Windows 11 is an incredibly complex and deeply layered operating system, and the monitoring utilities included with the OS, like Task Manager, don't always tell you what you need to know.
For beginner PC users, the built-in Windows 11 monitoring utilities might show too much info, which can be overwhelming and confusing. For more advanced users, they might show too little info or info too late to matter.
AppControl is what Windows Task Manager should have been all along
The setup process for AppControl is just as easy as advertised. I downloaded the small file (about 14MB), installed it in seconds, and watched it immediately begin keeping track of my PC.
An immediate difference compared to Windows 11's built-in Task Manager and Resource Monitor is that AppControl doesn't just deliver statistics on what's happening in the moment. Instead, it keeps track, down to the second, of hardware usage and temperatures, as well as what the apps on your PC are silently doing in the background.
This data is tracked and held on your PC for three days, giving you plenty of time to go back and analyze your system. Noticed your fan speeds were spiking in the afternoon while streaming YouTube videos? It's easy to go and see exactly why that happened whenever it's convenient for you.
In my case, working on our massive best Windows laptop roundup in the Windows Central CMS puts a lot of strain on my system's memory. The act of opening this article's back end on my PC is clearly displayed in both the CPU and Memory charts in AppControl.
Jon Hundley, co-founder and CEO of AppControl, says that the utility was born out of frustration with the built-in Windows monitoring tools.
There was no way to see what had just happened. When I searched for a historical version of Task Manager, all I found were memes from other people who were clearly dealing with the same problem. AppControl exists to make that visibility and control accessible, understandable, and enjoyable to use.
Jon Hundley, co-founder/CEO AppControl
Beyond the hardware timelines, AppControl also clearly shows which apps are running on your PC, whether they're signed or unsigned, and many include a brief description of what they should be doing.
What I most appreciate, however, is the privacy monitoring. By default, AppControl will notify you when your PC's camera is accessed, whenever an unsigned app launches, and when service changes are requested.
You can also configure the app to notify you when your mic turns on, when location tracking is triggered, when apps are updated, when new apps just downloaded are launched, and when suspicious apps suddenly appear.
AppControl isn't trying to make your PC the product with needless spying
There's been a lot of talk lately about how much data Microsoft is collecting when you use your PC. Adding one more app that sends data back to a company is something that many users cannot stomach.
Thankfully, AppControl is said to collect "little to no data by default" and only adds features that require deeper monitoring with "explicit user consent." As mentioned, the app doesn't require any registration to start using and is completely free.
The app is built using the open-source Flutter framework, and its proprietary system driver mixed with a "high-performance service" allows it to hit such a deep combination of hardware telemetry and app behavior monitoring.
I have to applaud the team at AppControl — the app's UI is super clean and easy to read despite there being so much info to parse. The main Activity window has a scrollable timeline that shows exactly which apps are eating up the most resources for each piece of major hardware.
There are light and dark themes available, you can change temperature readouts to Celsius or Fahrenheit, and there's an efficient mode that uses fewer system resources to display charts.
AppControl is replacing Task Manager on all of my PCs
AppControl's primary strength is its ability to decipher your PC's operations into information that anyone can decipher. It's parsed at a level that won't scare off beginners, and there are deeper levels to check out for more advanced users.
It's a relatively simple idea that's been executed at a high level, and it's hard to believe that Windows doesn't already have something like AppControl by default. It's only been a few days since I installed AppControl on my laptop, but it's now making its way onto my gaming PC and a couple of other systems I have in my office.
I downloaded it directly from the AppControl website, but you can also find it at Softpedia.
Is Task Manager good enough for your needs? Or does something like AppControl make more sense on your PC? Let me know in the comments section!
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
