Are you seeing the infamous spinning beachball of death? Has an application become unresponsive and needs to be closed? There could be too many processes running at once, or you have not one but two or three problematic apps that are putting too much pressure on your hardware. Luckily there is a very simple way to force-quit all apps, and in fact we can even show you how to quit apps in six different ways.
- Next, click on the unresponsive App in the Application Manager and then click on the blue Force Quit button to close the unresponsive app. Depending on the App that you are quitting, you may see a pop-up asking to confirm that you do want to Force Quit the App. Tap on the blue Force Quit button to quit from the unresponsive App. Force Quit Apps On Mac Using Apple Menu Bar.
- The Simple Method to Force Quit Apps. The first, and simplest, way to try and force quit an app when it’s misbehaving is to use the Finder in macOS. To do this, just click the Apple icon at top-left corner of the desktop, then select “Force Quit” from the list. This will bring up the “Force Quit Applications” box.
- Quitting apps on your Mac. Although you could technically leave all your apps open in the background due to the macOS power efficiency abilities, quitting your unused apps is a good idea if you’re not going to need to use them again for a while.
- Step 2: Choose Apps to Close & Keep Open. Through the list of actions shown in the middle window, find 'Quit All Applications,' then double-click it to create a window on the right side of Automator.
The Difference Between Quit and Force Quit
Force Quit is usually used to close an app that has stopped responding completely and prevents quitting the app normally. To quit (close) the app, you simply need to press Command + Q to choose Quit from the app's menu in the menu bar. A normal closure of the app will display a prompt (if needed) to save any changes you have made and will quit only after answering this prompt. That option disappears when you force the app to quit, similar to choosing “End Task” in the Control Panel after pressing Control + Alt + Delete on a PC.
Six Ways to Quit an App in Any Version of macOS
- Use a keyboard shortcut: hit Command + Option + Escape to bring up the “Force Quit Applications” window, and select the faulty app.
- An advanced version of the key combination without bringing up the aforementioned window: hit Command + Option + Shift + Escape. You might need to hold down those keys for a second or two.
- Use the Option + Right Click trick on the targeted app's dock icon to bring up the “Force Quit” option, and select it to kill the app.
- From the Apple menu: hold down the Shift key while clicking on the Apple menu, and you'll see “Force Quit [application name] in the drop down menu. This isn’t the most effective method, however, as unresponsive apps may have inaccessible menus.
- Use Activity Monitor: if you keep an eye on your Mac's resource hog, Activity Monitor is the best tool to spot unresponsive apps and quit them. Launch Activity Monitor if you haven't already done so and, in the CPU tab, select the process that is using most of the processor's resources and click the “Quit Process” button.
- Use Terminal: this may be the preferred method for advanced Mac users, but it's easy to get used to once you have got the taste for working with Terminal. If you have tried all the above without success, you can always turn to Terminal and type the following command:
Sometimes it's best to quit all of your open Mac apps, be it for troubleshooting, to free up system resources, or just to prepare to log off at the end of the day. If you have many open apps, however, it can be a pain to close them one-by-one. A solution is to use the power of Automator to create a small app that will close everything for you in one click. Here's how to do it.
killall [processname]
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Some Mac optimization apps such as CleanMyMac include a handy system monitoring features. Since it keeps an eye on your system, CleanMyMac notifies the user if it spots an unresponsive app and offers to quit it via the notifications window.
How to Quit All Open Apps at Once
macOS includes a very handy feature called Automator, which is used in this trick to close all running applications. And it can also be tweaked by adding exceptions.
- Launch Automator by typing its name into Spotlight, and hit return when you see it in the search suggestions.
- Hit Command + N to initiate a new action.
- Choose to create a new “Application”.
- In the search box, type “quit”, then drag and drop the “Quit all applications” into the right side of the app window.
- Hit “Save”, and name it something like “Quit All Open Apps”.
With this you have created a new app with a single purpose: to quit all apps. The best part of all is that you can fine tune it by adding exceptions. In our example, the exception was Spotify. Hide app extension mac. Isn't that fun?
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Sep 28, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
'I was working on a Photoshop project and suddenly my Mac is stuck. It is not responding to the usual commands. So, how do I force quit my Mac? Please help me to fix the problem!'
Even though Mac and OS X have a reputation for being the best software and hardware combination, they still have normal issues. Whenever a Mac application misbehaves, force quit can fix the problem. The application gets stuck when it enters an infinite loop, or about to crash. It is not an ideal solution to force close Mac but it doesn't really cause any harm to the app either.
So, in this article, we will learn the various methods that can tell you to force quit Mac. Take a look at the methods and try if your apps are also misbehaving.
Part 1. Is It Bad to Force Quit on Mac?
Generally, people say that force quit the app on Mac harm the application. But you wouldn't say that if you know the meaning and process of force quit.
Force quit means to force an unresponsive computer program to shut down by using a specific feature of the system like keystrokes, or other commands. It simply forces a frozen application to quit just like killing the symptoms when you try to cure a virus. Thus, the application shuts down and prevents some serious damage to the system. Youtube mp3 app mac.
The most imminent reason to try force close app method is the lack of sufficient RAM on the system. With not enough computer memory to operate the system optimally, if you open numerous applications at the same time, the resource utilization decline and the app becomes unresponsive. As a result, you'll have to force quit the application. But if you don't know the method properly, then you will get stuck with a frozen screen and might have to wait for hours to close the app.
So, in the next section, we will discover 'How do you force a Mac to shut down?'
Part 1. How to Force Shut Down Mac?
How To Quit All Mac Apps At Once Together
You will need to force shut down Mac when It stops responding completely. Usually, when the users don't know how to force close Mac they end up making the problem worse. Hence, there is no other option left than shutting the whole system down.
While you are trying to force shut-down Mac, take care of the following things:
![How to quit all programs on mac How to quit all programs on mac](/uploads/1/3/4/0/134052043/131990686.png)
- Close most of the programs which are running on Mac before force shut-down.
- Save the files which you need because force close won't save them.
- If some of the features are still working, prefer using them and avoiding shut-down.
- Force shut down will make the system vulnerable to corruption and serious internal hardware damage too.
Unless, you can't do anything, choosing a force shutdown is not recommended. But sometimes, the hard reset is the only option. To force shut down Mac, follow the steps below:
- Press the Power button of your Mac and hold it for 5 to 10 seconds.
- Wait for a minute and then reboot the Mac normally.
If this method doesn't work, you can try disconnecting the Mac from the power supply manually.
Part 2. How to Force Quit Application on Mac?
If the problem is not that drastic, then you can always try simply force quitting an application. As many of the users don't really know how to force quit apple Mac application, we are providing you a detailed guide for the process.
1. When to Force Quit Program on Mac?
The only reason to use the force quit method is that your Mac doesn't have sufficient RAM. Or maybe, you don't handle the system well. As you run out of the memory space to utilize the app's resources, the applications become unresponsive. RAM is, after all, a physical workbench for the system. When you have enough RAM space, the applications will work perfectly. Once you run out of the memory, the system will suffer with you to run the programs well.
In this situation, the only plausible solution you'll have is to force close programs on Mac to exit it. However, the force quit will erase the work you've been doing in the application. But at least your device will start working which is enough. So, don't regret losing the data and files as the Mac system will be saved.
2. 5 Ways to Force Quit Program on Mac
As there are several methods to carry out the task, we have explained every method in detail to help you fix the issue on your Mac.
I. Use Apple Menu to Force Stop on Mac:
The easiest method that you can use for this is to force quit apple Mac using the Apple Menu. It is a conventional way to close the frozen programs on Mac.
- Click on the Apple icon on the top left corner of the screen. There you will see the Force Quit option.
- Tap on the option and a window will appear where you'll see the running apps. Choose the app which you want to close and hit the Force Quit option at the bottom of the window.
This will close the application immediately and you will be able to use the Mac freely.
![Force quit app mac os Force quit app mac os](/uploads/1/3/4/0/134052043/342724171.jpg)
Another force action: how to force empty trash on Mac.
II. Use Apple Menu to Force Stop on Mac:
Another thing that you can try out in such cases is using the Keyboard shortcut. The force quit Mac shortcut will instantly close the running app; you only have to follow the steps below:
- Press the Command + Option + Escape key at the same time and the Force Quit window will appear on the screen.
- Choose the app which is not responding and hit the Force Quit option to close the app.
You can relaunch the app after a few minutes to make sure that it doesn't exhibit the same problem again.
III. Use the Dock to Force Quit Applications:
Many Mac users don't know that they can exit an application from Dock too. This way, you can easily force quit application on Mac.
- Press the Option key on the keyboard or use right-click on the application present in the dock.
- Choose the Force Quit option from the menu and the app will be closed.
When you are using this method, if you get a warning to save the file opening in the app, it means you didn't choose the right option. During the force quit, there will be no warning and hence you'll lose the unsaved data or changes you made in the file.
IV. Use Activity Monitor to Force Close APP:
The Activity Monitor in Mac is just like the Task Manager function in Windows PC. When you open the Activity Monitor, you will get information about the current status of your Mac, the running applications, and the resources. And the good thing is that it also allows you to force a quit program on Mac. You can access the Ctrl + Alt + Delete alternate function in Mac using the steps below:
- Press the Command + Space keys on the keyboard and it will open the Spotlight search window for you. Type Activity Monitor and press the Enter key when it is highlighted.
- The Activity Monitor will appear on the screen and you will see the running applications on the screen. Choose the app which is misbehaving and click on the Force a process to quit option on the left side.
The option appears as a cross sign. When you click on it, the program will force close and you can relaunch it after some time.
V. Use Force Quit Command on Mac:
The Activity Monitor in Mac is just like the Task Manager function in Windows PC. When you open the Activity Monitor, you will get information about the current status of your Mac, the running applications, and the resources. And the good thing is that it also allows you to force a quit program on Mac. You can access the Ctrl + Alt + Delete alternate function in Mac using the steps below:
- To use the Command line to close the running applications, you will need the app's Process ID (PID). It is a numeric value that OS X uses to keep a track of the programs. You can find the PID in Activity Monitor. The PID will be listed in a column.
- Launch the Terminal and type the command as- killall [application name] or PID and hit the Enter key.
Keep in mind that force quit command on Mac works on a system level. So, when you use this command, the autosave option will be disabled and you'll lose the important unsaved data.
What If Force Quit Mac Not Working?
If force quit on Mac is not working then you will have to opt for the force shutdown option. The forced reboot will kill the running programs and you will be able to access your Mac again. Simply press the Power button and Mac will shut down. Wait for few seconds and again press the power key to turn it on.
Since it is the RAM that is causing this issue, you'll have to increase the RAM to avoid this issue in the future. But the last option you have left is force shut down. And it will also erase all the unsaved data files from the memory. Thus, you will need the help of a tool that can perform Mac data recovery.
Part 3. How to Force Quit Mac Without Losing Data?
If you don't want to lose data when you are using force quit on MacBook, then we have the perfect solution for you. The tool we are providing you will make sure that even when you use the above methods, there will be no data loss. Take a look at Recoverit-Mac Data Recovery Software.
Free Download Mac Data Recovery Software:
The one and only tool that can assure you won't lose any data are RecoveritData Recovery for Mac. After you force quit an app on Mac, data loss is inevitable. But that doesn't mean that you can't get the lost or deleted files back on your device. Recoverit is an easy, fast, and reliable data recovery method.
To get the data files back on your Mac, you will have to download and install the software on your Mac at first. So, if you use force quit command on Mac and lost data, then follow the steps given below:
Step 1: Select a Location
Run the program and specify a location from where the files were deleted. In case you don't know where the files were located, choose the 'I can't find my partition' and hit the Start button.
Step 2: Scan the Location
The software will scan the drive and display the results on the screen sorted out according to their format. You can also pause the scan at any time.
Step 3: Preview and Recover
You can select any file and have a preview of the file before recovery. Select as many files as you want to recover and finally tap on the Recover option at the bottom of the screen.
Pay attention to the location where the files are saved. Don't save the files in their previous location as it might corrupt them again.
Conclusion
In this article, you learned how to force close Mac with easy and simple methods. Along with this, you find out that there is a tool that is simple and effective in data recovery. So, if you experience any similar issue in the future, you know what you can do to resolve the issue. Make sure that you let others know as well that Recoverit can help them to retrieve deleted data from their device.
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