How to Force Quit on a Mac When It’s Frozen [With 5 Proven Solutions]

Dealing with a frozen app can be frustrating, but thankfully, force quitting can solve the issue. Closing problematic apps on a Mac is actually quite simple. In this guide, we'll teach you five tested methods to master force quitting on your Mac when you encounter unresponsive programs.

When your Mac is frozen, how do you force quit? We'll delve into each technique to ensure you have the tools and knowledge to keep your Mac running smoothly in the face of stubborn frozen apps. Here are five proven methods to **force quit** when your Mac is stuck:

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"Force Quit" is a feature on a Mac that lets you manually close unresponsive or frozen apps and processes. Its main purpose is to help you regain control of your system when an app or task becomes unmanageable.

There are a few scenarios where you might need to use the Force Quit feature on your Mac:

• Frozen Mac: Sometimes, your Mac might become completely unresponsive, preventing you from interacting with anything on the screen.
• Alert: Unresponsive App: When an app becomes unresponsive, it doesn't react to your commands, and you can't close it using standard methods.
• Abort: Resource Overload: If you run too many resource-intensive apps at once, your Mac might become sluggish or unresponsive.
• Stop: App Crash: When an app crashes and fails to close properly, it can linger in the background, causing issues.

That said, forcibly terminating a frozen app that has unsaved work might result in lost data.

To avoid this, you can use the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro tool to back up important data before force-quitting any unresponsive apps.

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Backup Your Mac and Never Lose Data

Back up and restore your MacBook/iMac without Time Machine, iCloud, or external hard drives.

In case of accidental data loss, this efficient data recovery tool helps you retrieve lost files, such as documents, photos, videos, and more. This way, you can ensure the safety of your important data and have peace of mind knowing that your information is protected, especially when using the force quit feature.

Install all-in-one backup and restore software on your Mac, and then follow three simple steps to protect your important data:

Step 1: In the main Disk Drill for Mac interface, click “Disk Backup” > “Create Backup” > “Next.” This will create a disk image backup in case any data gets written over.

Step 2. Select the internal drive you want to back up, then click “Create Backup.” If you want to create a backup or restore data from an external hard drive, USB flash drive, or SD card, connect the storage device to your Mac first.

Select the backup disk and click Next.

Step 3: Choose a location to save the backup file, give it a name, then click “Save.” It is not recommended that you save the backup file on the same storage device from which you will be recovering data.

After backing up your Mac data, let's look at five tried-and-true methods to force quit on Mac when it's frozen.

Method 1: Force Quit Mac Apps with Activity Monitor

If you prefer to use a built-in Mac tool to handle force quitting, start with the Activity Monitor, which monitors important system information. Here's how to force quit on a Mac using Activity Monitor:

Step 1: Click on “Applications” > “Utilities.”

Go to Applications > Utilities.

Step 2: Open Activity Monitor.

Step 3: In the “CPU” tab, find the process related to the frozen app. Tap the Stop icon.

Step 4: Select “Force Quit.”

Click “Force Quit” on your Mac

But sometimes, the Force Quit option might not respond; in that case, you should read this article to fix the issue with Force Quit not working.

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How to Fix Force Quit Not Working on Mac [Step-by-Step Guide]

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Method 2: Force Quit a Frozen Mac App from the Apple Menu

If your Mac isn't responding, you need to force quit apps to regain control. First, when your Mac is unresponsive, you need to figure out which app is causing the problem.

If you have multiple apps running, it can be tricky to tell which one is causing the problem, but you can get a clue by watching the cursor. A normal cursor means that the app is responding, but if it's replaced with a spinning rainbow wheel, the app is frozen.

Once you've identified the problematic app, head up to the top of your screen and locate the taskbar. On the far left, you'll see the Apple icon. Click on it to open the menu. Here are the simple steps to force-quit an application on a Mac through the Apple menu:

Step one: Choose Force Quit from the menu.

Step 2: A new window will pop up, showing you all of your open apps. Select the one you want to close. If you need to close multiple apps, hold down "Command" while selecting them.

Step 3: Once the app is highlighted, click “Force Quit.” A warning will appear, letting you know that any unsaved changes made in the application will be lost. Click “Force Quit” again to confirm your choice.

Tap the “Force Stop” button.

Feel free to share this article on social media to help others learn more about how to force quit apps on their Mac when it's being unresponsive.

Method 3: Force Quit a Frozen App from the Mac Dock

How do you force quit Mac apps from the Dock? If you're wondering how, here are some quick steps to follow:

Step 1: Tap the app you want to close, or tap and hold it to open the Dock bar menu.

Step 2: While holding down the “Option (⌥)” key, you should see “Quit” change to “Force Quit.”

Step 3: Tap “Force Stop” to close the app.

If you can't find the Dock on your Mac, don't worry! Read this article to get it back.

Of course, such progress is no guarantee that the poverty reduction will continue.

How to Fix the Missing Dock on macOS Ventura/Monterey/Big Sur

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Method 4: Force Quit Using Keyboard Shortcuts on a Mac

On a Mac, the equivalent of Ctrl+Alt+Delete is "Command+Option+Escape." If you can't find the Apple logo or access the taskbar to open the drop-down menu, you can simplify things by using a keyboard shortcut instead. Here's how:

Step 1: Press "Option + Command + Esc" to open the Force Quit window on your Mac.

Next up, we just need a translation for American English:

Select the app you want to quit, then choose “Force Quit.”

<Step 3> Click “Force Quit” again in the dialog box to confirm that you want to quit and that any unsaved changes will be lost.

The Escape key, or ESC, is one of the most important keys on a keyboard, used to cancel or interrupt a running process or program. However, there have been reports of users not being able to use the ESC key on their Mac. Read on to fix this error.

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Method 5: Force Quit Mac Apps from the Terminal

Another way to force quit on a Mac is by using the Terminal. However, because mistakes in the Terminal can cause problems with your Mac, you should try the methods above first.

If all else fails, you can use the Terminal to solve the problem of a Mac app that won't quit.

Step 1: Open Terminal by going through “Applications” and then “Utilities.”

Step 3: Look for lines that begin with “/Applications/” to identify the unresponsive app.

Step 4: Note the process ID (PID) number in the left column.

Step 5: Type kill PID, replacing PID with the number you wrote down earlier. Press the Return key.

If the name of the app has more than one word in it (like “Google Chrome”), put it in quotes.

Extra Tip: Recover Lost Data After Forced Quitting

Keep in mind that if an app or process has a file open, quitting it forcibly can cause data loss – for example, by accidentally force-quitting a Word document while you were editing it. Also be aware that if you force-quit a process that other apps or processes are using, those apps or processes might run into problems.

But, if you haven't saved your work manually or automatically before the app crashed, don't worry because one of the best macOS data recovery software – Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro is there to help you out. It's a reliable and user-friendly data recovery tool.

This tool can help you recover an unsaved Word document on your Mac, which might have been lost due to accidentally pressing "Command + Option + Esc" to force quit. Furthermore, it can also recover unsaved Excel files on your Mac. Please follow the steps below:

Note: You can first click on “Disk Backup” on the left to create a backup. This way, you can restore your data from the backup image when the disk gets corrupted or unsaved documents on the disk get accidentally deleted or lost.

Step 1: Select the disk

Launch the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, hover the mouse over the device where you had the unsaved files, and click “Find Lost Files.”

Step 2: Choose the unsaved document

Once the scan is finished, click on “Type,” and then expand “Unsaved Documents.” Click on the exact file type of the unsaved file you lost – whether it's a Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Keynote, Pages, or Numbers file.

Step 3: Preview and recover the unsaved files

Double-click to preview an unsaved file, choose the correct version, and then click Recover to save the file to a secure location on your Mac.

Conclusions

Dealing with a frozen Mac can be frustrating. You might want to shut it down, but you're not sure about the steps to force quit, which only adds to your frustration.

If you encounter this issue frequently, you can try force quitting using the Activity Monitor, the Apple menu, or the Mac Dock. If your Mac freezing results in data loss, you can download the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro tool to recover your data in seconds.

Q&A: How to Force Quit Applications When Your Mac is Frozen

When people search for how to force quit on a Mac when it's frozen, they also ask these questions; take a look:

**How to Force Quit an Unresponsive App on a Mac?** If an app on your Mac is unresponsive, you can force it to quit using the following steps: 1. **Using the Force Quit menu:** - Press `Command + Option + Esc` keys, which will open the "Force Quit" window. - Locate the unresponsive app in the list and click on it. - Click the "Force Quit" button to confirm closing the application. 2. **Forcing Quit via the Dock:** - Move your cursor over the unresponsive app's icon in the Dock. - Hold down the `Option` key; a minus sign (-) should appear on the app icon. - Click the minus sign, and the app will force quit. 3. **Using Activity Monitor:** - Open Finder and navigate to "Applications" > "Utilities." - Double-click to open "Activity Monitor." - In the left-hand list, find the unresponsive app and click on it. - Click the "X" button in the top-left corner, then confirm the forced quit in the dialog box that appears. Please note that force quitting might result in lost unsaved data, so try to save your work before attempting this.

To force quit an unresponsive app, press and hold “Option (or Alt) + Command + Esc (Escape).”

Here's another way to address unresponsive apps on a Mac:

Step 1: Click on the "Apple menu" in the top left corner of the screen.

Step two: Choose “Force Quit.”

How do I force a frozen Mac to shut down?

If your Mac becomes unresponsive or frozen, you can force it to shut down. You can do this by holding the power button down until your Mac turns off.

How do you force quit an app that won't force quit on a Mac?

If an app on your Mac won't quit, you can force it to close:

Step 1: Press Command-Option-Escape, and then pick the misbehaving app from the list that appears.

<b>Step 2:</b> Choose “Force Quit.”

If you can get to the Apple menu, choose Force Quit from it.

Step 4: Tap the app that you want to force-quit, then tap “Force Quit.”

Step 5: Control-click or right-click the app's icon in the Dock, and choose Force Quit.

4. What commands should be used when a Mac becomes unresponsive? When your Mac is frozen, you can try the following methods to address the issue: 1. **Force Quit Applications:** - Press `Option` + `Command` + `Esc`, which will open the "Force Quit Applications" window. - Select the frozen application from the list and click "Force Quit." 2. **Force Quit via Dock:** - Move the mouse cursor over the frozen application's icon in the Dock. - Hold down the `Option` key; a minus sign (-) will appear on the app icon. - Click the minus sign to force quit the application. 3. **Restart Mac:** - Press `Control` + `Command` + the Power button (or Touch ID button), then choose "Restart" from the presented options. 4. **Startup in Safe Mode:** - Shut down your Mac. - Press the power button to turn it back on, and immediately hold down the `Shift` key until you see the Apple logo, then release. - This will start your Mac in Safe Mode, which can help resolve software issues. 5. **If none of these work, more extensive troubleshooting may be needed, such as resetting the SMC (System Management Controller) or NVRAM/PRAM.** Remember to save and close any unsaved work before attempting these steps to avoid data loss.

When your Mac is frozen, hold down the “Option (or Alt), Command, and Esc (Escape)” keys at the same time. You can also access “Force Quit” through the “Apple Menu” in the top-right corner of the screen. If Finder isn't working properly, you may have to force it to quit and then restart it. Select “Finder” from the “Force Quit” window, then click “Relaunch.”