Can you explain what is meant by preemptive multitasking in operating systems?

Preemptive multitasking is a method of managing the execution of multiple processes or threads, where the operating system itself decides when to switch context from one process to another, without the current process voluntarily yielding control.

This means that the OS can interrupt the execution of a process at any moment (for example, by a timer) to give time to another process. Such an approach ensures a fairer distribution of resources and increases system responsiveness.

Example: In modern OSes like Windows or Linux, preemptive multitasking is used, where the scheduler interrupts processes at regular intervals to switch to other tasks.