If you encounter an unresponsive app on your Mac, you have four methods at your disposal to close it using Force Quit. For an app whose icon you have parked in the Dock, you can right-click. Aug 04, 2019 2) Force Quit Through Dock Panel. It is the best way to close the mac application as well as quite simple too. Whenever you right-click on any application in mac, there is an option to force quit which may not work when the app hangs.
Easy to use watermarking software for mac. WhatsaByte may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page.
A guide that contains six useful methods to use built-in tools on Mac OS X to force quit Mac applications.
Sometimes, you open an application on your Mac computer, and somehow, it doesn’t respond to any of your actions, then it’s time to force quit that application. But do you know how to force quit a program in Mac?
Whatever your skill level is, just remember these simple ways, and you will be able to force quit apps on your Mac easily. In this article, I will cover six best ways to force quit applications on your Mac computer. These ways will work in all versions of Mac OS X.
Six Ways To Learn How To Force Quit Mac Programs
I have collected these useful ways from Internet and make this article to help you find out how to force quit an application in Mac OS X, with keyboard shortcuts, your mouse, Apple’s menu or Terminal.
After reading this guide, if you have found any better and faster solution to force applications to stop on Mac OS X, let me know by dropping a comment below or use the contact form. I will update this guide to make it more helpful.
Force Quit Mac Apps With Force Quit Applications
It’s the first method that’s easy to use to force quit programs with a few simple steps:
- Press Command + Option + Esc key to launch “Force Quit Applications”.
- Select the program that does not respond to your action from the list.
- Click on the “Force Quit” button.
- The program will be ended immediately.
Force Quit Mac Applications
Force Quit An Active Mac App With Keyboard Shortcut
You can also force quit an active application on Mac by pressing and holding Command + Option + Shift + Esc key for a few seconds until the program forcibly close.
Force Quit A Program On Mac From Dock
Here is another simple way to close any unresponsive applications on Mac. You just need to do follow this instruction:
- Right-click on the app you want to quit on the dock (Mac’s dock), at the bottom of the screen.
- Press Alt (or Option) and then select “Force Quit” from the menu.
- The selected application will automatically be closed, without any alerts or confirmations.
Force Quit A Program On Mac From Menu
In order to force quit a program from Apple menu, press and hold Shift key on your keyboard, and then click on the Apple logo > Force Quit [Program Name]. For example: Force Quit Finder.
Force Quit Mac Apps With Activity Monitor
To force quit any programs on your Mac computer, open Activity Monitor (also known as Task Manager Mac), select the program you want to close and click on the “Force Quit” button.
Kill A Running Application With Terminal
If you don’t like to use methods that are mentioned above (even though these ways are simpler), then open Terminal app (under Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal), and use any of two commands below:
- killall [processname]. For example: killall Finder, to force quit Finder.
- kill -9 [pid]. For example: kill -9 , to force quit Finder.
I hope this article will help you to learn more about how to force quit Mac apps with shortcuts, as well as terminal commands. If you have any further questions, just leave your comment below.
Popular Posts:
Do you encounter a frozen app on your Mac and can’t quit it normally? That spinning beach ball makes you crazy? Instead of just sitting and getting more frustrated, force quit an app that’s not responding. Thankfully, you’ve got options to close the unresponsive apps.
We’ve prepared five Mac force quit ways, so you can pick the one that works best for you. Moreover, we’ll tell you how to prevent the programs from hanging and what to do if your whole Mac stops responding.
How to Force Quit Mac Applications
Force quit from the Apple menu
Here’s how to force quit an app from the Apple menu:
- Click on the Apple logo in the top left corner of your screen.
- Select Force Quit.
- Choose the app that’s not responding.
- Click on the Force Quit button.
Force quit from the Dock
If you wonder how to force quit an app on Mac using the Dock, check out these simple steps:
- To open the dock menu, right-click on the application icon you want to shut down or click on the item and hold.
- Hold an Option (Alt) button, so the Quit menu changes to Force Quit.
- Click Force Quit.
As simple as that!
Force quit using the keyboard shortcut
Alternatively, you can use a force quit Mac shortcut to close an unresponsive app. Do the following:
- Press and hold the following keys: Command + Option + Esc.
- Select the program you want to quit from the dialogue box.
- Click Force Quit.
This method of force quit command Mac is especially useful if your mouse cursor is lagging a bit.
Force quit using the Terminal
If you prefer a command line method to solve the problems, you can quit an unresponsive app via Terminal. Here’s what you should do:
- Launch the Terminal.
- Type the following command: killall [application name]. For example, if Safari isn’t responding, type killall Safari.
- Click Enter. Your application will be shut down immediately.
Note that the killall command works at the system level and the auto-save option doesn’t work. Be careful not to lose your unsaved data.
A better way to force quit apps — CleanMyMac X
A smart maintenance app like CleanMyMac X has a problem of force quit on Mac covered. You can easily force quit program on your Mac with an Optimization utility. It has a special Hung Applications tool that allows to identify and fix the unresponsive app right away.
A direct access saves you time and allows to fix a frozen app in a matter of seconds. CleanMyMac also takes care of other performance issues, so if you want to get alerts when something goes wrong on your Mac, download CleanMyMac X for free and give it a try.
Fixing an app that hangs frequently: Short tips
You may notice that a particular app freezes quite often. It is natural to assume that there is something wrong with that application. But don’t worry, there are a few things you can do to fix the hanging app.
First of all, update an app to the latest version. App developers are constantly working on improvements, trying to deliver the best experience to users. The latest update may resolve all problems with the freezing app.
The next step is to clear the app’s cache, especially if you use it frequently. If there’s not enough free storage, a program won’t run smoothly. Once you delete the cache files, an app may start working normally.
You may also try to delete an app and reinstall it. Usually it resolves the problem of a frozen app.
What to do when your Mac freezes
Typically it’s just an app that hangs, but on rare occasions the Mac may freeze entirely and become completely unresponsive to anything. This is often accompanied by fans that work quite loudly, demonstrating a fully frozen Mac. To solve the problem, you need to shut down your computer and boot it again.
Publishing software reviews. Here’s how to force reboot your Mac:
- Hold down the Power button until your Mac shuts down completely. This may take about 5 seconds.
- Wait a few seconds and then hit the Power button again to boot the Mac.
Force Quit Mac Apps
As you may presume, this method is not perfect. Any unsaved information may be lost due to the sudden shutdown. However, sometimes it’s the only way to make your computer running.
That’s it. We hope this guide has helped you to force close Mac app that’s not responding. Keep in mind, with regular maintenance, your computer will be at tip-top shape, running at its best. And software like CleanMyMac X can help you keep an eye on your Mac. It can reset and delete apps, free up RAM, clean up the system, take care of the startup programs that slow down your computer, and speed up your Mac with its maintenance scripts. And that’s what will help you avoid problems with frozen apps on your Mac.
How To Quit An App In Mac
Thanks for reading and stay tuned!