Don't know how to close (quit) programs/applications (Unresponsive program/application)

If a program became unresponsive and you weren't able to quit it via any other method, shut it down. This method is more helpful to laptop users than to desktop computer users, because desktop computers have a dedicated restart button.

To force-shut-down the computer, press and hold the Power On/Off button until the cooling fans stop working (which should be in around 15-20 seconds after you have pressed the power button). Turn it back on after a minute or two.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc
   
   

   
   
   

2.  Select the program you wish to close (usually the one whose Status is Not Responding) -> Click End Task
   
   

   
   
   

3. Click the X icon in the top-right corner to close the Task Manager

If the above-mentioned method didn't work:

1. 1. Right-click the program and select Go to Process -> Click End Process (or End Task on Windows 8/8.1 or Windows 10) -> Click End Process again to confirm
      
      

      

Note: The procedure is the same if you use Windows 8(.1) or 10, only the user interface of the Task Manager is different.

If a program became unresponsive and you are unable to close via the Task Manager, a simple restart (by pressing the restart button on the computer case) of the computer will do the trick.

If you use a laptop (which doesn't have a restart button), check out the don't know how to restart my device solutions.

Maybe your device has a more serious problem for which you are not aware of. If you tried everything but nothing worked, take your device to a repair store. They will diagnose and fix the problem.

If a program became unresponsive and you weren't able to quit it, you can close it via Force Quit.

1. Press and hold Command + Option + Esc
   
   

   

   
   
2. Select the program that has become unresponsive -> Click Force Quit
   
   

   

If you tried everything else, but nothing worked, a simple restart of your computer should be enough to quit the unresponsive program(s).

To learn how to restart your Mac computer, check out the don't know how to restart my device solutions.

Maybe a virus prevents your programs from closing properly. The best thing you should do is to scan it for viruses.

To learn how to check if your device is infected with a virus, check out the viruses/spywares/malware solutions.

If you are not sure which antivirus software to install, check out the don't know which antivirus software to install solutions.

Maybe your computer is slow and prevents the program from functioning (closing) properly.

To learn how to improve the speed of your computer, check out the computer is slow solutions.

1. Open any folder -> Select Applications  -> Utilities -> Activity Monitor
   
   

   
   
   

   
   
   

2. Select the process you don't want to use and click on the "X" button (upper left corner)
   
   
   
   
   

Please note that there are processes that cannot be closed because they are essential for the good performance and stability of Mac OS.

If a program became unresponsive, you can close it via the System Monitor, by following the steps below:

1. Open the Ubuntu dash and type System Monitor in the search bar;
2. Find the unresponsive program, right-click on it and select Kill.