How to Force Quit Application on Mac in 6 Ways [The Ultimate Guide]

Why does the Application Freeze?

Before proceeding with the guide on force quitting an app on Mac, let’s see why an application may freeze.

If an app on your Mac is stuck, it could be due to a variety of factors:

• The hitting of your Mac is caused by prolonged use of the CPU and GPU.
• RAM restriction.
• An issue with the application itself (glitches or the app not responding).

Monitoring your Mac’s active programs with the Activity Monitor utility will help you better understand your system’s activity threshold.

Quitting or forcing troubled programs to shut down before relaunching them is an effective way to resolve app freezing and unresponsiveness. Restart your Mac if the entire system freezes.

How to Force Quit Application on Mac?

There are 6 ways to force quit on Mac:

I. Use the Apple Menu

To force quit on your Mac, click on the Apple Menu:

1. In the drop-down menu, there will be a Force Quit option > select it.
2. After that, you will see a window with a list of currently running applications.
3. Choose the needed application and click Force Quit.

II. Use Hot Keys

The combination of ⌘Command + ⌥Option + Esc keys opens a window for forced termination of running programs. The presented list shows currently running applications. If the message “does not answer” appears in any line with an application, feel free to click on it, highlighting the frozen app. In complex cases, there may not be a message. In this case, you will have to call on observation to help you figure out the correct application that keeps being stuck.

To use hotkeys to force quit an app on Mac, do the following:

1. Press and hold ⌘ (Command) + ⌥ (Option) + Esc keys.

2. In the window that appeared, select the needed application.
3. Press and hold ⌘Command + ⌥Option (Alt) + ⇧Shift + Esc keys.

III. Force Quit an App from the Dock

1. Hover the mouse over the icon of the stuck app in the Dock.
2. Press and hold the ⌥ Option (Alt) key on the keyboard.
3. Click on the Force Quit option.

4. The Application will automatically exit without confirmation.

IV. Use Terminal

The transition from the window interface to the console interface is a more complex level of interaction with macOS. However, it is an effective solution if the problem is serious and the previous methods did not bring any results. The system utility directory contains the Terminal app.

To open Terminal:

1. Go to Finder.
2. Open the Applications folder.
3. Then select the Utilities folder.
4. Choose Terminal.

In the window that opens, type the command “top” and press the Return key. This way, we guide the Mac to generate and show a brief report on its current state, including a report on what programs are running and how they behave.

Next to the program name you are looking for, is its digital PID (a number used by most macOS operating system kernels) — that’s what we need. In the old way, we rewrite it in a notebook or take pictures with a camera.

Press the Q key (it closes the list and moves the cursor to an empty line). The system is now ready to receive new instructions and deal with the problematic application.

Then type the command “kill” and write the PID of the needed app after space. For example, we need to stop the process symptoms, and its PID is 296, so the needed command will be “kill 296”.

If the system doesn’t respond, you can harden the command by typing “sudo kill -9 296”.

V. Use Activity Monitor

Activity monitor is a system tool for advanced users that works as an extended menu version with a list of running programs.  

To open Activity Monitor:

1. Go to Finder.
2. Open the Applications folder.
3. Then select the Utilities folder.
4. Choose Activity Monitor.

When the Activity Monitor is open, look for the stuck application in the Process Name column, click on it, and click on the End Process button. This way, you’ll force quit that frozen app.

This process unloads software from RAM and frees up system resources on the Mac.

VI. Force a Shutdown on Your Mac

If none of the above methods helped to force quit an app on your Mac, try to force a shutdown of your computer.

To do that:

• Press and hold the Command + Control + Power keys (Touch ID‌ / Eject button, depending on the Mac model) until the screen blacks out and the Mac restarts.

Pro Tip: In case you lost your personal files during the process, you can recover lost files on your Mac by using data recovery software such as Stellar Data Recovery Professional. It is an easy-to-use tool that will help you retrieve your files.

Follow the instruction below to recover lost data:

1. Download & install Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac software.

2. After installing the application, launch it and select the type of data you want to recover (photos, videos, documents, etc.). You can recover all or just the data you need.

3. Next, you’ll be required to select the location from which you want to recover the selected files.

4. When the scan is finished, the files that can be retrieved will be displayed. Choose which ones you require.

5. The final step is to select the target folder on your Mac and begin the recovery procedure.

Wrapping Up

We hope you’ve found the most convenient way to force quit apps on your Mac. Don’t forget to restart your Mac to minimize the number of apps freezing frequently, and install Stellar Data Recovery to keep your personal files safe.

Read more:

• 6 Ways to Fix Kernel_Task High CPU Usage on Mac Issue
• 9 Ways to Solve SSD not Erasing/Mounting on Mac
• Solve “File System Verify or Repair Failed” on Mac

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About The Author

Ruslana Lishchuk

Ruslana is a tech content writer whose true passion is finding out about everything Mac-related. She specializes in creating macOS guides and tips & tricks. In her spare time, you’ll find her doing yoga or discovering local coffee shops in search of the best filter coffee.