How to disable the keyboard shortcut [Shift + Esc] to open browser task manager in Edge?

Question

How to disable the keyboard shortcut [Shift + Esc] to open browser task manager in Edge?

O V, Naveen 20

I have tried disabling the task manager shortcut in Edge using the below registry

Path (Mandatory): SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge
Path (Recommended): N/A
Value name: ConfigureKeyboardShortcuts
Value type: REG_SZ

{"disabled": ["task_manager"]}

But, even after the policy is seen updated with the value, I am able to press Shift+Esc and open browser task manager through edge.

Is there any additional settings to be done for this to happen?

Harry Vo (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 3,505 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-03T09:20:27.28+00:00

Hi @O V, Naveen , do you have any update on Tom's response?

2 answers

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Harry Vo (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 3,505 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-03T09:20:27.28+00:00

Hi @O V, Naveen , do you have any update on Tom's response?

Answer 1

Tom Tran (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 3,115 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @O V, Naveen ,

Thanks for your details!

I tested the same method as you and took a look at other posts with the same issue, what I found strange is that all the other shortcuts can be disabled but when it comes "task_manager", it does not work at all.

However, I managed to find a workaround for this. You could try to download the Microsoft PowerToys tool and use its Keyboard Manager feature.

Once you are done installing, Go to the search bar and type "Keyboard Manager": User's image

Go to Remap a shortcut and this should appear:

User's image

In here, you can map the Shift + Esc however you want. For my case, I make the shortcut add a text that says "Test" instead and remember to restart Edge again for it to work.

Currently, this is a workaround I find work best, so I hope this helps!

Please let me know how it goes!

O V, Naveen 20 Reputation points

2025-11-18T10:23:10.8133333+00:00

Hello Tom,

Thanks for the quick response.

In our case, we have some restrictions to install MS PowerToys additionally. So, the same we will not be able to try out.

I am more interested, if this can be done without the help of PowerToys.

Also, I was thinking about adding below registry.

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System" /v DisableTaskMgr /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

But I am afraid that this would impact the system's overall task manager behavior.

What do you think about this?
Tom Tran (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 3,115 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-18T10:40:31.6733333+00:00

Hi @O V, Naveen ,

From my understanding, the registry that you just provided only disables the Windows Task Manager and not Microsoft Edge. In other words, it prevents access to the OS Task Manager, not the Edge Browser Task Manager. You can turn it on or off if you wish but I do not recommend it.

As for the PowerToys tools, Do you have permission to install other apps?

As for this issue, I recommend you send a feedback here: https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/. So Product Group can find and work on this issue.

If you have any other question, I'll be happy to answer it!
Tom Tran (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 3,115 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-24T02:46:20.5366667+00:00

Hi @O V, Naveen ,

I'm just checking in to see if you have resolved your issue yet - If you have any questions, I'll be happy to help!
O V, Naveen 20 Reputation points

2025-11-24T04:07:33.5666667+00:00

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the information.

Hope Microsoft will resolve this issue ('task_manager' disable not working in ConfigureKeyboardShortcuts registry) in the future.

Meanwhile, we have resolved the issue in our side by building an application which captures the Shift + Esc key sequence and we process it accordingly not leaving it to MS Edge.

Regards,

Naveen
Tom Tran (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 3,115 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-24T04:39:13.0633333+00:00

Hi @O V, Naveen ,

Thank you so much for your update on this matter!

I'm glad you managed to resolve your issue! I have also escalated this issue to the Product Team to take a look at this issue.

Like I said, you can submit your suggestion through this link: https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/. So the Product Team can push a fix to this issue as soon as possible.

I would greatly appreciate to know if my assistance was helpful to you. Thank you!

Answer 2

To disable the keyboard shortcut [Shift + Esc] for opening the browser task manager in Microsoft Edge, you can use the ConfigureKeyboardShortcuts policy. However, it's important to note that WebView2 currently blocks the Shift+Esc shortcut for opening the task manager, which means that even if you configure the policy, the shortcut may still function due to this restriction.

If you have already set the policy in the registry and it is not taking effect, ensure that you are applying the policy correctly and that there are no conflicting settings. Additionally, you might want to check if the policy is being applied correctly by visiting edge://policy in Edge to see all policies that are applied.

If the shortcut still works after confirming the policy is set, it could be due to the inherent behavior of WebView2, which may not allow this specific shortcut to be disabled.

References:

O V, Naveen 20 Reputation points

2025-11-18T08:25:25.5866667+00:00

We have ensured that policy is applied effectively by checking "edge://policy".

Still the keyboard short cut is not disabled for task manager.

If webview2 is restricting this behavior, do we have a workaround?

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How to disable the keyboard shortcut [Shift + Esc] to open browser task manager in Edge?

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