How to Force-Quit on Mac: 5 Ways to Close Frozen Apps
Force-quitting is the fastest way to close a frozen app, whether you use Option + Command + Escape, the Apple menu, Dock, Activity Monitor, or Terminal. If your entire Mac is frozen and no apps respond, hold the power button for 10 seconds to force shut down. To prevent future freezes, keep macOS and apps updated and check Activity Monitor for resource-heavy background processes when your Mac feels slow.
This article was originally written in June 2024 and has since been updated with new discoveries and research in May 2026.
Mac users know that few things are as frustrating as the spinning beach ball of death. When an app freezes on your Mac, there’s a quick solution: press Option + Command + Escape to open the Force Quit window fast. But that’s not the only method to force-quit Mac apps: you can also close frozen apps from the Apple menu, Dock, Activity Monitor, or Terminal.
This article explains each of these methods, plus gives you tips for what to do when your Mac is frozen.
Press Option + Command + Escape to open the Force Quit window, select the unresponsive app, and click Force Quit.
You can also force-quit from the Apple menu, the Dock, Activity Monitor, or Terminal. If your entire Mac is frozen, hold the power button for 10 seconds to force a restart.
Force-quit on Mac with a keyboard shortcut
When you want to force-quit Mac apps, the keyboard shortcut is simple:
- Press Option + Command + Escape at the same time. Remember, Option is the equivalent of the Alt key on a Mac.
- Select the app that is not responding.
- Click Force Quit.
That’s it. The frozen app should close, and you can reopen it when you’re ready.
Force-quit on Mac using the Apple menu
You can also force-quit an app from the Apple menu.
Follow these steps:
- Click the Apple logo in the upper-left corner of your screen.
- Click Force Quit.
- Select the app that is not responding.
- Click Force Quit again to confirm.
The app will close, and you can reopen it to keep working. If your whole screen is frozen, try one of the methods below.
Force-quit from the Dock
For a Dock-visible app, you can force-quit from the Dock. This is another effective way for Mac users to force-quit an app without opening another menu.
Simply right-click or Ctrl-click the app icon in the Dock, hold Option, then click Force Quit to force close the Mac app, and reopen it if needed.
Force-quit with Activity Monitor (Mac's Task Manager)
Activity Monitor on Mac is the closest equivalent to Windows Task Manager. It lets you force-quit apps and check CPU, memory, energy, disk, and network usage when you need to troubleshoot what is slowing down your Mac.
Here’s how:
- Open Activity Monitor with Spotlight by pressing Command + Space, typing “Activity Monitor,” and pressing Return. You can also open it from Finder > Applications > Utilities.
- In the Process Name list, select the app or process that is not responding.
- Click the Stop button, which looks like an X at the top of the Activity Monitor window.
- Click Force Quit to close the app.
This method is especially helpful when you are not sure which app is causing the problem, because Activity Monitor, available on Mac, can show which processes are using the most CPU or memory.
Force-quit using the terminal
You can also force-quit an app from Terminal. Open Terminal, type killall [AppName], and press Return. For example, type killall Safari.
For more control, you can use kill [PID] if you know the app’s process ID from Activity Monitor. Just remember: force-quitting from Terminal closes the app immediately, so any unsaved work will be lost.
What to do when your entire Mac is frozen
When no apps respond, and your cursor will not move, you may need to force restart your Mac. Hold the power button for 10 seconds to force-shut down the Mac, or press Control + Command + Power to restart.
After your Mac turns back on, check for macOS updates and run a disk check with Disk Utility > First Aid to make sure the freeze did not point to a bigger issue.
Why do apps freeze on a Mac?
Apps can freeze for a few reasons:
- Your Mac is low on RAM.
- The app or macOS is outdated. Keep in mind that studies show outdated OSs and vulnerable apps can create security risks.
- Background processes are using too much CPU.
- Your Mac is running low on disk space.
A quick restart can clear a one-off issue, but if apps keep freezing, check Activity Monitor for resource-heavy processes and delete files or apps you no longer need. We recommend using Parallels Toolbox to clean up junk files, delete temporary files, and remove unused applications so your Mac has more room to work.
Get your Mac moving again
Force-quitting is the fastest way to close a frozen app, whether you use Option + Command + Escape, the Apple menu, Dock, Activity Monitor, or Terminal. To prevent future freezes, restart your Mac regularly, keep macOS and apps updated, and check Activity Monitor when your Mac feels slow.
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FAQs
What does force-quit actually do on a Mac?
Force-quit immediately terminates the app’s process without saving or closing cleanly. It is different from a normal quit, like Command + Q, which gives the app time to save your work and shut down properly.
Why is my Mac frozen, and I can't click anything?
If your cursor will not move and no app responds, your Mac may have run out of available RAM, or a system-level process may have crashed. Try pressing Control + Command + Power button to force restart your Mac.
How do I shut down a Mac that is not responding?
Hold the power button for 10 seconds to force-shut down an unresponsive Mac. On MacBooks with Touch ID, press and hold the Touch ID button, which also works as the power button.
Can I force-quit Finder on Mac?
You cannot fully quit Finder, but you can relaunch it. Open the Force Quit window, select Finder, then click Relaunch if Finder is slow or unresponsive.
Will I lose my work if I force-quit an app?
You may lose unsaved changes when you force-quit an app. Apps with auto-save, like Pages or Word, may recover most of your work, but apps without auto-save can lose everything since your last manual save.
