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Free Image Format ConversionOverview: Mac Keyboard Shortcuts for Quitting Apps
Many people opt for Mac computers because of their user-friendliness and durability. While Windows remains a widely used operating system globally, many tech companies favor Macs due to the higher productivity and user satisfaction they offer. Although Mac applications generally run smoothly, they can occasionally freeze or run slow, necessitating the termination of an activity.
Using keyboard shortcuts is the easiest way to get things done on a Mac. The Option + Command + Esc keys is the shortcut for the Force Quit feature.
Solution: How to End Tasks on a Mac 4 Solution: How to End Tasks on a Mac
Hovering your cursor over the menu bar will display a spinning beachball icon that prevents you from selecting any options. If keyboard shortcuts won't work to quit an app on your Mac, you can try several methods to close it.
| Quit Using the Keyboard Shortcut | This method is quick and easy. Press Command + Option + Esc to open the Force Quit Applications window. Select the unresponsive app and click "Force Quit." This works, but it doesn't give you any information about the process. |
| From the Dock | Right-click the unresponsive app icon in the Dock and hold down Option. The quit option will change to "Force Quit." This is a straightforward method, but it may not work if the Dock itself is unresponsive. |
| From the Apple Menu | Similar to the first method, but accessed through the Apple menu. Click the Apple logo in the top left corner, select Force Quit, and a list of all running apps will appear. |
| Using Activity Monitor | Activity Monitor is the most detailed of the four methods, similar to Task Manager on Windows. It's very effective, especially for advanced users, because it provides more information. However, it can be a bit complex for less tech-savvy users. |
Solution 1: End the Task via Shortcuts
This will bring up a window from which you can select the unresponsive program and click “Force Quit” to end it.
Forcing an app to quit on a Mac is a serious operation, as it tells the program to stop what it's doing immediately and exit without showing any dialog boxes. While it can result in data loss, forcibly quitting system apps right away can be helpful when they're no longer responding. Instead of waiting for your screen to freeze, try these steps.
If those don't work for you, or if you want a custom keyboard shortcut to close all your open apps, this next video will show you how to create one on your Mac.
- 00: 22 - Create a New Shortcut
- 01: 13 - Rename a Shortcut on Mac
- 01: 28 - Add a Shortcut to the Mac Menu Bar
- 01: 34 - Quick Way to Run a Shortcut
Fix 2: Force Quit via Dock
The simplest and quickest way to close an app on a Mac is to use the Mac Dock. Here's how:
Step 1: Tap the Dock at the bottom of the screen.
Step 2: Find the icon of the program you want to close.
Step 3: Right-click to display a context menu.
Step 4: Tap on the “Exit” option at the bottom to close the program.
Force Quit using the Dock
If that option is still not there, try pressing the Alt key while the menu is up; this will change the Quit option to Force Quit. If you choose it, the program will close immediately.
But what if your Mac's Dock is missing from your desktop?
Please provide the English content you want translated, and I'll do my best to translate it into Chinese.
How to Fix Disappearing Dock on macOS
This article discusses 5 free and easy methods to recover deleted files on a Mac before or after emptying the Trash. Read More >>
Solution 3: Force Quit via the Apple Menu
The “Apple menu” is another way to quit an application.
Step one: switch to another app that works.
Step 2: Click the Apple icon.
Step 3: Select “Force Quit” from the drop-down menu.
Step 4: Click “End Task” next to any frozen programs.
Force Quit via the Apple Menu 
How to Fix Force Quit Not Working on Mac [Step-by-Step Guide]
Having issues with Force Quit not working on your Mac? No worries! You can try several methods to force quit the desired app.
Solution 4: Force quit the task using Activity Monitor
If there is a problem with the system, you might see the spinning beachball of death more often than you'd like. One tool for monitoring what's going on is the Activity Monitor.
Step 1: Open the Activity Monitor to view all the processes and services that are currently using your CPU, memory, network, and other resources.
Step two: Click on any one of them, and a window pops up with details about the app and its current permissions.
Step three: try the app, which will give you a look at how it would have performed over some period in the past. The presentation is so complex that most people will probably find it more confusing than illuminating.
The “Exit” button closes the program, which is certainly more useful.
Force quit an app using Activity Monitor 
If any of the above options work for you, please share this post with your friends and colleagues on social media, on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Additional Tip: Recover Data After Rebooting Mac
If all else fails, you can force your Mac to shut down by holding down the power button until you see the Apple logo. Release the button and wait for your computer to restart. However, if you force a restart to kill a frozen process, you risk data loss. Force-quitting an unresponsive app will cause you to lose any unsaved changes, which can be inconvenient if you were in the middle of work.
Therefore, opting for professional data recovery software is a good option. Users can use an excellent unsaved file recovery tool for Mac, the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, to quickly retrieve unsaved files. It can retrieve documents, photos, videos, audio, and more.
You can use the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool to handle different data loss scenarios. Here's how:
Step 1: Select the disk to scan
In the main Data Recovery Wizard utility window, all drives connected to your Mac will be listed. Select the drive from which you want to recover lost/deleted files and click on the “Search Lost Files” button.
Note: Before data recovery, it's recommended that you click “Disk Backup” on the left sidebar to back up your Mac to prevent further data loss. After the backup, the software can recover data from the Mac backup, and your computer can write new data again.
Step 2: Select the lost data/files that you want to recover
Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will scan the disk volume you selected immediately and show the scanning results in the left panel. If you are looking for a specific file, you can sort the results to locate the file you need.
Step 3: Recover Lost/Deleted Data
Once the scan is done, preview the recoverable files and click “Recover” to start restoring your deleted or lost Mac files.
Conclusions
It can be frustrating when an app on your Mac gets stuck while you're using it. Knowing which option to choose or how to close the frozen app can be confusing and challenging. Use the suggestions provided above to terminate tasks on your Mac. I sincerely hope this guide helps you effectively manage your computer while preserving your data from potential loss.
FAQs on How to End Tasks on a Mac
If you still have questions about Mac data recovery, check out this quick FAQ to help yourself:
**1. How do you use Alt+Delete on a Mac?** On a Mac, you can achieve a similar effect to the Windows Alt+Delete function by using the Command + Backspace (or Command + Delete) key combination. This will delete the selected item and move it to the Trash. Unlike Windows, the Mac does not have an Alt key directly, but the Function (Fn) key can be used as a substitute, depending on your keyboard layout and settings.
On a Mac, you can achieve something similar to Ctrl+Alt+Del using the Terminal, keyboard shortcuts, the Apple menu, Force Quit Applications, the Dock, or Activity Monitor.
**How do I open Activity Monitor on a Mac (equivalent to Task Manager)?** On a Mac, you can access Activity Monitor using the following steps: 1. Click on the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen. 2. Select "Force Quit Applications." 3. In the window that appears, you'll see all running applications. Choose the app you want to manage or quit, then click "Force Quit." Alternatively, you can find Activity Monitor using Spotlight search or Launchpad: 1. Press the keyboard shortcut `Command + Space` to open Spotlight search. 2. Type "Activity Monitor" and press `Enter`. 3. Activity Monitor should now open, displaying your Mac's system processes and performance information. Within Activity Monitor, you can view CPU, memory, energy, disk, and network usage, and force quit unresponsive apps.
Unfortunately, there's no direct keyboard shortcut to open Task Manager on a Mac. However, you can use a keyboard shortcut to force quit apps, which is one thing the Task Manager does on a Windows computer. Press Command+Option+Esc to open the Force Quit tool on your Mac.
How do I close all apps on a Mac?
Close all apps at once:
- These are keyboard shortcuts on a Mac computer:
- Command + Option + ESC: Opens the "Force Quit" dialog to forcefully quit unresponsive applications.
- Command + A: Selects all items in the current window or selected content.
- Enter: In many contexts, pressing the Enter key is used to execute or confirm an action.
b. Close all applications one by one:
- These are keyboard shortcuts for the macOS operating system:
- Command + Tab: Switches between open applications.
- Command + Q: Exits the current application.
**4. How do I force-quit Mac apps without the Task Manager?**
For those who like keyboard shortcuts on the Mac, Option-Command-Esc serves a similar purpose to Control-Alt-Delete in Windows. It brings up a list of all open apps in a Force Quit Applications window.