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Abstract The charge density wave material 1T-TaS₂exhibits a pulse-induced insulator-to-metal transition, which shows promise for next-generation electronics such as memristive memory and neuromorphic hardware. However, the rational design of TaS₂devices is hindered by a poor understanding of the switching mechanism, the pulse-induced phase, and the influence of material defects. Here, we operate a 2-terminal TaS₂device within a scanning transmission electron microscope at cryogenic temperature, and directly visualize the changing charge density wave structure with nanoscale spatial resolution and down to 300 μs temporal resolution. We show that the pulse-induced transition is driven by Joule heating, and that the pulse-induced state corresponds to the nearly commensurate and incommensurate charge density wave phases, depending on the applied voltage amplitude. With our in operando cryogenic electron microscopy experiments, we directly correlate the charge density wave structure with the device resistance, and show that dislocations significantly impact device performance. This work resolves fundamental questions of resistive switching in TaS₂devices, critical for engineering reliable and scalable TaS₂electronics.