>

Find a Running Process and Its PID with tasklist

Check if a program is running and get its process ID using tasklist with findstr or the /FI filter.

WindowsProcessessystemcmdLow risk
Run `tasklist | findstr /i chrome` to see every matching process and its PID, or use `tasklist /FI "IMAGENAME eq chrome.exe"` to filter directly.

01Command

Command
$ tasklist | findstr /i chrome    ::  or filtered directly:  tasklist /FI "IMAGENAME eq chrome.exe"

02What it does

tasklist prints every running process with its image name, PID, session and memory use. Piping it through findstr quickly narrows a long list, while the /FI filter does the same without a second command. Once you have the PID you can pass it to taskkill, Stop-Process or other tools.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
!Warning: The image name is the executable name (e.g. chrome.exe), not the window title — a program can also run several copies with different PIDs.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • tasklist
    Microsoft Learn · vendor-doc · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Syntax shows the /fi <filter> parameter (repeatable) for filtering tasks, e.g. by IMAGENAME, and that output includes the PID column.
  • TaskList — List processes running on the machine
    SS64 · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Documents the /FI filter option with the 'IMAGENAME eq name' filter string and shows the PID column in the default table output.

Last verified: 2026-09-19 · Category: System & Settings

06Related solutions

Create a scheduled task from CMD with schtasks
WindowsProcessessystemTerminal

Register a recurring Windows task entirely from the command line — ideal for scripts, cleanup jobs, and monitoring probes you want to run unattended.

Medium risk ✓ 2026-09-17
Scan and repair Windows system files with SFC
WindowssystemTerminalDiagnostics

Use the System File Checker to verify every protected Windows system file against known-good copies and automatically replace the damaged ones.

Low risk ✓ 2026-09-17
Install any app from the command line with winget
WindowssystemTerminaldeveloper

Use Windows Package Manager to install, search, and upgrade thousands of applications from the community repository in one command.

Low risk ✓ 2026-09-17