If you have ever experienced a frozen app on your Mac and only saw the dreadful spinning pinwheel of death, then you must truly be familiar with how annoying and frustrating this situation can be. Whether you have software on your Mac that is simply not responding or you would like to learn how to force quit on Mac like a pro, this guide is the solution you are looking for.
Control-Alt-Delete is the familiar shortcut that Windows users resort to when they are locked in a sticky spot, while Macs have not just one but several equally efficient tools. Different ways to unfreeze the frozen apps are discussed in the article, and here are some of those that are how to force quit applications on Mac via the Dock, and then you may opt to use a more sophisticated method like the Terminal, which demands the user to have the technical skills needed to regain control of their frozen apps.
Letโs discuss them all.ย
Close App From the Dock
If your app is running a bit slow and not responding, do this first.
Hereโs how to force quit an app on Mac from the Dock:
- Go to the Dock and identify the app icon.
- Keep the Control key pressed and click the app icon (or right-click if you want).
- Click Quit.
If the app does not want to quit the usual way and browse to it by not obeying your request, it is time to force quit.
How to Force Quit Applications on Mac Using the Menu
When freezes are real, hereโs how to force quit on a Mac. Do the following with Mac using the classic built-in option.
- Click the Apple logo at the top-left corner of the screen.
- Choose Force Quit.
- A window will pop up displaying all of the currently open applications.
- Pick the app that was stuck and then click Force Quit.
This window is for Macs what Control-Alt-Delete is for Windows PCs: it shows you how to force quit applications on Mac when wondering how to force quit a program on Mac.
๐ก Shortcut Tip: Push Option + Command + Esc together, and the Force Quit Dialog opens at once.
Force Quit with Activity Monitor
Continue unsuccessful? This is how to force quit an app on Mac using Activity Monitor.
- Launch the Launchpad, enter Other, and then choose Activity Monitor as usual.
- Or just hit Command + Shift + U to bring up the Utilities folder and pick the app there.
- Find the app in the Activity Monitor and click the one that bothers you the most.
- Select the app, and together with the Stop (X) button available at the upper toolbar, press it.
- Now, press the Force Quit
The Activity Monitor is the Mac’s version of a task manager and is perfect if you are dealing with an issue related to force quitting, such as how to force quit Chrome on Mac or how to force quit Sims 4 on Mac.
Force Quit from Terminal
For those command-line enthusiasts out there, here’s how to force quit applications on Mac using Terminal:
- Open Terminal via Launchpad > Other > Terminal.
- Type killall AppName (replace “AppName” with the specific name of your app, e.g., killall Safari).
- Press Enter, and the app will be instantly terminated.
If you ever encounter a stubborn program refusing to comply or you need to force quit Finder on Mac, this tip is very helpful.
How to Force Quit on Mac When Frozen
On the off chance that your Mac seems too slow or totally unresponsive and all menus are out of reach, then try this:
- Press and hold the Power button for about 10 seconds.
- Your Mac will shut down automatically.
- Move back to troubleshooting or start all the apps again after the reboot.
How to Force Quit on Mac Air, MacBook Pro, or Mac Mini: It is the question for which I have already given the answerโit is the same process for all macOS-powered devices. The stick is universal.
How to Force Quit Specific Apps
If the loading problems are always caused by some of your apps that stop responding for a while then you should probably think about the following which are some of the ways you can deal with them:
- How to force quit Mail on Mac: To address the issue, you can use Force Quit Applications window or Activity Monitor.
- How to force quit Word on a Mac: Similarly, to Windows, you can click the following icons, but Word can go in hiding, where Activity Monitor might be more effective.
- How to force quit Google Chrome on Mac: Chrome might be using memory heavily and thus, Activity Monitor or Terminal (killall “Google Chrome”) might be an excellent way to close the browser without waiting it to respond to a Command Quit.
- How to force quit a tab on Mac: In this case of the browser tabs, close the specific tab or force quit the browser altogether to work against the problem.
- How to force quit all apps on Mac: Regrettably, there is no catch-all one-click solution. However, the use of multiple commands, one for each process can end the things people are doing with Activity Monitor or Terminal.
How to Stop Force Quit Application Pop-Up on Mac
Do you keep on getting the force quit application pop-up on Mac?
This usually shows that your system is running out of memory or an app is hanging a lot. Try these steps:
- Restart your Mac regularly to refresh system memory.
- Update those problematic apps to the newest available versions.
- Use Activity Monitor to observe memory hogs and stop them.
- Consider upgrading your RAM or free some space since this is a recurrent issue.
Pro Tips for Avoiding App Freezes
- Update macOS regularly to ensure that apps and systems are up to date and safer.
- Closing apps when not needed will limit the number of background processes.
- Use Activity Monitor to check memory usage and avoid apps using more resources than others.
- Remove heavy extensions or any potential malware from your browsers, especially Chrome.
FAQs
How do I force quit on Mac without a mouse?
To open the force quit window via keyboard only, use Option + Command + Esc.
Can I force quit Finder on Mac?
Yes, the first step is to open Force Quit Applications; then you need to click Finder and choose Relaunch instead of Force Quit.
Is there a way to force Mail on Mac to quit if itโs frozen?
Durably. From the Force Quit window or Activity Monitor, you can quit Mail.
How do Quit and Force Quit differ?
Quit is a polite way to close the app, whereas Force Quit is an immediate and unsaved stop.
How to force quit on Mac when frozen?
If the system does not respond, hold the power button for 10 seconds to shut it down.
Why does my Mac show the Force quit pop-up often?
It might be a memory problem or apps with bugs. Try to always keep the software updated and check Activity Monitor to prevent this.
Appleโs official macOS support page for troubleshooting
Conclusion
So, we begin with the step-by-step process of โhow to force quit on Macโ when the system crashes. If you have just one tab that has frozen and you donโt want to shut down the whole application, Mac provides many choices in this regard. The spinning pinwheel of death doesn’t stand a chance now.
Being familiar with the Dock, Terminal, Activity Monitor, and keyboard shortcuts will be your influential factors in managing frozen apps with easeโyou wonโt need to panic anymore every time you ask yourself, โHow do I force quit on Mac when frozen?โ
