5 Ways to Force Quit an App on Mac

If you’re trying to use an app on your Mac and run into the endlessly spinning beach ball cursor, it can lead to frustration. Quickly. Frozen or unresponsive apps can stop you in your tracks as you’re forced to wait until the app finally rights itself or you take intervening actions. You’re in luck, though.

Here are 5 easy methods on how to force quit an app on Mac with steps for each one. 

1. Force Quit Using The Keyboard Shortcut

One of the simplest methods to force quit an app on Mac is using your keyboard. Here’s how: 

1. Press and hold the Command, Option, and Escape keys at the same time: Command + Option + Esc
2. A Force Quit applications window will appear
3. Select the app that’s being troublesome
4. Click the Force Quit box
   

2. Force Quit Using The Dock

The Mac Dock is home to common apps and will automatically be located at the bottom of your screen, but it can also be moved to the left or right side. Mac’s Dock menu is a useful place to access frequently used applications and is also a great way to force quit an app. Here’s how: 

1. Go to the Dock and find the app that’s frozen
   
2. Right click the app icon while holding the Option key (Alt). You can also just click and hold the app icon
3. The app menu will give you the option to Force Quit
   
   

3. Force Quit From The Apple Menu

Another easy way to access apps is through the Apple menu. Here are the steps: 

1. Select the Apple logo on the upper left corner of your screen
2. A pop-up menu will appear. Choose Force Quit
   
   
3. The same Force Quit Applications menu from before will appear that was in the keyboard shortcut instructions
4. Select the app you want to quit
5. Click Force Quit

4. Force Quit With The Terminal

This tactic is more involved than the other Mac force quit shortcut methods we’ve covered so far. Using Terminal will let you force quit through the command line. Here’s what to do: 

1. Select the Launchpad icon on the Dock
2. Type Terminal in the search box
   
3. Click Terminal
4. The command line window will appear
5. Type: killall [name of the application] A real-life example of this would be something like killall Safari
6. Push the Return key and your app will shut down

Things to note: 

• When you type the app name, use a capital letter
• If the app is two or more words, put the app name in quotation marks
• Be aware that you may lose anything that isn’t saved

5. Force Quit By Using Activity Monitor

Mac’s Activity Monitor app is useful for seeing various statuses such as CPU or disk usage. It’s also a way to force quit an app. Here are the steps: 

1. Use Launchpad to access the Activity Monitor app
2. The Activity Monitor will open, showing all the current processes running
3. In this list, select the app you want to force quit. Note: Unresponsive apps will show (Not Responding) next to them
4. Once the app is selected, click the circled X symbol on the upper part of the Activity Monitor window
   
5. A pop-up will appear, saying Are you sure you want to quit this process?
6. Choose Force Quit

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is a force quit on Mac?

When an app is being unresponsive, it can cause things to freeze or stop working. Sometimes quitting an app the usual way is not possible with such disruptions. Force quit makes the app close, giving you a fresh start. Just be aware that your data won’t be saved if you force quit an app. 

Can you force quit on Mac when the computer is frozen?

Usually, but not always. If your Mac is frozen, try using the keyboard shortcut Command + Option + Esc 

From there, choose the app you want to close from the Force Quit window. If your Mac won’t allow you any cursor movement or interactions, you may have to hold the power button until it turns off, then turn it back on and see if that fixes things.  

What can you do with an unresponsive Mac? 

You can try any of the methods above to force quit an app on Mac, and hope that it’s just an application that is the culprit. Other troubleshooting steps include: 

• Rebooting your computer
• Checking for Viruses
• Unplug all accessories (like USBs, printers, etc) and reboot
• Make sure power sources are working
• Uninstall any apps that are causing repeated problems
• Free up disc space by uninstalling apps that you don’t use
• Do a software update in case of any bugs or glitches that may need fixing
• Take your Mac in to be serviced