ghost processes

Ghost processes refer to application instances that remain running in the background after a user closes the main window, often without any visible interface. On Windows 11, a notable example involved Task Manager (taskmgr.exe) failing to terminate when the Close button was clicked, leaving invisible background processes that accumulated with each reopening. This regression was introduced by the optional preview update KB5067036 in October 2025 and was later fixed by the November cumulative update KB5068861. Discussions on WindowsForum.com cover the symptoms, affected builds (Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2), and the resolution provided by Microsoft. The tag is relevant for users troubleshooting unexplained performance degradation or duplicate processes in Task Manager.