OK to save changes.
    never notify user change user account control settings

After doing that, User Account Control will be disabled, and you should be able to change the priority of your processes.

If you can’t set priority in Task Manager, it’s rather likely that your settings are causing the problem, but you should be able to fix the problem after using our solutions.


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