Don't know how to close (quit) programs/applications (Windows)

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.

Press the Alt + F4 key combination (don't press the "+" key), while you are still in the program's window (running the program) and not on the desktop, and the program will close.

Right-click the program's icon in the taskbar and select Close window (or Close all windows)

If the program you are running has three icons in the top-right corner of the window (like the ones shown in the screenshot), click the X icon to close the program.

  - Windows 7

   - Windows 8(.1)

- Windows 10

Note: Some programs might be only minimized if you click the X icon and they will continue running in the background. You need to look them up in the notification area to make sure that they are fully closed. Check the other solution to learn how.

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.

Some programs remain to work in the background even if you have clicked the X button in the top-right corner of the window. Those programs can be closed from the notification area.

Follow the steps below to learn how to close such programs:

1. Click the small vertical arrow to see all the icons
   
   

   

2. Right-click the icon of the program you wish to close -> Select Exit/Quit