A clone of the classic Windows 3.x Task Manager utility. This is part of the osFree Win16 Personality project — an open-source implementation of the 16-bit Windows environment.

This application is a functional clone of the Task Manager from Windows 3.x, heavily based on the book "Undocumented Windows: A Programmer's Guide to Reserved Microsoft Windows API Functions" by Andrew Schulman, David Maxey and Matt Pietrek. It displays a list of currently running applications and allows the user to manage them — switch between windows, end tasks, and arrange windows on the desktop.

It is a component of the osFree Janus project, which aims to create an open-source clone of Windows 3.0.

• Running Tasks List: Displays all currently running applications in a clear, scrollable list.
• Task Switching: Quickly switch to any running application by double-clicking its name in the list or by selecting it and pressing the Switch To button.
• End Task: Terminate a non-responsive or unwanted application by selecting it and pressing the End Task button.
• Window Management: Organize open windows on the desktop:
  • Cascade: Arranges windows in an overlapping pattern starting from the top-left corner.
  • Tile: Arranges windows side-by-side to fill the screen. Holding the Shift key while clicking the Tile button will tile windows horizontally.
• Desktop Icon Arrangement: Reorganizes desktop icons neatly with the Arrange Icons button.
• Quick Access: The Task Manager can be invoked at any time by pressing the Ctrl+Esc keyboard shortcut or by double-clicking on an empty area of the desktop.
• Localization: Supports English. Contributions for additional languages are welcome.

We welcome your contributions! Please keep the following in mind:

• Bug reports: Create issues in the Issues section.
• Pull requests: Send your improvements and fixes.
• Documentation and localization: Help translating the interface into other languages is highly valuable.

Distributed under the osFree License (BSD 3-Clause).
See LICENSE for the full text.

This license is essentially the standard BSD 3-Clause license, with the name "osFree" substituted in the non-endorsement clause. It permits free use, modification, and distribution, including for commercial purposes, provided the copyright notice is retained.

• osFree Win16 Personality (WIN16) — the main project to create an open-source clone of Windows 3.x
• osFree Project — the parent project for an open-source OS/2 clone
• Winver — a clone of the Windows "About" dialog
• Notepad — a clone of Notepad

• Copyright (C) 2023 Yuri Prokushev and the osFree team

Last updated: May 18, 2026