How to force close apps on Windows

Whenever you’re using any computer, there’s a chance that an app or program will freeze up. When an app becomes unresponsive for a prolonged amount of time, you should probably close all of its instances with the force quit function. Let’s review how to force quit on Windows.

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How to force quit on Windows

Alt+F4

Alt+F4 is the keyboard shortcut to force quit a window you currently have open. This is the easiest and fastest way to force close an app on a Windows computer.

1. From the taskbar, click on the window you want to force close.
2. Press Alt+F4 on your keyboard.

Task Manager

You can force quit on Windows from the Task Manager too. You access the Task Manager from the Ctrl+Alt+Delete menu or by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc on your keyboard.

1. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete on your keyboard.
2. From the options that appear, click Task Manager.
3. Find the app you wish to close from the Processes list in Task Manager. Right-click it.
4. Click End task.

Command Prompt

1. Launch the Command Prompt app on your computer. You can do this from Windows Key+R or by searching “command prompt” in the Start menu.
2. In the Command Prompt, type in tasklist and press Enter on your keyboard.
3. Find the app you want to close in the list below. Type in taskkill/im [name of program].exe and press Enter on your keyboard.

When finished, the identified app will be force closed on Windows.

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