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Windows command reference

Task Manager — Analyze wait chain

Display whether a running process is waiting on another process or resource, which can help explain a Not responding state without modifying Windows configuration.

Risk: LowReviewed: 2026-09-17
Task Manager > Details > right-click process > Analyze wait chain

When to use it

Use while the affected process is still hung and Windows remains responsive enough to open Task Manager.

When not to use it

Do not automatically end every process shown in a wait chain. A dependency can be legitimate, shared by other software or critical to Windows.

Primary reference

Reviewed source