Force Quit App In Mac Shortcut
On a Mac, force quitting is best done from the Dock or via the Force Quit option from the Apple menu. You can also hit the Command + Option + Escape key combination to bring up a Force Quit Applications window. See How to Use the Force Quit to Terminate a Wayward Mac Application for details.
- Force quit the active app. To determine whether the spinning wheel of death is the result of a single app, click off of it onto the Mac desktop and force quit the app. Restart it again, and there may be no problem. There's a good chance, though, that you'll see the spinning pinwheel again with that app.
- 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.”.
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:
- Click on the black apple icon in the upper-left corner.
- 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.
- 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
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.”
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.
But is there actually any truth to these stereotypes?In April 2011, the was abuzz with the results of a survey on this very topic, conducted by Hunch, a Web site that makes recommendations based on user preferences. Has worked very hard to craft a fun and hip image for its line of Mac computers, while simultaneously portraying as dull and nerdy. Software development pc. The results were comically stereotypical. It asked users to identify themselves as a Mac or PC person, and then questioned them about a number of self-identifying factors. This strategy played out most famously in Apple's recent advertising campaign featuring 'Mac,' played by the younger, hoodie-wearing Justin Long and 'PC,' played by the older, bespectacled John Hodgman.
Alternatively, you can force Mac to shut down by pressing and holding the power button, or use one of the many other shortcuts.
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!
I know that when the system is stuck or frozen then you might feel the end of the world. But with a simple force shut down and restart the system should work properly fine.
As it is a computing system this can be the major problem as sometimes it can get frozen.
In this article, we are going to talk about the major ways through which you can easily restart and reboot your Mac.
And by this, you can easily make sure that you don’t have a corrupted and froze Mac system.
But before we look at the force shut down or restart options in mac there are few factors that are in play when you want to restart or force shut down your Mac.
Here we are also going to discuss that as well as the ways that you can use to force shut down the Mac system.
Before you Force Shut Down your Mac
When you decide to force shut down the Mac due to any reason such as a freeze of applications, or any software complication then there are few factors that you should consider before doing this force shut down action.
Because if you do not follow these factors of considering them then your Mac could get corrupted for that.
As when you go to the Apple menu and there press the shut down button if anything ks open in the background then this action will confirm that you want to shut down the Mac.
If you press to shut down then that software that is open in the background has a high chance of getting raptured or corrupted.
So, considering these factors is important and necessary when it comes to forcefully shut down a Mac.
Save the Open Files and Documents
If you are working some heavy files then it is most likely for Mac to freeze up and if that happens then you should be ready for it.
If this is the case, you don’t want to lose any unsaved progress by forcing your Mac to shut down too soon.
Try to save each of your open files by pressing Cmd + S or selecting File > Save from the menu bar.
If your Mac is frozen and you can’t save anything, take a photo of your work-in-progress on your phone so you can recreate it later.
Obviously, this isn’t ideal, but it’s better than losing your work forever.
Eject External Storage
Forcing your Mac to shut down doesn’t give it a chance to safely eject external drives.
Whether you use these drives for Time Machine backups or external storage, ejecting them unsafely might cause irreparable damage to their contents.
To eject your external storage safely, go to your Desktop and drag the external drive to the Trash icon in the Dock.
Alternatively, open Finder and click the Eject button next to your drive in the sidebar.
Quit Every App
If your Mac won’t shut down normally, it’s probably because one of your apps has frozen and refuses to quit.
You can help matters by manually closing each app yourself. There’s a chance that doing this will unfreeze your Mac so you don’t need to force it to shut down or restart after all.
Press Cmd + Q to quit your current app or click the app name in the menu bar and select Quit [App].
Cycle between your open apps using Cmd + Tab to find out which other apps are still running.
If any apps refuse to quit, press Option + Cmd + Escape to open the Force Quit window. Select the unresponsive app in this window, then click Force Quit to close it down.
After closing every app, try to shut down your Mac normally using the Apple menu.
If you still can’t do that, or if you can’t close every app—then find out how to force shut down or restart your Mac below.
How to Force Shut Down or Restart your Mac?
If your Mac is frozen and completely unresponsive, the only way to fix it is by using a force shutdown or force restart.
The methods for how to force shut down or restart your Mac are exactly the same for a MacBook Pro, MacBookAir, iMac, or any other kind of Mac.
Here are the three different ways to do it!
Force Quit App In Mac Shortcut Download
1- Hold the Power Button
Every Mac has a power button. On a laptop—like a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air—you usually find it at the top-right of your keyboard or Touch Bar.
It may have a power symbol or an eject symbol on it, or it may be a blank Touch ID sensor.
On an iMac, you’ll find the power button behind the bottom-left corner of the screen. If you’re looking at the back of your iMac, it’s on the bottom right.
To force shut down your Mac, press and hold the power button until the screen goes black.
This might take 10 seconds or more; just keep holding the button. After your Mac shuts down, wait a few moments to let it cool off, then briefly press the power button again to restart it.
2- Use a Keyboard Shortcut
There are two keyboard shortcuts you can use to shut down your Mac:
The first shortcut attempts to safely close apps first, while the second force your Mac to shut down without losing anything. Because of this, it’s best to try the first shortcut first.
If you want to avoid any risks regarding shutting down your Mac then press this combination of keys Control + Option + Cmd + Power.
Don’t hold down the power button or you’ll force shut down your Mac; give it a brief press with the other buttons instead.
Force Quit App In Mac Shortcut Mac
That shortcut might not work if your Mac can’t safely close every app, in which case you need to force your Mac to shut down instead.
Press Control + Cmd + Power to do so. This time you need to hold the keys for a few seconds before your Mac shuts down.
Also Read: How to Speed up Windows 10? (Short Guide)
3- Drain the Battery
If your Mac is frozen and you think they’re not an option to make it work then the easy option is to force it to shut down using one of the two methods above. Still, there are some rare situations when they don’t work either.
If that’s the case, the next best method is to remove the power supply or drain the battery.
Force Quit App Mac
Again, it’s important to know that powering off your Mac this way is potentially damaging. You might lose unsaved data—or worse, you might create corrupt files on your hard drive.
You should only remove the power supply from your Mac as a last resort.
If you have a MacBook, a MacBook Air, or a MacBookPro, unplug the power cable and wait for the battery to die.
You might need to wait overnight for this to happen, depending on the health of your battery. But eventually, your Mac will power off. When it does, charge it back up and turn it on.
With older MacBooks, you can remove the battery from the bottom of the computer instead. This is a quicker way to force your MacBook to shut down.
If you have an iMac, a Mac Mini, or a Mac Pro, simply unplug the power cable from the back of the computer.
Wait a few moments to let your Mac cool down, then reconnect the power cable and power it back on.
Find Out What to do If Your Mac Won’t Turn Back on Again!
Most of the time, your frozen Mac should boot up again normally after forcing it to shut down or restart.
Any apps that weren’t working should run smoothly and you can carry on with whatever important projects you were working on.
That said, your Mac might refuse to restart if an underlying problem caused it to freeze in the first place.
Potential problems range from outdated software to faulty hard drives.
Use our step-by-step guide to find out what to do if your Mac won’t boot up; you can fix most problems yourself at home.
But if not, you may need to book a physical repair with an Apple store.