In 1996, Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell created Sysinternals, a collection of advanced Windows utilities, because they found Windows’ built-in tools too limited. Fast-forward to 2026, Windows’ own tools still leave plenty to be desired, and Sysinternals remains a better option for users who need more information and control.

The only difference now is that Microsoft acquired Sysinternals in 2006, and you can download the tools for free from the Microsoft Learn Sysinternals hub. Of course, Microsoft sticks with its standard Windows tools. It can’t just replace Task Manager, Resource Monitor, or the other familiar tools with their Sysinternals counterparts. But I can, which is exactly what I did.

Process Explorer replaces Task Manager with a deeper look

See parent-child process trees, open file handles, and the services behind svchost.exe

Windows Task Manager is fine for checking CPU and memory usage, closing a frozen app, or seeing which programs launch at startup. When something goes wrong, though, its information can feel shallow. Which process spawned the suspicious application? What’s holding a file hostage? Which service is hiding behind a generic process name?

Process Explorer gives you a detailed parent-child process tree, so I can see which process launched another and follow the chain instead of staring at a flat list. It also helps me identify which process has a particular file or folder open, which is helpful when Windows refuses to let me delete or move something.

The tool separates Windows services hosted by svchost.exe into distinct rows and provides service descriptions. I can inspect loaded DLLs and open handles, dig into thread details and call stacks, and even check suspicious processes against VirusTotal.

To put the icing on the cake, there’s a Replace Task Manager option in the Options menu. When I select the option, any event meant to open Task Manager will open Process Explorer instead. Also, the Ctrl + Shift + Esc shortcut will open Process Explorer.

OS

Windows

Developer

Microsoft Sysinternals

Price model

Free

Autoruns shows what Task Manager’s Startup tab leaves out

Logon items, scheduled tasks, services, and drivers in one view

The Startup tab in Task Manager gives you a basic list of applications that launch when you sign in, along with an indication of how much they affect startup. That covers only part of the story, and Autoruns shows the rest.

It scans a wide range of autostart locations, including logon entries, scheduled tasks, services, drivers, shell extensions, browser helper objects, and more. Not every program that launches automatically appears in Task Manager’s Startup tab, and some unwanted software can tuck itself away in less obvious locations.

Autoruns lays these entries out in a detailed interface, with tabs to help you narrow the list. You can inspect an entry, check where it comes from, and disable it by unchecking it. There’s also an option to hide Microsoft entries, which can make it easier to focus on third-party software.

That said, I don’t disable startup entries just because I don’t recognize the name. Some of them are important drivers or system components. Autoruns may give me a more complete view, but I still need to understand what I’m changing.

OS

Windows

Developer

Microsoft (Sysinternals)

Price model

Free

Process Monitor goes where Resource Monitor can’t

Trace the failed file reads and Registry lookups behind a misbehaving app

Resource Monitor is like the smarter sibling of Task Manager. While Task Manager gives you an overview of what’s running and how much system power it’s using, Resource Monitor answers the “why” and the “how” behind those numbers. But even with all those answers, it can’t tell me what’s happening at the file system or Registry level when an application starts acting up.

You know what does? Yep, you’re right: Process Monitor. It combines file system, Registry, and process/thread activity into a real-time stream. I can see what an application is accessing, which operations succeed or fail, and what happens around the moment something goes wrong. Its filtering tools help me narrow a noisy stream down to a particular process, path, or operation.

For example, if an app fails to launch, I can filter for its process and look for a failed attempt to read a configuration file or an ACCESS DENIED result. I can also inspect the event’s properties and thread stack for more context. That makes it easier to identify whether an app is looking in the wrong location, running into a permissions issue, or failing while trying to access a resource.

OS

Windows

Developer

Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell

Pricing model

Free

TCPView makes netstat easier to read

See every connection and the process behind it, updating live

Nothing screams “advanced” quite like opening Windows Terminal and typing a command. netstatis a command-line utility for viewing network connections, listening ports, routing information, and interface statistics. However, Sysinternals isn’t just about making tools more advanced. It’s also about making the information easier to understand and more useful.

TCPView gives me a live, GUI-based view of TCP and UDP endpoints, including local and remote addresses, connection states, and the process that owns each endpoint. It refreshes automatically, and new or changed connections are highlighted, so I can spot activity as it happens.

That means I don’t have to run netstat, look up a process ID, and then jump into Task Manager to identify the application. TCPView shows the process name right alongside the connection. I can also close established TCP connections from the interface, which is handy when I need to stop a connection quickly. I still use netstatwhen I need its command-line options or network statistics, but TCPView is the more convenient choice for monitoring connections interactively.

Windows best tools aren’t always built into Windows

Windows’ built-in utilities are designed to be accessible to everyone, and that’s not a bad thing. Task Manager, Resource Monitor, and the other standard tools are useful for everyday troubleshooting.

But when I need more detail, Sysinternals is hard to beat. The best part is that these tools are free, and they’re maintained under Microsoft’s own umbrella. You don’t need to install a third-party suite or pay for an advanced troubleshooting toolkit. Microsoft may not have replaced its built-in tools with Sysinternals, but I’ve found that I don’t have to wait for it to.