1. Keyboard Shortcut To Close App Windows 10

Force quit is a fail-safe mechanism on devices to close unresponsive apps. The infamous Ctrl+Alt+Delete command for Windows is well renowned. Mac devices lack such a recognized shortcut for their failsafe. Many of you might be wondering how you will now stop the annoying app that won’t respond. Mac devices offer you multiple ways to quickly force quit. There are specific keyboard shortcuts for Mac users.

The quickest and easiest way to force quit an app with a keyboard is to use the Mac shortcut keys for closing frozen applications: On the keyboard, press and hold Command + Option + Esc. This action will immediately open a “Force Quit Application” window. From the dialogue box, select the frozen application, and then press Force Quit. Jul 04, 2018 To do the same thing but faster, use Mac shortcut keys to close frozen applications. On your keyboard, press and hold Command + Option + Esc. It will immediately bring up a “Force Quit Application” window. Select the frozen application from the dialogue box and select “Force Quit.”.

Jun 18, 2020  The only thing left to do is to force quit it which luckily is very simple on Mac. Press CMD+OPTION+ESC. When the force quit window appears, select the app that you want to quit and click Force. Jul 04, 2018  2. Force Quit with Mac Shortcut. To do the same thing but faster, use Mac shortcut keys to close frozen applications. On your keyboard, press and hold Command + Option + Esc. It will immediately bring up a “Force Quit Application” window. Select the frozen application from the dialogue box and select “Force. The quickest and easiest way to force quit an app with a keyboard is to use the Mac shortcut keys for closing frozen applications: On the keyboard, press and hold Command + Option + Esc. This action will immediately open a “Force Quit Application” window. From the dialogue box, select the frozen application, and then press Force Quit.

It works only on the macOS and can be utilized to stop and remove the problem causing software. It will ensure the safety of your device’s health. We will learn how to force quit on Mac using different ways.

• Visit –https://www.apple.com/mac/.

Try Quitting the Application:

It is always a good idea to try the primary method. The program might be unresponsive, but it can still quite frequently. Users can press the cross button on the Mac app to close it. It is the most basic method to end a Mac application process. If this doesn’t work, you can try the keyboard shortcut. Press Command + Q together to manually quit the application. In most cases, this will solve your problem. In case the app doesn’t stop, then you can move on to the force quit options.

Force Quit on Mac – Different Ways

Force quit on Mac is quite a convenient way to end a process. It is recommended only when there is no viable solution. There are multiple methods to force quit on a Mac. Unlike Microsoft Windows devices, users can have backups to their fail safe on a Mac. Here are the different ways to force stop on Mac.

Keyboard Shortcuts method

The Mac alternative to Ctrl+Alt+Delete does exist. The keyboard shortcut will make it easy to stop your Mac applications. It is an effective method to remove any lagging or buggy software. Follow the guide to force quit using this method.

• The keyboard shortcut for this is Option+Command+Esc. Use this shortcut when you are stuck on your Macbook. It is the same as using the Windows alternative.
• It will bring about the force quit application window. Here you will find the list of apps that are running on your Mac device. It is somewhat similar to the Windows task manager in terms of force quit. It doesn’t provide extra app-based information except for the names.
  
• Select the application that is giving you problems. Find the app which is causing errors and then click on the force quit button. It will kill the application process, and your device will go back to working smoothly.

Apple Menu Method

It is an excellent alternative if you want to avoid using the keyboard shortcut. It works similarly and has almost the same process. The force quit using the Apple menu method is quite conventional. The technique works flawlessly if your cursor is moving. It is the easiest way to close an application. Follow the guide to force quit the hanged application. Here are the steps –

• Click on the Apple logo on the top left corner of your screen. It will open up the Apple menu of your device.
• Here you can find the option to force quit the running applications. Select the window, which is not working correctly.
  
• The list of applications that are running will be available. Find the lagging software from the force quit window.
• Select the application and click on the force quit button to end the process. It will help to save precious computer resources on your device.

Activity Monitor Method:

The activity monitor is a direct counterpart to the Windows task manager. It has all the details about the application usage on your Mac device. Very few people know about the keyboard shortcut, which is the direct alternative to Ctrl+Alt+Del. Here are the steps to force quit an app using the activity monitor –

• Press the Command+Space button to bring out the spotlight search bar. You can also click on the search button manually on the top of your screen.
  
• Type activity monitor in the search options to run the Mac task manager. The search results will be instantaneous. Click on the application to check the resource use of your macOS device.
  
• Select the application, which is slowing your Mac down. You can click on it to bring the quit options.
• Click on the force quit application button to end the process. It will clear the application from your memory and reduce the CPU load.
  

Force quit on Mac is not working:

When force quit is also not working, then you would need to force a restart on your device. It can be a little unsafe to force a reboot on any device. The hard disk health can be affected because of this. We recommend this method only if all else fails.

The keyboard shortcut to forcefully restart your MacOS device is the Control+Command+Power button. Press and hold these buttons until you can see the Apple logo pop up again. It will be hard to reboot your macOS device.

If you can’t seem to force a restart, your next best option is to force shutdown. The process to force shut down any Mac device is quite simple. Press and hold on the power button till the screen of your device goes off. It can be found on the top right corner of your Macbooks. Use this method only if nothing seems to work. Users will lose all of their work progress because of this method.

Why do you need to force quit on Mac?

Saying that an unresponsive application is a reason to force quit will be a first-hand account. Instead, it is the underlying issue that causes it. An application can be unresponsive when your Mac is not able to distribute memory efficiently. It can happen because of an aging computer or a corrupt operating system. Mac devices are reliable in their features. Old generation Mac devices come with fewer GB of RAM storage. It can be a reason why your apps are freezing. The laptop should be capable of managing resources. The reinstallation of the operating system can often resolve the underlying memory issues. In other cases, you might be required to use less memory-intensive applications. Sometimes it is recommended to avoid multitasking. Hard drive issues can also lead to freezing apps. It is especially true for aging Macbooks.

Conclusion:

Mac devices are well renowned all over the world. They are known for their smooth functionality. It is rare to find Mac devices that have freezing applications. In case you are facing a buggy app, our guide will help you out. The primary motivation behind this article is to provide you with all information regarding force quit. Force quit is a part of any normal computing fail-safe. It will help you close unresponsive applications and resume your work. There are multiple methods to force quit on Mac. Follow our guide to get the best results on your device.

Ok, I get it. There is no equivalent to the PC’s Ctrl+Alt+Del shortcut on a Mac® to force quit an application. So how do I quit that annoying program that’s not responding?

Luckily, Apple® has you covered and gives you multiple options. The shortcut actually exists, and moreover, there are a few other extremely convenient ways to fight buggy apps. Today I’m going to list three easy ways to force-quit an application on a Mac, without harming the system.

Let’s dive in!

Is it Safe to Force Quit?

Forcing a frozen application to quit is the same as killing the symptoms when we get sick versus curing the virus. We need to see the bigger picture and understand what causes the problem and how to cure it while understanding how to avoid it from happening again.

The number one reason we have a problem with frozen applications in a Mac is insufficient RAM—or, in other words, a lack of computer memory to operate the system compared to the number of applications you usually open (including those numerous open tabs in a browser). So anytime your system utilizes all of its existing resourses to run the task, it becomes unresponsive. Think of RAM like a physical workbench. The more space (memory) you have to work, the more projects you can have out to work on. Less space? Less ability to work on multiple things at once.

Forcing Mac to quit the application does resolve the problem but may have downsides. When you close an application in the traditional manner, it will clean everything it runs in the background and alert you to save the work. When you force close on Mac, you may end up losing files and data, or mess things up on the drive. Although the effect will only be related to that one particular application that got stuck, sometimes it can hurt.

Using a smart app like Parallels Toolbox can help you to free up unused memory on the fly and prevent the applications from getting frozen over and over again. The package includes over 30+ useful apps for everyday needs that any Mac user will benefit from, including downloading videos and music from sites like YouTube, taking screenshot or record videos, optimize your Mac performance, free up extra space and so much more.

You can download Toolbox and try it out for free here (no registration needed).

1. Force Quit Using the Apple Menu

The most conventional and effective way to close frozen programs is to go to the macOS® menu bar, located along the top of the screen in the Finder menu.

To force quit an application, simply do the following:

1. Click on the black apple icon in the upper-left corner.
2. From the drop-down menu, select “Force Quit…”. You will be directed to the new window named “Force Quit Application” where all the magic happens.
3. Now all you have to do is select the application you want to close and choose “Force Quit.”

If you don’t know which application is stuck, pay attention to the ones that have the note “Not Responding.” This usually appears next to frozen applications.

2. Force Quit with Mac Shortcut

Keyboard Shortcut To Close App Windows 10

To do the same thing but faster, use Mac shortcut keys to close frozen applications.

1. On your keyboard, press and hold Command + Option + Esc. It will immediately bring up a “Force Quit Application” window.
2. Select the frozen application from the dialogue box and select “Force Quit.”

This could be your go-to method if the mouse or trackpad is lagging.

3. Close Application from Activity Monitor (Ctrl+Alt+Del Alternative)

Here’s the pinnacle of this article.

Very few Apple owners know that macOS provides an almost identical alternative to the traditional PC Control+Alt+Delete shortcut—and does it better. Yes, we all know that in Windows that keyboard shortcut is often used to open the Task Manager window. (To be honest, it’s needed too often, which is why we’re on a Mac.) From Task Manager, you can track applications, services, performance, and processes, and kill some of them when they’re unresponsive.

You can easily do all of that and more on the macOS native application called Activity Monitor.

To kill an application using Activity Monitor, do the following.

1. On your keyboard, press Command + Space, or click on Spotlight in the top-right corner of the screen.

2. In the “Spotlight Search” window, start typing “Activity Monitor.”

3. Once Activity Monitor is highlighted, hit Enter.

4. In the Activity Monitor processes list, select the application you want to quit and click “Force a process to quit” in the left corner.

What to Do If Force Quit Isn’t Working?

If all the applications stop responding and you can’t quit them using one of the methods described above, you can force your Mac to restart. To do so, press and hold the Control+Command+Power buttons.

Alternatively, you can force Mac to shut down by pressing and holding the power button, or use one of the many other shortcuts. Does mac stop downloading new software.

What’s the Solution?

Since your Mac doesn’t have enough space to run all those applications you need, the most obvious step would be to increase the RAM. If you own an iMac® or the older generation of MacBook Pro®, you can simply buy memory and upgrade your existing computer. With the new Mac generation, you don’t have that option anymore because the RAM is glued and soldered to the motherboard. You either buy a new computer or struggle.

Alternatively, you can clean your memory to free up space using Parallels® Toolbox. Parallels designed a tool set for macOS and PC users to efficiently manage their computer with just a few clicks—without any professional knowledge needed. Within the application (which is available to try for free), you can easily free up unused computer memory, clean your drive, and help your Mac run at max speed with a dozen other useful utilities.

If you’re interested in learning how easily one click can save precious disk space, check out how much space I took back with the Parallels Toolbox tool Clean Drive:

In one click (and about 10 seconds), I successfully removed 4 GB of clutter and reclaimed space on my hard drive.

So there you have it. Take care of your Mac with those quick tips, and remember to always save your work!