Windows releases have become pretty stable in recent years. The Windows 11 upgrade process is safe and simple, and if something goes wrong, rolling back to a previous version is easy. It's uncommon for you to run into any serious trouble with Windows 11. But if you do, Microsoft has built plenty of troubleshooting tools right into Windows. From Task Manager to Command Prompt, there are several ways to diagnose and fix problems without much hassle.

5 Event Viewer

Event Viewer is where all logs come together

Since we're talking about troubleshooting Windows problems, not mentioning Event Viewer would be a sin. The tool logs everything that happens in Windows. Normally, logs from different processes are scattered across the disk in various files, some in plain text and others in unreadable binary. Still, Event Viewer brings them all together in one place.

Events are categorized by severity, starting with Audit Failures and Successes, which track things like anti-malware scans, update installations, warnings, errors, and critical events.

This makes Event Viewer especially useful when trying to fix issues. If your computer is blue-screening or randomly restarting, it can give you more details about what went wrong. If you see an error event in the System log section, it may tell you which hardware driver crashed. Look for the error message that matches when your computer froze or restarted. You can also look up specific event IDs online for more details about an error.

4 Task Manager

Take a quick look at what’s running on your computer

The Task Manager can do a lot more than you think. It is one of Windows's most well-known and widely used troubleshooting tools. It gives you a quick look at what’s running on your computer, including both apps and background processes.

It shows important stats like CPU, memory, disk, and network usage, which can help when your system feels slow or unresponsive. If something is hogging resources, Task Manager makes it easy to spot the culprit.

You can also enable extra columns like GPU, GPU Time, CPU Time, and Power Throttling to get even more details. For example, the GPU column tells you how much of your graphics card each process is using, which is useful if you're running games or video editing software. Task Manager also lets you force-close apps or processes that are causing issues, which can be a lifesaver if your system freezes or a program stops responding.

3 Resource Monitor

See how apps and processes interact with hardware

While Task Manager gives you graphs and details on running processes and services, Resource Monitor takes things up a notch by showing real-time data on everything from memory usage to network activity. It breaks down key system resources like CPU, memory, disk, and network usage, giving you a more detailed look at how apps and processes are interacting with your hardware.

This extra level of detail is especially useful when your system is running slowly or acting strangely. If your computer is lagging, Resource Monitor can help you figure out which processes are using too much CPU or memory. Unlike Task Manager, it also shows more in-depth stats, like disk activity per process and which programs are sending or receiving network data.

You can track live data, check historical trends, and filter information by specific processes or resource types. This not only helps in diagnosing problems but also in confirming whether your fixes or optimizations are making a difference.

2 Command Prompt

Access Windows' command-line interface

Command Prompt gives you direct access to Windows' command-line interface. This powerful tool lets you run a variety of commands that can help diagnose and fix system issues quickly. For example, you can use commands like “sfc /scannow” to check for and repair corrupted system files, or “chkdsk” to scan and fix disk errors. Command Prompt is also handy for automating routine tasks through batch files or executing a sequence of commands to troubleshoot problems like network or disk issues.

What makes Command Prompt so useful is that it lets you interact directly with the core functions of your operating system, often revealing issues that aren't visible through the usual graphical tools.

1 PowerShell

It’s a step up from Command Prompt

PowerShell is sort of similar to Command Prompt in that it uses a command-line interface, but it's actually a lot more capable. This modern command-line tool takes what Command Prompt does and adds more power, offering advanced scripting and automation features. You can use PowerShell to manage system settings, run complex commands, and automate tasks that would otherwise take up a lot of time if done manually.

What sets PowerShell apart is its rich scripting language. It lets you write and execute scripts to troubleshoot problems, manage updates, and configure system settings on a single computer or across multiple machines. It also gives you access to detailed system information and logs, helping you pinpoint the root causes of issues that might be harder to spot with traditional tools.

PowerShell is definitely worth learning, but even if you’re new to it, you can still do some amazing things. A quick search on GitHub will show you thousands of open-source PowerShell scripts that can help you tackle everything from everyday tasks to more advanced ones, whether you're working on a local machine or managing a whole network of remote PCs, including those using Microsoft Entra ID.

Fix Windows issues easily

The built-in tools make it easy to troubleshoot Windows problems. If you’re looking for more details, check out these 6 Task Manager columns that can help you troubleshoot issues. You can also dive into troubleshooting using PowerShell or Command Prompt for more advanced solutions.