6 Methods to Force Quit an App in Windows in 2022

How to force quit an app in Windows, Time can seem to move more slowly when something goes wrong. Additionally, unanticipated problems with technology, such as an application freezing, might ruin your day. After all, you are forced to deal with the problematic app right away if it won’t close. The force-quit option on a Windows computer can be helpful in that situation.

Here are six methods you can use on a Windows PC to force a shutdown.

force quit an app in Windows

How to force quit an app in Windows

Method 1: Using a keyboard shortcut

You can create a unique keyboard shortcut to launch the task killer command you just created, which will speed up the force-close procedure even further. This is how:

  1. To access properties, right-click your new shortcut and choose it.
  2. To create a unique keyboard shortcut, click in the Shortcut key box on the Shortcut tab. Any letter you press will automatically add Ctrl + Alt on Windows, but you may alter it to Ctrl + Shift if you choose.
  3. You must set Run to Minimized since this shortcut will briefly open a Command Prompt window. By doing this, you may prevent the app’s window from flashing when the shortcut is pressed, which might be distracting.
  4. To save changes, click OK.

Now, use your chosen shortcut to close apps whenever they lock up. This is the fastest way to force-close programs and only takes a moment.

force quit an app in Windows

Method 2: Using Task Manager

  1. Input Control, Alt, and Delete. The window Preparing security settings will appear after that, along with a menu of choices.
  2. The Task Manager option.
  3. Choose the programme you wish to force quit.
  4. Then click Finish.

Quick tip: If you don’t have a delete key on your keyboard, Control + Shift + Esc may work.

force quit an app in Windows

Method 3: Using Command Prompt

  1. Press Windows key + R.
  2. CMD is entered into the search field once you type it.
  3. At the Command Prompt, type tasklist. A list of the tasks and programmes now operating on your computer will appear.
  4. Type taskkill/im [name of program].exe into the box. For instance, you would type taskkill/im firefox.exe to end Firefox.
  5. Enter the key.

You should see a confirmation message once you’ve completed these steps.

Quick tip: All Windows machines used to come with the Command Prompt software, but in more recent iterations PowerShell has taken its place. If PowerShell is installed on your machine, you can return to Command Prompt at any time..

force quit an app in Windows

Method 4: Using a Desktop Shortcut

You can use the taskkill command to forcefully terminate a programme without using the Task Manager. To kill a particular process, you would typically type this command in the Command Prompt.

Opening the command line window each time a programme stalls is cumbersome, and typing the command each time you wish to end an application is inefficient. Instead, a shortcut that also shuts any frozen apps makes it considerably simpler to force-close app windows. This executes the identical Command Prompt command that you would manually type, saving you from opening and manually entering it.

Here’s how to create a shortcut that will close frozen processes:

  1. Select New > Shortcut by right-clicking a blank area of your desktop.
  2. You will be prompted to enter a shortcut location. Copy and paste the following command into that box:
  3. This command is easy to comprehend when broken down into its component parts: taskkill /f /fi “status eq not responding”
    • When something is frozen, the taskkill command should be used to end the process.
    • The command is instructed to close the programme with the /f flag. Without this, Windows politely requests that the process end, but if it’s stuck, that won’t happen.
    • The /fi switch instructs the command to only execute on processes that satisfy the specified filters.
    • The command criteria are the last two lines of text. Only killing processes with a status of “Not Responding” is what you want. If not, this command would terminate every active process!
  4. You’ll next be prompted to give your new shortcut a name in the shortcut creation box. Any name you like, then click Finish.

Now you may double-click this shortcut whenever you want to force-quit a programme. Any stuck windows will be eliminated by this. Consider placing it on your desktop for quick access, or think about taking it a step further and starting it with your keyboard.

Method 5: Using AutoHotkey

Additionally, you can write a simple AutoHotkey script to shut windows for you. If you only use AutoHotkey for this, it might be a bit much, but given how powerful it is, you’re bound to discover other applications for it.

You must first download AutoHotkey before adding the following line to your script: #!

Q::WinKill, A To ensure that it executes each time you log in, move the completed file into your Startup folder (type shell:startup into the File Explorer address bar to get there). After that, just press Win + Alt + Q to close the open window.

Check out our AutoHotkey beginner’s guide if you want to put up a more complex script because AutoHotkey is a robust application that can do pretty much anything you can imagine.

force quit an app in Windows

Method 6: Other Third-Party Apps for Force-Closing Programs

You can locate other third-party solutions that can force-quit Windows apps if none of the aforementioned options work for you. Advanced users should consider ProcessKO since it has features like the ability to kill a specific process after a predetermined amount of time. Additionally, it has received an official upgrade for Windows 11, unlike SuperF4.

Before you hunt for an alternative, we advise considering all of the other possibilities since the most of them are pretty similar to the one above.

Conclusion:

Restarting your computer is your last resort if you can’t get a software to shut down. You’ll need to perform a hard shutdown if you can’t access the security screen using Ctrl + Alt + Del and shut down using the Power icon there. Holding down the Power button on your computer until it turns off will accomplish this. If everything else fails, try removing your laptop’s battery or the power cord.

Also Read: 

How to Create EXT4 Partition in Windows 11/10

Why My SSD Runs Slow on Windows 10: How Do I Speed Up Slow SSD

How to create Windows 10 from USB with UEFI support with Rufus and Media Creation Tool

How to run Android apps on any Windows 11

FAQs: 

Q1: How do I force quit an app in Windows 10 without task manager?

Pressing Alt + F4 is a simple step to do when programmes freeze. The X icon in the top-right corner of a window is the equivalent as pressing this Windows keyboard shortcut to end the current process.

Q2 : How do force quit an app in Windows stuck?

The most dependable way to unstick apps is through the Task Manager. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open it. To close an app in the basic view, click it and select End task. To force-quit an app, click its name on the Processes tab in the entire Task Manager view and select End task.

Q3 : Why are F4 and f5 keys not working?

Look for the Fn, F lock, or F Mode keys on your keyboard. You should either push once or press and hold for a few seconds depending on your laptop. If it didn’t work, simultaneously press Fn and Esc. Try one of the Function keys after that.

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