This article will show you how to close a frozen program in Mac OS X.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Using the Apple Menu
Step 1. Open the Apple menu
To do this, click on the black apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen.
Step 2. Click Force Quit in the middle of the menu
Step 3. Click on the program you want to close
You will see the message "(Not responding)" next to the frozen program
Step 4. Click Force Quit
The application will be closed.
If the entire system freezes, restart your computer
Method 2 of 5: Using a keyboard shortcut
Step 1. Press ⌘ + ⌥ Option + Esc
The Force Quit dialog box appears.
Step 2. Click on the program you want to close
You will see the message "(Not responding)" next to the frozen program
Step 3. Click Force Quit
The application will be closed.
Method 3 of 5: Using the Dock
Step 1. Press ⌥ Option on your keyboard
Step 2. Right-click or Control-click the program you want to close in the Dock
Step 3. Click Force Quit
Method 4 of 5: Using System Monitor
Step 1. Click on Spotlight
The icon of this program looks like a magnifying glass and is located in the upper right corner of the screen.
Step 2. In the search bar, enter "system monitoring" (without quotes)
Step 3. Click System Monitor in the Programs section
Step 4. Click on the program you want to close
Step 5. Click “End Process” in the upper left corner of the window
The program will be closed.
Method 5 of 5: Using a terminal
Step 1. Open a terminal
By default, it is located in the Utilities folder, which is located in the Applications folder.
If the method of force termination of the program was not successful, use this method
Step 2. Enter "top" (hereinafter without quotes) and press ⏎ Return
The top command will display information about running programs.
Step 3. Find the program you want to close
Do this in the "COMMAND" column.
In the specified column, the program name can be displayed in abbreviated form. So look for a name that is similar to the name of the program you want
Step 4. Find the PID (process number)
When you find the program name, write down the number that appears in the “PID” column (to the left of the name).
Step 5. Enter "q"
This will close the list of running programs and return to the terminal window.
Step 6. Enter "kill ###"
Replace "###" with the recorded number (process number from the "PID" column). For example, if you want to close iTunes and the program number is 3703, enter "kill 3703".
If the program does not respond to the "kill" command, enter "sudo kill -9 ###" (replace "###" with the process number from the "PID" column)
Step 7. Close the terminal
The program will be closed.
Advice
- You cannot close a frozen Finder. If you select Finder, the Force Quit button changes to Restart.
- Before clicking "Force Quit", double check that the program is still not responding to your actions. Sometimes the program starts running when the Force Quit window opens.