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How to Control Alt Delete on a Mac

There are alternative keyboard shortcuts to force quit Mac apps

By Sandy Writtenhouse Sandy Writtenhouse Writer Kaplan University Sandy has been writing about technology since 2012. Her work has appeared on How-To Geek, MakeUseOf, iDownloadBlog, groovyPost, and many other websites. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on April 26, 2021 Reviewed by Jerrick Leger Reviewed by Jerrick Leger Jerrick Leger is a CompTIA-certified IT Specialist with more than 10 years' experience in technical support and IT fields. He is also a systems administrator for an IT firm in Texas serving small businesses. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Apple Macs iPad

What to Know

Use Command+Option+Escape to display the Force Quit Applications window.Use Command+Shift+Option+Escape to close the app immediately.Alternatively, right-click the application’s icon in the Dock, hold the Control key and select Force Quit. This article provides several ways to force quit an unresponsive application on a Mac, including keyboard shortcuts, the dock icon, the Apple icon, and the Activity Monitor. How to Close Applications on Mac

Use a Keyboard Shortcut to Force Quit on Mac

While you can use the Control+Alt+Delete keyboard shortcut to close an unresponsive application on Windows, the key combination is different for that action on a Mac. As you may have already noticed, Macs don't have an Alt key.

Shortcut Method One Command+ Option+ Escape

The Command+Option+Escape keyboard shortcut is convenient if you have more than one unresponsive app that you need to close. Use the keyboard shortcut Command+Option+Escape to display the Force Quit Applications window. When the window pops open, select the application, and click Force Quit. Confirm the action by clicking Force Quit.

Shortcut Method Two Command+ Shift+ Option+ Escape

Alternatively, you can close the app immediately. Make sure the app is active and use the keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+Option+Escape. This will bypass the Force Quit Applications window and close the active app.

Use the Dock Icon to Force Quit an App

Your open and active apps display in your Dock, which also gives you a quick and easy way to quit an app that’s not responding. Right-click or hold your Control key and click the icon in the Dock. The context menu will appear with an option to Quit at the bottom. Hold your Option key and you’ll see that Quit is replaced with Force Quit, so select it to close the application.

Use the Apple Icon in the Menu Bar to Force Quit

You can also use your menu bar to force quit an application on your Mac, one of two ways.

Menu Bar Method One Force Quit Applications Window

Click the Apple icon on the top left of your menu bar and select Force Quit. When the Force Quit Applications window appears, select the application, and click Force Quit. Confirm the action by clicking Force Quit. Like the first keyboard shortcut mentioned above, this is handy when you need to quit more than one app.

Menu Bar Method Two Force Quit an App Directly

Alternatively, you can assign the force quit action directly to the selected app and bypass the Force Quit Applications window. Make sure the application is active and click the Apple icon in your menu bar. Hold your Shift key and you’ll see Force Quit replaced with Force Quit Application. Click it to quit the app.

Use the Activity Monitor to Force Quit

One more way to force quit an unresponsive application is with the Activity Monitor. You can access the Activity Monitor from the Utilities folder. Click Go > Utilities from the Finder menu bar and double-click Activity Monitor to open it. Select the app that you want to force close. You can do this from any of the tabs at the top of the Activity Monitor window. Click Stop (X) in the toolbar. Confirm that you want to close the application by clicking Force Quit. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Open the Emoji Keyboard on a Mac How to Move a Window That Is Off-Screen How to Turn Your MacBook on or Off How to Force-Quit a Program (Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP) How to Adjust Keyboard Brightness on a MacBook Air How to Modify the Mac Finder Sidebar How to Unfreeze a MacBook Air How to Delete Streamlabs on Mac How to End Tasks on a Mac How to Close Applications on Mac How to Uninstall Dropbox on a Mac What Is Ctrl+Alt+Del (Control+Alt+Delete)? How to Control F On a Mac The Best Windows Keyboard Shortcuts in 2022 How to Use Hot Corners on a Mac How to Use the Windows Shortcut Alt + Underline Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies