Getting started

Install

Download Vitals_x64-setup.exe and run it. There is no wizard. If Windows SmartScreen warns you, see Windows SmartScreen on the download page.

Afterwards Vitals is in the Start menu as Vitals.

The first screen

The Dashboard shows the machine at a glance: CPU, memory, disk, network and GPU load, plus an attention panel. When something is wrong, that panel names the cause (“a single process is holding the disk”) rather than repeating the numbers above it.

Choose Why is my PC slow? at any time. Vitals looks at the last minute across CPU, disk, memory pressure, network and thermal throttling, and gives you a verdict, the processes responsible and a chart. Copy puts the whole report on the clipboard for a bug report or a support request.

Finding your way

• Performance — CPU with a cell per logical processor, memory, GPU, each disk and network adapter, and a Thermals tab.
• Processes — every running program, grouped by application. Ending, suspending or resuming a process tells you the real consequence first; system-critical processes are protected.
• Network — every open connection, grouped by the program that owns it.
• Startup and Services — what runs when you sign in, and the Windows services.
• Installed apps, Disk storage, Devices & sensors, Benchmarks, App history and Users.

Press Ctrl+K to open the command palette and jump anywhere by name. Press ? to list every keyboard shortcut.

What an em dash means

A value shown as — is one Vitals could not measure on this machine: the hardware does not report it, or reading it needs permissions Vitals does not have. It is never a stand-in for zero. Hover over it, or look at the section’s notes, for the reason.

Useful settings

• Settings → General → Replace Task Manager makes Ctrl+Shift+Esc, the taskbar menu and Win+X open Vitals. Windows asks for permission once. The tray menu keeps an entry to open the built-in Task Manager.
• Settings → General can keep Vitals in the tray when you close the window.
• Ctrl+Shift+H toggles the HUD, an always-on-top overlay of CPU, memory and GPU that clicks through to whatever is underneath.
• Settings → Remote access lets a phone on your network watch this PC. It is off until you turn it on; see Remote access.
• Settings → About controls the automatic update check.

Where your data lives

Everything Vitals stores — settings, history, logs — is in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Vitals on this machine. Nothing is uploaded. See the privacy summary.