How to Perform App Force Quit on Windows

Have you ever tried to use a program on your Windows PC and received a NOT RESPONDING message in the program’s title bar?

Even worse, tapping the big X, or the Minimize bar does not work.

Sometimes, luck might be on your side. After the program greys out, Windows may give you either of these options: Wait for the Program to respond or Close the Program (End Now).

But you might not always be lucky, and your only option is to quit the program. This article will teach you how to force quit on a PC.

There are two ways in which you can force quit programs on Windows:

Force Quitting using the Task ForceQuit Pro 2 or using the Windows Task Manager.

How to Force quit a frozen PC app with Task ForceQuit Pro 2

This is the best way to force quit on Windows. The Task ForceQuit Pro 2 is relatively easy to use. Another advantage is that it helps to stop programs running in the background easily.

Some programs are frozen and locked such that even your Windows OS cannot detect them, and they are left running in the background.

Task ForceQuit Pro 2 is the best task manager for your PC. It gives an overview of all programs running in the background, from where you can easily close the programs you are not using.

As I said, Task ForceQuit Pro is relatively easy to use when you are trying to force quit programs without rebooting your Windows PC.

Just follow the quick steps below.

Step 1. Download the Task ForceQuit Pro

Download and install the app by using the banner below. The process is similar to any other app.

Step 2. Click Open the Downloaded extension, and follow the installation prompts

Task ForceQuit Pro 2 is now ready to use!

Once you have installed the application, open it. Once open, you will see that there is a lot of things that you can do.

You can choose from the following:

• Restart any program from the list,
• Force quit any running program from the list
• Restart the Windows Explorer’s Extension
• Restart your PC
• Shut Down the PC

Pros of using Task ForceQuit Pro

1) One click to close just any running Windows Task

Using the Task Force Quit Pro is relatively easier than using the Windows Task Manager because closing or quitting an App is just one click away. More so, you won’t worry about closing important programs or killing important processes.

2) Provides you with the ability to manage processes better and more easily

Using the Task ForceQuit Pro 2, you can easily optimize your CPU by quitting programs that you aren’t using. More so, from the Task ForceQuit Pro, you can easily restart programs, restart or reboot your PC, and even shut down your PC. This will greatly help to boost your CPU.

The app suggests programs to close, helping to free up RAM and reduce CPU load.

3) You can use it as an Apps and process killer

The Task ForceQuit Pro 2 comes in handy when you need more RAM. It lists all apps running in the background and suggests Apps that you can close. It can work as a great task killer, App Killer, and generally quick process killer.

4) Has a Clear and Easy to Use Interface

Compared to the Windows Task Manager, Task ForceQuit Pro 2 has a clear and intuitive interface that is very easy to use. It gives a list of running Apps, with a restart button and a force quit button next to each app on the list.

But pay attention: the app isn't free. You can access it and all other Softorino apps with a $3.33-month subscription for a year plan.

Nonetheless, with the pros of using this App, the cost is relatively cheap.

How to force close a program using Windows Task Manager

An unresponsive program can be closed by bringing it to the foreground and then pressing ALT+ F4. However, if this trick does not work, you will have to use the long way, which is closing the program via the window’s task manager.

Follow the below easy steps:

Step 1. Open Task Manager

You can achieve this by a quick press of CTRL+ SHIFT+ ESC. If this shortcut fails to work, depending on the windows version you are using, right-click on the Desktop Taskbar.

In the Pop-up menu, select Start Task Manager or Task Manager.

Step 2. Find the program that you want to close

If you are using Windows 7, Vista, or XP, the program is located in the Applications Tab. Right-click the Applications Tab; from the pop-up menu, select Go To Process.

If you are using Windows 8 or higher, the program is listed in the Name Column (in case you are using Windows 10, it will probably be under the Apps heading).

To access the Name Column (Apps heading), Click the Processes Tab. If the Processes Tab is not visible, open the Task Manager to full view, or simply scroll to the bottom of the Task Manager Window and click More Details.

Many people opt to Click End Task at this stage. Although this is perfectly fine, I would advise you against doing it since you might not kill processes that were started by the program.

Continue to the following step, for a better effective way of force quitting a program and killing processes started by and connected to the program.

Step 3. End Process Tree

Right-click the highlighted item, and select End Process Tree. For Windows 7 Task manager, Vista task manager and XP task manager, you are in the Processes Tab, while for Windows 8 and 10 you are in the Details Tab.

Once you select the End Process Tree, a warning will appear. There is an End Process Tree button, at the bottom of the warning, click it.

Windows Process Explorer can also be a great companion at this juncture since it shows a list of all current active processes, which accounts own them, and the handles that the processes have opened.

Step 4. Hurray! Close the Task Manager

No, I am not going to discriminate against people who use Mac OS.

Since I have already described ways to force quit on windows, Let me be a little considerate and show Mac OS users some of the tricks they can use to force quit programs.

How to Force Quit A Program on Mac OS

If you have an unresponsive App, and you are not sure on how to force quit an App on Mac OS, you can use the following four most convenient and easiest ways.

1) Keyboard Shortcut

This is the easiest way. Just press Command-Option-Escape, and Hurrah!

2) Dock

If you have parked an App’s icon in the Dock, you can easily force quit it. Just follow these easy steps below.

Right-click on the icon of the App in the Dock > Press the Option Key > The Quit Menu items will turn into Force Quit > Press the Force Quit button.

3) Apple Menu

To access Force Quit from your Apple Menu:

On the Upper left corner, click the Apple icon. Then, select Force Quit from the list that pops up.

A Force Quit Applications window opens, and it has a list of all running Applications. Highlight the Application you want to Quit and, finally, click the Force Quit Button.

4)Activity Monitor

The Activity Monitor monitors the resource consumed by running Applications. To Force Quit an App from the Activity Monitor, highlight the troublesome App. Next, on the upper-left corner of the Activity monitor Window, click the X button. Click the Force Quit Button and voila!

The above are the best ways to force quit unresponsive apps on either a Windows Computer or a Mac Computer.

It is important to note that sometimes programs may take longer to respond if the computer’s processing speed is low. Therefore, it is important that you check whether your computer is running slow.

For users who find iTunes repeatedly freezing, contemplate using the ultimate iTunes Alternatives for Windows & Mac to explore other options that may offer a smoother experience.

Why Your PC May Be Slowing Down

Constant program freezing may indicate low processing power. If your PC frequently lags, consider upgrading its hardware or using tools to manage resources.

Changing folder icons, as shown in how to change folder icons in Windows, can also add some organization to your system, making tasks feel more streamlined.

Conclusion

Nobody likes waiting for a slow computer to perform even the simplest tasks. And sometimes you have no other choice but to force quite the application.

To manage large downloads and other memory-intensive tasks, check out the best YouTube video downloader app for Windows, which offers efficient performance without excessive RAM usage. With the right tools and steps, you can keep your PC running smoothly.

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