How to Force Quit an Unresponsive Program

Tap your device to see how to force quit a program that has stopped responding.

Windows

Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, select the unresponsive program, and click "End Task."

Mac

Press Cmd+Option+Esc to bring up the "Force Quit Applications" window, select the frozen app, and quit it from there.

iPhone

Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause briefly to open the app switcher, then swipe the app upward to close it.

Android

Go to Settings, find the app in the app list, and tap "Force stop" to shut it down completely.

Why does this happen?

A program can temporarily stop responding when it uses too much memory or gets stuck in an infinite loop.

Don't panic when the screen freezes

When a program suddenly stops responding, force quitting it lets you fix the problem without restarting your whole computer or phone.

If your whole device feels slow

If your computer feels sluggish in general rather than just one frozen program, it's worth checking what's using up your system resources and clearing out anything running unnecessarily in the background.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose my work if I force quit a program?

Yes, any unsaved work is usually lost when you force quit, so it's a good habit to save frequently while you work.

What if the same program keeps freezing?

Repeated freezing usually points to a bug in the program itself or a task that's too demanding for your device's specs -- updating to the latest version or closing other running programs can help.