I'm using these open-source resource management tools to monitor my Windows 11 resources (2025)

Windows 11 has a few built-in tools for managing system resources, but if you want to push your system to the limit, you might need deeper insights and greater control. That’s why I’ve turned to various open-source resource management tools. These tools offer features that exceed the out-of-the-box capabilities of Windows 11 and extend my monitoring experience to my specific needs. Here are some open-source applications that have become essential in my digital toolkit, together with the benefits they bring to the table.

5 System Informer (previously Process Hacker)

A lot better than Task Manager

One of the cornerstones of my resource monitoring routine is System Informer. This powerful tool goes far beyond the standard Windows Task Manager by offering a detailed view of all running processes, services, and network connections.

With its advanced process tree visualization, Process Hacker enables me to trace the relationships between applications and detect hidden processes that could be consuming resources without my knowledge.

What sets System Informer apart is its flexibility and customizability. I can view in-depth information about each process, including real-time CPU, memory, GPU usage, and even loaded modules. It can also track down errant processes that might be hogging system resources. That means it’s more of a troubleshooting tool than a mere monitoring app.

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System Informer

See at Sourceforge

4 Libre Hardware Monitor

Keeping an eye on my hardware

When it comes to monitoring the physical components of my system, such as CPU temperatures, fan speeds, voltages, and clock speeds, Libre Hardware Monitor is my go-to resource. Originally a fork of the well-known Open Hardware Monitor, Libre Hardware Monitor offers a minimalistic interface and compatibility with recent hardware trends in Windows 11 systems.

Of course, the app can’t perform magic tricks. It relies on real-time readings from sensors embedded within your computer. If you don’t have certain hardware-monitoring sensors, the app won’t be able to pick up any data. One of the aspects I appreciate most about Libre Hardware Monitor is its clarity: the data presentation is streamlined and customizable, meaning I can choose which sensor readings are most important for my daily tasks.

LibreHardwareMonitor

See at LibreHardwareMonitor

3 Rainmeter

I get resource management straight to my desktop

While the backend tools like System Informer and Libre Hardware Monitor provide detailed data, I don’t want to have to open a separate application every time I need a quick glance at my system’s status.

This is where Rainmeter comes into play. Although primarily known as a desktop customization platform, Rainmeter offers a wide array of open-source skins and plugins that display real-time system metrics directly on your desktop. I picked up a skin called Up In Lights that allowed me to create a personalized dashboard featuring CPU and memory usage graphs, network speed readouts, battery status, and much more. There are plenty of skins, and Rainmeter lets you move and customize them to your liking on your desktop. You can go as far as creating your own skin and integrating your resource monitoring tools.

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Rainmeter

See at Rainmeter

2 WinDirStat

See what’s up with disk usage

WinDirStat is a powerful tool for visualizing disk usage patterns on your Windows 11 system. It scans entire drives and shows you a clear, colorful map that highlights exactly how much space each file and folder occupies.

This visual approach makes it incredibly easy to identify large or redundant files that might be hogging valuable disk space. Once a scan is complete, you’re greeted with an interactive interface that shows not only a folder tree, but also a breakdown of file types by percentage.

You can click on a section of the treemap to open the corresponding folder on your system, simplifying the cleanup process. Because it’s entirely open-source, WinDirStat is extremely flexible and transparent in its operation. Whether you’re performing routine maintenance, planning an upgrade, or just curious about what’s taking up space on your disk, this small tool provides all you need to know about your storage resource consumption.

WinDirStat

See at Sourceforge

Checking the health of your drives

SMARTmontools is another indispensable resource for users focused on long‑term system reliability. Don’t get me wrong, DiskCheckup is great, but this open‑source is also packed with tools that read Self‑Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) data directly from your hard drives and SSDs.

It continuously monitors read error rates, spin-up times, temperature, and overall drive health, and that makes it great for picking up early warnings of potential hardware failure. The suite includes command‑line utilities like smartctl and a background daemon (smartd) that can be configured to send proactive alerts if any parameters reach critical thresholds. Although its interface is text‑based, its powerful reporting capabilities and customizable alert system are something you can’t pass out.

Smartmontools

See at Smartmontools

Monitoring your system resources is the key to a healthy machine

Using these open-source resource management tools together helps me get a better view of and manage my Windows 11 system. There are plenty of other built-in or third-party tools that can do a great job as well. These are only some of the apps that grabbed my attention and have proven to be reliable over time. You can find your own gems for resource management, but if you want a healthy system, it's important to keep a close eye on your system.