VMware ESXi and vSphere Cluster Management
Change the Update Refresh Speed in Process Explorer
Learn how to change Process Explorer's refresh interval, pause live updates with Spacebar, and inspect short-lived processes.
Process Explorer is a Windows process inspection and monitoring utility that displays running processes and related system activity. Its process list normally refreshes automatically so you can follow changing CPU usage, process starts, exits, and other activity.
This guide explains how to change the update speed, which is the interval controlling how often Process Explorer refreshes its displayed information. It also shows how to pause and resume live updates when you need to inspect a fixed moment.
How automatic updates work
Process Explorer continuously refreshes its display to reflect current process activity and changing resource usage. A shorter refresh interval means less time passes between display updates, so changes appear sooner. A longer interval produces a calmer display that changes less frequently.
The default interval is 1 second. This is a suitable general-purpose setting, especially during active troubleshooting, because it provides timely information without making the display update excessively often.
Change the update speed
- Open the View menu.
- Point to or select Update Speed to open its submenu.
- Select the desired refresh interval.
The available choices range from 0.5 seconds through 10 seconds, including the intervals offered between those endpoints by the application. Selecting an interval changes how often the main Process Explorer view updates automatically.
For example, choose View > Update Speed > 0.5 seconds when you need the display to reflect rapid changes more frequently. Choose View > Update Speed > 10 seconds when broad trends are more useful than immediate changes.
Choose an appropriate refresh interval
The best setting depends on whether you value immediate visibility or a steadier display. Faster updates can make short CPU spikes and rapidly changing process behavior easier to notice. Slower updates reduce how often the list changes, which can make it easier to read during passive monitoring.
| Refresh interval | Best use case | Benefits | Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 seconds | Fast-changing activity and brief CPU spikes | Shows short-term changes more frequently | The display changes quickly and may be harder to follow |
| 1 second | General troubleshooting | Timely updates with a balanced, practical viewing speed | This is the default setting |
| 5 seconds | Less intensive monitoring | Provides a calmer view while still updating regularly | Brief events may not be as easy to notice |
| 10 seconds | Passive monitoring from the system tray | Suitable for watching broad trends with infrequent changes | Short-lived activity can occur between updates |
| Paused | Inspecting a fixed moment or transient process | Freezes the displayed process information for careful review | The display is no longer current until updates are resumed |
Pause and resume live updates
Press the Spacebar to toggle automatic updating on or off. When updates are paused, the displayed process list and visible values remain frozen as a snapshot—a fixed view of process information at a particular moment.
Press the Spacebar again to resume automatic updates. Process Explorer then returns to showing current process activity as the display refreshes.
Use pause to inspect a short-lived process
A short-lived process starts and exits quickly, making it difficult to inspect in a continuously updating list. If you see the process appear, press Spacebar to freeze the view at that moment.
With the display paused, you have time to inspect the process name, process ID, parent relationship, and visible resource data before the process disappears from the live display. After recording or examining the information, press Spacebar again to resume current activity.
Troubleshooting examples
The suspected process disappears too quickly
Use the live view to catch the event, then press Spacebar to retain the visible process state. The frozen snapshot lets you review the process instead of losing it when the next refresh removes it.
The process list changes too quickly to follow
Select a slower interval through View > Update Speed, such as 5 or 10 seconds when appropriate. The display will change less often and may be easier to review.
CPU activity is not visible quickly enough
Select a faster interval, such as 0.5 seconds, through View > Update Speed. The display will reflect short-term CPU changes more frequently.
The display remains static after inspecting a snapshot
Press Spacebar again. A static display usually means that automatic updates are still paused. Once resumed, the process list should return to live updating.
Quick reference
- Default: 1-second refresh, suitable for general troubleshooting.
- Fast monitoring: Choose 0.5 seconds for rapidly changing CPU or process activity.
- Calmer monitoring: Choose 5 or 10 seconds for less intensive observation, including system-tray monitoring.
- Pause: Press Spacebar to freeze the current display.
- Resume: Press Spacebar again to return to live updates.
For related process-monitoring tasks, see Process Explorer update refresh speed.