How often have you groaned in frustration, looking at the spinning beach ball and waiting for the frozen application to start functioning? Sometimes, no matter how long you wait, the app doesn’t start to function, and you have to resort to other ways, such as force quitting the app or Control Alt Delete Mac and restarting again. But what do you do when Force Quit fails?
This guide will teach you the different ways to Force Quit on your Mac and what to do when this option fails.
Ways to Force Quit
Force quitting means asking an application to stop and not displaying any dialog boxes that typically show before closing. It can be quite useful when the app is hung and not responded to for a few minutes. However, there’s also the risk of losing data.
Some of the ways to Force Quit on a Mac are given below.
- Press Command + Option + Escape and choose the application you wish to close from the box that opens. Then, press Force Quit.
- You can Control + click or right-click on the application’s icon in the Dock and select Force Quit.
- If it is possible to access the Apple menu, you need to click on it and select Force Quit. Then, choose the application and click Force Quit.
Things to do when Force Quit fails
Some things you can try when you cannot force stop an application are explained below.
Restart your System
When an app is misbehaving or not functioning, the chances are that it has grabbed significant resources on your system, and you need to restart your Mac. Restarting your system is one of the first methods to try when your system has hung, and you cannot force stop an application. If you cannot access the Apple menu because you can see the spinning beach ball, you need to press and hold the power button. Keep pressing it until you see the Apple logo on the screen. Then, release the power and wait for your system to restart.
Once your system restarts, everything should function normally.
Turn off the Launch Agents
Many processes that Force Quit displays are typically performed by Launch Agents, a class of applications. This could be an automatic application updater that invisibly works in the background. It is critical to forcefully stop the irrelevant Launch Agents when the regular Force Quit is not working.
Use the Activity Moiter
When it comes to monitoring the performance of the programs and processes on your system, you must navigate to the Activity Monitor. This application allows users to quit those programs and processes. You can forcefully stop apps from within this application and stop them from running.
You can launch the Activity Monitor by going to Applications > Utilities. Then, double-click on the Activity Monitor and open it. You have to click on the CPU tab to see all the running processes and how many resources they are consuming. If you want to quit a process, click on the X icon, and the application will stop. In the next window, you need to click Force Quit.
Use Terminal
If the Activity Monitor fails to do the job or you cannot launch it, you can use Terminal. Head to Applications > click Utilities and double-click on Terminal to open it. Then, type ps-ax and hit return. Then, you will notice a list of running processes and applications in the Terminal window. You need to locate the app you wish to force quit. Once you have located the app and the number (PID), you have to type kill [PID] (replace [PID] with the number you noted) and press return.
Check if There are any updates for the Misbehaving Application
If the apps are misbehaving and frequently getting hung, you need to check if there’s any update. Typically, updates come with bug fixes. So, if you update the app, you can fix issues like incompatibility with the macOS version or bugs.
If you have downloaded the application from the App Store, head there and check if you are running the latest version of the app. If not, click update and install it.
You can uninstall and reinstall the app if this doesn’t solve the problem. It should help you overcome the problem.
Final Thoughts
Force quitting applications are a great way to close frozen apps and processes quickly. It can help you get back on track without wasting time and effort. However, sometimes pressing Command + Option + Escape might not do the job, and that’s when you must remember the alternative ways to close apps, as explained in this guide. You may have to reach out to your nearest technician if the issue isn’t solved or take your Mac to the Apple service center. However, hope the issue gets solved with the tactics mentioned here.