How to Force Quit a Program on Windows 11

Ever end up in a state of affairs the place a program stops working and easily received’t shut, even after clicking on the ‘X’ to its prime proper? Such instances might typically resolve themselves when Windows identifies that you’ve got an unresponsive utility and offers you the related choices to take care of it. Other occasions, nicely, you’ll have to take issues into your individual fingers. 

Here is the whole lot you might want to know to power give up a program that’s develop into frozen or unresponsive and received’t budge. 

What does power quitting a program imply on Windows?

Force quitting an utility is the act of killing a process when it’s so down and out that it received’t even register the ‘quit’ command. This is when Windows received’t provide the anticipated ‘End Now‘ and ‘Wait for this system to reply‘ choices. 

When this occurs, power quitting using the strategies talked about beneath will guarantee you can kill the duty and begin it afresh.

: Windows 11 Shortcuts: Our Complete List

What occurs once you power give up an app on Windows 11?

Well, the system will shut the app instantly. If you had unsaved information in that app, it received’t be saved. For instance, if you’re engaged on a Word doc or Excel sheet, the info you didn’t save will get misplaced. Although, you might be able to get better the unsaved information if the software program was saving it robotically for you — you’re going to get a immediate for this once you next open the app if that is so, which is widespread for MS Office apps for instance.

If you do not need to lose unsaved information, don’t power shut the app and slightly anticipate the system to unfreeze it by itself — this may occasionally take time! — to be able to save information first after which shut it your self. With a little bit of persistence, this may occasionally work nicely.

How to power give up an app on Windows 11 [8 methods]

There are just a few methods you can ‘force quit’ unresponsive duties. Some of those you’ll have tried already, whereas others could be helpful additions to your toolkit for each time a process provides up on you.

Method 1: Using keyboard shortcut (Alt + F4 hotkey combo)

We’ve all carried out it — press Alt + F4 when an utility freezes or stops responding. This shortcut is an age-old process killer that closes the applications fully.

1. Make positive that the app that you simply’re making an attempt to give up is chosen (within the foreground), in any other case, you might find yourself killing another process that you simply didn’t intend.
2. To ensure you are closing the correct window, first press and maintain down the Alt key to spotlight the menu after which press F4.
3. This achieves the identical perform that clicking on the ‘X’ within the top-right nook of a program does and is a useful little keyboard shortcut to kill a program immediately (or a minimum of provides it sufficient load that it freezes and Windows picks up on the cue).

: How to Clear Space on Windows 11

Method 2: Using the ‘End Task’ choice in Task Manager

Where could be with out the Task Manager? Still taking a look at frozen functions most certainly. If Alt + F4 doesn’t aid you out, use the Task Manager to truly power give up it. Here’s how to go about it:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc concurrently to open the Task Manager. By default, you’ll be below the ‘Processes’ tab. Find the offender within the listing of operating processes and choose it. Then click on End process in direction of the highest proper nook.
   
   This will finish the entire course of tree for that utility.
   
2.  Alternatively, if you wish to finish solely a selected little one course of, click on on the arrow simply earlier than it.
   
3. Select the person course of that you simply need to power kill particularly, and click on on End process.
   
   

Your unresponsive program ought to now disappear.

Method 3: Using the ‘End Task’ choice in Taskbar

The aforementioned ‘End Task’ choice can be positioned within the taskbar’s context menu to be able to rapidly right-click an open app and power give up it from there. But earlier than you are able to do that, you’ll have to allow ‘End task’ in taskbar from the developer choices. Here’s how to go about it:

1. Press Win+I to open the Settings app. Go to System > For Developer.
   
   
2. Here, toggle on End Task.
   
3. Now, each time you might want to power give up an app, merely right-click it within the taskbar and choose End Task.
   

Method 4: Using Command Prompt

If, for some purpose, you’re not in a position to power give up this system using both the keyboard shortcuts or the Task Manager, fret not. The Command Prompt remains to be there. To use it to kill frozen apps, observe the steps beneath.

1. Press begin, sort cmd, then click on on Command Prompt to run it.
   
2. Now, sort tasklist and hit Enter to get an inventory of duties and applications operating in your system:
   
3. Take notice of the method that you simply need to forcefully give up. Then sort the next command to finish it for good: taskkill /im program-name.exe /t /f
   Make positive to interchange “program-name” with the precise title of this system.
   
4. Then press Enter. In most instances, this alone will power give up this system.
   

If you’re questioning what the /t and /f are for, /t is to make sure that all little one processes are closed as nicely, whereas /f makes positive that the processes are closed forcefully.

On the uncommon event that you simply don’t know the precise title of the method that you simply need to terminate, you might want to seek out its ProcessID (PID) and execute a barely totally different command. Here’s how:

1. Start Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc). Then right-click on any column (Name, Status, CPU, and so on.) and choose PID.
   
2. This will embody a PID column. Check the PID of this system that you simply need to give up.
   
3. Now, open Command Prompt from Start. Then enter the next within the Command Prompt: taskkill /pid 'processid' /t /f
   Make positive to interchange ‘processid’ with the PID you simply discovered.
   
4. Then press Enter. You have now efficiently and forcefully terminated this system with its course of ID.
   

: How to Reset BIOS in Windows 11

Method 5: Force this system right into a frozen state

Though this isn’t one thing that’s typically suggested, you’ll be able to truly overload this system with repeated inputs and power it to freeze. This is useful when this system just isn’t fairly responsive, however not frozen sufficient both for Windows that can assist you out. It’s a ready recreation that needs to be carried out and dusted with instantly.

1. When you discover a program that isn’t responding nicely or stuttering about, overwhelm it with as many clicks and inputs as you’ll be able to (helps in the event you’re a gamer).
2. Click on the toolbar, click on on menu gadgets, drag it round – you get the purpose. This will finally (and hopefully rapidly) push it over the sting and freeze it.
3. As quickly as Windows finds this, it provides you with the choice to both Close this system or Wait for this system to reply.
4. Choose ‘Close the program’ to take action.

Note: This might not all the time work, particularly when you’ve got a processor highly effective sufficient to maintain up along with your repeated inputs, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a risk that may be explored.

Method 6: Create a shortcut to give up unresponsive apps

If you usually encounter apps that cease responding after some time, you may as well create a shortcut to power give up them rapidly. Here’s how to go about it:

1. Right-click on the desktop, choose New > Shortcut.
   
2. Then sort the next: taskkill /f /fi "status eq not responding"
   
3. Click Next, give the shortcut a reputation, and click on Finish.
4. Now, each time you might want to power give up an app that’s not responding, merely double-click on this shortcut. 

Force give up a program using third-party apps

There are just a few helpful third-party functions that you need to use to forcefully give up frozen or in any other case unresponsive applications. Here are a few suggestions in order for you a devoted utility for a similar (it’s helpful to have such an utility round in case your system is outdated and will get overburdened rapidly.) 

Method 7: Using ‘Process Explorer’ app

As a Task Manager various by Microsoft, this isn’t precisely third-party. But it’s nonetheless bought to be put in individually, and in the event you’re searching for a Task Manager on steroids, we undoubtedly advocate doing so.

Download: Process Explorer

1. After extracting the contents of the zip file, open Process Explorer. The preliminary display will present the processes operating in your system. The listing could be fairly lengthy. So, to make issues easy, discover the crosshairs icon within the toolbar on the to
   
2. Drag and drop this to the appliance that you simply need to finish and spotlight it.
   
3. The utility will now be chosen robotically in Process Explorer. Right-click on it and choose End course of tree and fully shut it down.
   
4. When prompted, click on OK.
   

Method 8: Using ‘SuperF4’ app

Remember the Alt + F4 shortcut we talked about earlier than? This is a supercharged model of that.

Download: SuperF4

Install SuperF4 and run it. By default, it would sit within the system tray ready idly that can assist you kill functions each time you might want to. Simply press Ctrl + Alt + F4 to kill an utility immediately. Just make to pick it first. 

: How to Open Control Panel in Windows 11

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Here we reply just a few generally requested questions regarding power quitting apps on Windows 11.

How to power cease Windows Update?

If you don’t need Windows to update and need to forcefully cease Windows Update, discuss with our information on How to Disable Updates on Windows 11.

How to power give up with out Task Manager?

You can simply power give up functions and applications with out assistance from the Task Manager. Use the Alt + F4 shortcut, or the taskkill command-line in Command Prompt, or use any utility that allows you to power give up different functions (discuss with the information above for a similar).

We hope you now have the required know-how and the wherewithal to forcefully give up applications the best way you need.