How to Force Quit Mac Apps

If an app isn’t responding, you can use Force Quit to force it to close.

Normally, you can close an app by choosing Quit from the Apple menu. If an app becomes unresponsive or freezes, you can use Force Quit to close it.

Steps to Force Quit a Mac App

Choose Force Quit from the Apple menu, or press Command + Option + Esc(this is similar to pressing Control + Alt + Delete on a PC).
Select the unresponsive app in the Force Quit window, then click Force Quit.

Force Quit Mac Apps using the Dock

The Dock can be used to force quit apps.

Right Click, or Ctrl + Click on an app icon in the Dock to show the menu for that app:

Then Press and Hold Option (alt) key:

Force Quit Dock

Choose Force Quit on the menu to close the app.

Force Quit Mac Apps using Activity Monitor

Activity Monitor is a utility application that comes with every Mac. It is a powerful tool for viewing all running processes. It can also be used to force quit processes.

1) Open Activity Monitor from your Applications/Utilities folder

2) Select the app to close and then click the X button:

3) Activity Monitor will then ask if you want to Force Quit, confirm the action to close the app:

Learn more

You shouldn’t need to use Force Quit unless you can’t close an app normally.

The Finder is an app that your Mac keeps open, so there isn’t an option to quit or close this app. If the Finder becomes unresponsive, you can use Force Quit to relaunch it. Select Finder in the Force Quit window, then click Relaunch.

If none of your apps are responsive, you can force your computer to restart.

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