It happens to all Mac users at some point - an ap­plic­a­tion 'freezes' and can no longer be quit in the usual manner. The main reason is usually an over­loaded RAM. Or in other words, in­suf­fi­cient computer memory to run the ap­plic­a­tions that are open, including open browser tabs. We'll show you how to force quit a Mac program quickly.

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Quick guide: force quit on Mac

Beware: When forcing programs to close, data may be lost!

Method 1:

  • Quit an ap­plic­a­tion in the fore­ground with the [CMD] + [Q] shortcut.
  • Al­tern­at­ively, click on the app name in the menu bar at the top and select 'Quit [app name]'.

Method 2:

  • Select the Apple menu from the top left.
  • Click 'Force quit'.
  • Select ap­plic­a­tion to force quit from the menu window.

Method 3:

  • Use the shortcut [CMD] + [OPTION] + [ESC].
  • Select ap­plic­a­tion to force quit from menu.

Method 4:

  • Open Activity Monitor: Search with [CMD] + SPACEBAR or via Spotlight (mag­ni­fy­ing glass icon in the upper right corner).
  • Select ap­plic­a­tion from menu.
  • Close with the cross icon in the upper left corner.

Method 1: Quit program

Before you force quit an ap­plic­a­tion on a Mac, wait a few minutes and try to quit it in the usual way. This gives you a chance to the save your content before closing the ap­plic­a­tion. When doing so ensure that the cor­res­pond­ing ap­plic­a­tion is in the fore­ground, i.e. displayed at the top left of the menu bar next to the Apple icon. Now enter the key com­bin­a­tion [CMD] + [Q] to close the program.

Instead of using a shortcut, Mac users can also click on the app name in the menu bar at the top. A drop-down menu opens with the option 'Quit XYZ'.

Note

Use the following methods to force quit a program. This fixes issues such as frozen ap­plic­a­tions, but unsaved files and data may be lost.

Method 2: Force quit via Apple menu

If the ap­plic­a­tion isn’t re­spond­ing and you cannot quit it as per method 1, you can force quit the Mac program following these steps:

  1. Ensure that the ap­plic­a­tion you wish to force quit is in the fore­ground and click on the Apple symbol in the menu bar at the top left.
  2. Select 'Force Quit…' from the dropdown menu.
  3. Select the ap­plic­a­tion you want to shut down and click on 'Force Quit'.
Image: Force quitting on a Mac: Force quit program via Apple menu bar
Click on the Apple icon and then on “Force Quit”.
Tip

If you’re not sure which ap­plic­a­tion is slowing down your Mac, look for the programs that have a 'Not re­spond­ing' notice displayed next to them.

Method 3: Force quit Mac ap­plic­a­tion via shortcut

If you prefer Mac shortcuts or if your mouse or trackpad does not respond anymore, method 2 can also be executed via a key com­bin­a­tion.

Press the key com­bin­a­tion [CMD] + [OPTION] + [ESC]. This launches the Mac task manager. Select the frozen ap­plic­a­tion in the dialogue box as per method 2, and then click 'Force Quit'.

Tip

Mac shortcuts are not only useful to force quit ap­plic­a­tions. Different keyboard shortcuts can save time if you fre­quently execute the same commands in your workflow.

Method 4: Force quit Mac ap­plic­a­tion via Activity Monitor

Where several ap­plic­a­tions are frozen or you want to check which program is causing the issue, it’s best to check in the Activity Monitor. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Press the key com­bin­a­tion [CMD] + SPACEBAR or click on Spotlight (the mag­ni­fy­ing glass icon) in the top right corner of your display.
  2. Enter 'Activity Monitor' into the search bar and hit Enter.
Image: Force quitting on a Mac: Open Activity Monitor via Spotlight
Enter “Activity Monitor” via Spotlight search bar and hit enter.
  1. Select the ap­plic­a­tions you wish to terminate.
  2. Click on the cross to the upper left if you want to force quit the selected Mac ap­plic­a­tion.
Image: Force quitting on a Mac: Force quit via Activity Monitor
Select the ap­plic­a­tion and then click on the cross icon in the upper left corner.

Last resort: re­start­ing the Mac

If frozen ap­plic­a­tions do not respond and cannot be ter­min­ated using one of the methods described above, you can force a restart of the Mac. To do this, hold down the [CTRL] + [CMD] + On/Off keys. Please note that unsaved data and files may be lost.

Tip

If one or more ap­plic­a­tions keep freezing, there might be a system error. In this case, you may wish to restart your Mac in recovery mode to restore a specific system version.

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