How to Force Quit an App on a Mac - 4macos

To force quit an app on a Mac, press Command-Option-Escape, select the unresponsive app, and click Force Quit. Confirm the action when macOS asks. You can also open the Apple menu, choose Force Quit…, and select the app from the list.

Force quitting closes an app immediately, without giving it the usual opportunity to save your work or finish a task. Any unsaved changes may be lost, so use this method only when the app will not respond normally.

Quick Answer: Force Quit a Mac App With a Keyboard Shortcut

Before you begin, be aware that force quitting can discard unsaved changes in the app.

Press Command-Option-Escape.
In the Force Quit Applications window, select the app that is not responding.
Click Force Quit.
Click Force Quit again if macOS asks you to confirm.
Wait a moment, then reopen the app from the Dock, Applications folder, or Spotlight.

The app may appear to close immediately. If it does not, try the Apple menu method or use Activity Monitor.

What Does Force Quit Do?

When you quit an app normally, macOS gives it time to save information, close files, and complete shutdown tasks. Force quitting skips that normal process and closes the app immediately.

This can help when:

An app is frozen or showing a spinning cursor.
You cannot click buttons or select menu commands.
The app window is visible but does not respond.
The app is using unusually high system resources.
macOS displays a message that the app is “not responding.”

Force quitting does not normally uninstall the app or remove its saved files. However, it can cause unsaved documents, edits, downloads, or other in-progress work to be lost.

Method 1: Use the Command-Option-Escape Shortcut

The Command-Option-Escape keyboard shortcut opens the Force Quit Applications window. It is usually the quickest way to close a frozen app.

Steps

Press and hold Command and Option.
While holding those keys, press Escape.
Release the keys when the Force Quit Applications window appears.
Select the app you want to close.
Click Force Quit.
Read the warning, then click Force Quit again to confirm.

The selected app should close. If you force quit the app you are currently using, its window and any unsaved work may disappear.

If the shortcut does not open the window

Make sure you press the keys together rather than pressing them one at a time. On some keyboards, Option may be labeled Alt, but the shortcut still uses the Option key.

If nothing happens:

Try opening the Apple menu and selecting Force Quit….
Check whether the entire Mac is frozen.
If the pointer moves, try clicking another app or menu.
If the Mac does not respond at all, you may need to restart it using the power button. This is a separate and more disruptive step, and unsaved work in all open apps may be lost.

Method 2: Use the Apple Menu

You can open the same force-quit window through the macOS menu bar.

Before continuing, remember that selecting Force Quit may close the app without saving changes.

Click the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of the screen.
Select Force Quit….
In the Force Quit Applications window, click the unresponsive app.
Click Force Quit.
Click Force Quit again to confirm.

The Force Quit Applications window lists open apps. An app that is not responding may be identified as “Not Responding,” although an app can also be frozen without displaying that label.

What if the app is not listed?

The Force Quit window may not show every background process or system component. If the app you need is missing:

Check whether it is still open in the Dock.
Try selecting the app and using its own Quit command if it responds.
Use Activity Monitor to locate the process.
If the entire system is unresponsive, restart the Mac only as a last resort.

Method 3: Quit the App Normally First

If an app still responds, try quitting it normally before force quitting. Normal quitting gives the app a chance to save work and close files safely.

Click the app to bring it to the front.
Click the app’s name in the menu bar.
Select Quit [App Name].

You can also press Command-Q while the app is active.

If the app does not close after a reasonable amount of time, or if macOS reports that it is not responding, use Command-Option-Escape or the Apple menu method.

Method 4: Use Activity Monitor

Activity Monitor shows processes running on your Mac, including apps and background tasks. It is useful when an app does not appear in the Force Quit Applications window or when you want to identify a process using excessive CPU, memory, energy, disk, or network resources.

Force quitting a process in Activity Monitor can cause unsaved work to be lost. Avoid ending a system process unless you know what it does.

Force quit an app in Activity Monitor

Open Activity Monitor:
– Press Command-Space to open Spotlight.
– Type Activity Monitor.
– Press Return.
In the Activity Monitor window, select the CPU tab or another relevant tab.
Find the app or process you want to close.
Select it.
Click the Stop button in the toolbar. It looks like an octagon with an “X.”
Choose Quit first if it is available.
If the process will not quit, click Force Quit.
Confirm the action if macOS asks.

Quit versus Force Quit in Activity Monitor

Activity Monitor may offer two choices:

Quit asks the process to close normally.
Force Quit closes it immediately.

Use Quit when possible. Choose Force Quit only when the process does not respond.

Be careful with system processes

Activity Monitor displays more than regular apps. Some entries belong to macOS or support hardware and other services. Closing the wrong process can cause another app or part of the system to stop working temporarily.

If you do not recognize a process, do not end it simply because it is using resources. First, try to identify the process by selecting it and using the available information in Activity Monitor. For a regular frozen app, the Force Quit Applications window is usually safer and simpler.

Advanced Option: Force Quit an App With Terminal

Terminal can end a process by its name or process ID. This method is intended for advanced users because a command can close the wrong process if it is entered incorrectly.

Before using Terminal, save any work you can. The commands below can immediately terminate an app, causing unsaved changes to be lost.

Find the app’s process

Open Terminal using Spotlight:
– Press Command-Space.
– Type Terminal.
– Press Return.
Run this command, replacing App Name with the name of the app:

pgrep -ifl "App Name"

This searches for running processes whose names or command lines match the text you provide. It does not change anything.

For example:

pgrep -ifl "TextEdit"

Review the results carefully. A matching name does not always guarantee that you have selected the correct process.

End a process by process ID

Each running process has a process ID, or PID. If the command returns a PID, you can ask that process to quit normally with:

kill PID

Replace PID with the actual number. For example:

kill 12345

This sends a normal termination request and does not change a permanent system setting. If the process does not respond, you can use the more forceful command:

kill -9 PID

Replace PID with the correct process ID. The -9 option immediately terminates the process and does not give it an opportunity to clean up or save data.

End an app by name

You can also use pkill with an exact process name:

pkill -x "App Name"

For example:

pkill -x "TextEdit"

This asks macOS to terminate processes with that exact name. Be especially careful with short or common names, because an incorrect match could close a different process.

Terminal force-quit commands do not create a setting that needs to be reversed. To recover, reopen the app normally. If you used kill without -9, there is no undo command; the process must be launched again.

What to Do After Force Quitting

After the app closes:

Wait a few seconds.
Reopen the app.
Check whether your most recent work was recovered.
If the app offers a recovered document, review it carefully before saving.
Save the document with a new name if you are unsure whether the recovered version is complete.

If the app repeatedly becomes unresponsive, do not keep force quitting it without investigating the cause. Repeated freezes can be related to a damaged document, an incompatible plug-in, insufficient available storage, a problem with the app, or a broader macOS issue.

Troubleshooting

The app will not close after I click Force Quit

Try the following:

Open Force Quit Applications again with Command-Option-Escape.
Select the app and click Force Quit once more.
Use Activity Monitor to find the app and choose Force Quit there.
If the Mac itself is frozen, wait briefly to see whether it recovers.
As a last resort, restart the Mac using its power button.

A forced restart can close every open app and may lose unsaved work across the entire Mac. Use it only when normal controls do not work.

The Force Quit window will not open

Try Apple menu > Force Quit…. If the menu bar does not respond, open Activity Monitor with Spotlight if possible.

If neither the keyboard shortcut nor the Apple menu works, the problem may affect the whole system rather than one app.

The app reopens but freezes again

Try these steps:

Quit the app normally if it responds.
Reopen the affected document or file.
Disconnect recently connected accessories or external drives.
Check that your Mac has sufficient available storage.
Remove or disable recently installed app extensions or plug-ins.
Try opening a different document to determine whether one file is causing the problem.
Restart the Mac normally.

If only one app continues to freeze, check the app developer’s support documentation for repair, reset, or update instructions. Avoid deleting app support files unless you know what they contain, because doing so may remove settings or locally stored data.

The Mac is slow, but no app says “Not Responding”

Open Activity Monitor and review the CPU, Memory, and Energy tabs. A high resource reading does not automatically mean that a process is safe to close. Use the information to identify which app is consuming resources, then quit that app normally if possible.

I accidentally force quit the wrong app

Reopen it and check for document recovery. Some apps automatically restore recent work, but recovery is not guaranteed. Any unsaved changes may be permanently lost.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the shortcut to force quit an app on a Mac?

Press Command-Option-Escape. Select the app in the Force Quit Applications window, click Force Quit, and confirm.

Does force quitting delete an app?

No. Force quitting closes the running app. It does not normally uninstall the app or delete its saved files.

Will force quitting lose my work?

It can. Any changes that were not saved before the app was force quit may be lost. Always try to save normally before force quitting when the app still responds.

Should I force quit an app that is taking a long time to respond?

Not immediately. Some tasks, such as opening a large file or processing media, can take time. Wait briefly if the app appears to be working. If it remains frozen and does not respond to clicks or keyboard input, force quitting may be appropriate.

Can I force quit Finder?

Yes. Open the Apple menu, choose Force Quit…, select Finder, and click Relaunch. Finder is handled differently from most apps because it is part of the macOS desktop experience. Relaunching Finder can close or refresh Finder windows, but it does not shut down the entire Mac.

What is the difference between quitting and force quitting?

Quitting normally allows an app to save data and close cleanly. Force quitting terminates the app immediately when it cannot close normally. Force quitting is more disruptive and may cause unsaved work to be lost.

Is Activity Monitor safer than Terminal?

For most users, yes. Activity Monitor provides a visible list of processes and clear controls. Terminal is powerful but requires you to identify the correct process and enter commands accurately. Use the regular Force Quit Applications window whenever it can close the app.

Final Thoughts

The quickest way to force quit an unresponsive Mac app is Command-Option-Escape. You can also choose Apple menu > Force Quit…, use Activity Monitor for processes that are harder to locate, or use Terminal only when you understand the command and the process it will terminate. Because force quitting can discard unsaved changes, try normal quitting first whenever the app still responds.