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How to force quit on a Mac guide

Olga Weis Olga Weis Sep 25, 2022

The macOS is not without reason famous for its exceptional reliability. However, failures are possible even while using it. And the knowledge of how to force quit a program on Mac will not be superfluous at all.

Force quit is an efficient feature that helps you to close the frozen and unresponsive app. However, keep in mind that while using it, you can lose unsaved data. So if you do not want to wait for the app to unfreeze, there are several methods how to force quit on a Mac. Continue reading to know more.

Learn More How to Force Quit a Mac Application:

  1. How to force quit a program on Mac - Method 1
  2. How to force quit a Mac app - Method 2
  3. How to force quit a Mac frozen app - Method 3
  4. How to force quit a Mac App from Process Viewer in Commander One
  5. How to force quit an app on iPhone and iPad
  6. Why Do Apps Freeze or Stop Responding?
  7. Is It Safe to Force Quit a Mac Program?
  8. What to Do if Force Quit is Not Working on Mac?

How to force quit a program on Mac - Method 1

It is a known fact that the Dock shows all currently open applications; if one hangs you can always close the app through the context menu of the app in the Dock. Follow these steps to know how to force quit an app on a Mac via Dock:

Closing an application using hotkeys is one of the fastest ways.
1
Hold down the Option (Alt) key.
2
Right-click on the hung application.
3
In the context menu that opens, click on the “Force Quit” item, and the selected application will close.

How to force quit a Mac app - Method 2

Through Apple’s main menu you can go to settings, find out information about your Mac, and perform many other actions, including force quitting the program. Follow this guide to know how to do a force quit on Mac via Apple’s main menu:

This method will allow you to close any program in a couple of clicks.
1
Click the Apple logo in the upper left corner.
2
Select Force Quit. The system will immediately give you a menu with all running applications.
3
Select the one you want and click Force Quit.

Alternatively, you can hold down the Command + Option + Shift + Escape keys for three seconds. The system will automatically terminate the hung application. This method is especially convenient in cases where the program is frozen and deployed to full screen.

How to force quit a Mac frozen app - Method 3

The Activity Monitor allows users to find out various information about the current operation of the computer. If the application is frozen, the utility can be used to force it to terminate. Follow this guide to know how to force quit a Mac application via Activity Monitor:

This method will definitely work if all the options do not work.
1

Open Activity Monitor. It can be called up in several different ways:

  • through Launchpad;
  • through Spotlight search;
  • by clicking on the battery icon and choosing an application that consumes a lot of power.
2
Once opened, you will see a window with a list of all running processes on Mac.
3
Select the desired process and click the X icon in the upper left corner of the window.
4
An information window will appear in which you can choose whether to simply end the application or force it to end.
5
Select the Force Quit option, after which the program will be closed.

The advantage of System Monitor is the ability to manage all system processes and programs, as well as background processes.

How to Force Quit a Mac App from Process Viewer in Commander One

Commander One
4.7 Rank based on 889 + users Reviews(524)
Requirements: macOS 10.13
Version: v3.8(3888), Released 18 Mar, 2024 Release notes
Category: Utilities

Commander One is designed to facilitate your file management and ease your working routine. It is a convenient two-panel file manager with an intuitive interface and a powerful set of features. In its arsenal, you will find support for cloud computing services, remote servers, Android and MTP devices, work with archives, Terminal emulator, Process Viewer, and way more. So how to close an unresponsive program on Mac via Commander One?

Commander One is free dual panel file manager for Mac.
1
Download and launch Commander One.
2
Go to the Process Viewer tab.
3
Find the unresponsive program.
4
Select it and press the Delete button.
5
Besides that, Commander One makes it possible to force quit even the system processes, however, the enabled root mode is required for these actions.

How to force quit an app on iPhone and iPad

Along with knowing how to force quit a program on Mac, it is also essential to understand how it is done on iPhone and iPad. Follow these steps to be able to close an app on your iPhone and iPad.

This method will definitely work if all the options do not work.
1

You need to open the built-in multitasking mode aka App Switcher. There are several ways to do so:

  • On iPhone X or later / iPad with iOS 12 or later. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to the middle of the screen, and release your finger.
  • On iPhone and iPad with the Home button: Quickly double-press the Home button.
2
After launching a multitasking mode, the display will show previews of all running applications. Swiping left or right across the screen you can view this list.
3
Scroll through the previews until you find the app you want to close. Position it in the middle of the screen.
4
Swipe it up to make it disappear from the screen.

Why Do Apps Freeze or Stop Responding?

Let's find out why applications stop responding. Here are some of the main reasons:

Insufficient RAM. Mac force quit problem often arises due to a lack of device RAM or a completely full physical memory. Your Mac computer/laptop does not have enough physical resources to process all operations and requests, as a result of which the utilities simply freeze for an indefinite period of time. Therefore you resort to force close Mac apps.

Application issues. Some applications may contain bugs that may prevent them from working properly. Make sure you download apps directly from the Mac App Store. By downloading applications from third-party sites, in most cases you only increase the chances of downloading a buggy app.

Incompatibility issues. The application may be incompatible with your Mac. It may not respond to any of your actions or not launch at all. To avoid this issue, try to update your apps regularly.

You can send a report to Apple so they know about the problem.

Is It Safe to Force Quit a Mac Program?

You should be extremely careful when performing actions aimed at the forced closing of programs. Any termination of processes can cause the operating system to crash. And if you also work with the command line, then this can lead to the loss of unsaved data and the failure of system settings.

Nevertheless, if you desperately need to close a frozen program on Mac there are several ways you can resort to. Below you will find the most simple, convenient, and fastest variants to force stop Mac processes.

You can access this panel from the menu or using hotkeys.

What to Do if Force Quit is Not Working on Mac?

If the Force Quit app on Mac is not working, there are several ways to close the processes. The most effective method in this situation is to use the Command Line. Launch Terminal and type: 

killall [process name]

However, If your iMac or MacBook doesn't respond to any input attempts at all, you can force it to shut down. The method is the same as with ordinary computers: just find the shutdown button, press it and hold it for about 10 seconds. Naturally, all unsaved data will be lost.

Despite the fact that Mac computers in most cases please with their stable operation, from time to time, even on macOS there can occur various kinds of crashes and errors. This raises the obvious question – what to do if the program is not responding, and how to force quit on Mac such kind of apps? The solution is simple – force termination of the application.

Although you can close a frozen app using Apple Menu and Activity Monitor, there are also third-party apps to help you with this. For example, all apps and processes running on your Mac can be easily managed, and any stuck process can be closed in one click with Commander One.

Frequently Asked Questions:

If you are wondering how to open task manager on Mac and unfreeze an app, you can use one of the variants described in this article. There are multiple ways to do this: using the Apple menu, force quit shortcut Mac, Activity Monitor, Terminal or Commander One.
While you can see running processes Mac and easily close frozen apps, you still need to be very careful. Force closing may cause system settings failure and loss of unsaved data. Also, if you force quit, the application may not start in a persistent state next time. Although this will only be related to that one particular application, sometimes it may harm.

Windows Control Alt Delete on Mac is Command + Option + Escape and it is one of the ways to force quit. But you can also close stuck apps:

  • From the Apple menu.
  • From the Activity monitor.
  • Using third-party apps like Commander One.

Commander One

This dual panel file manager for Mac is fully compatible with macOS 10.13 and later. Requires 52.05MB free space, latest version 3.8(3888). Released 18 Mar, 2024.
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4.7 rank based on 889+ users, Reviews (524)
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