How To Force Quit On Windows 11– Sometimes we need to quit a program because it has frozen, and is no longer usable. This happens to most people on their computers, and they need to be able to use their computer as they usually do.
To quit a program in the Task Manager, do the following:
- First, users who are opening the Task Manager for the first time need to select the More details option tab. Then, look at the Details tab to find which application or process is causing trouble.
- Click on the item you want to quit, and choose End task.
We will explain the process more thoroughly with pictures, so you can see how it is done.
The process of quitting an application in Windows 10 or Windows 11 is very similar, and the steps can be used for either version of Windows.
When an app stops responding, it is usually forced quit. The window of the app usually turns white, and a message near the title tells you that it has stopped responding.
What is force quitting an application?
Using the standard close buttons or menus of an application is called quiting the application. In Windows, there is another way to quit an application, using extra force.
When you close a program using exit, Windows closes the program instead of the application closing itself.
When certain programs are closed this way, data can be lost.
Sometimes, while an application is writing to a database or file (or other processes), the operating system can turn off the computer before the application is finished.
Databases and files can get messed up really easily. Data can get stored in weird ways, leaving behind strange characters, making the file unreadable.
When a program crashes, it usually wont start up again, or cant read the information that it had stored inside of it.
How to force quit an application in Windows
These steps will show you the easiest and fastest way without getting too technical.
- Open the Task Manager window by right-clicking the Start menu button. (Click for more details if needed.)
- Select the Details tab.
- Find the program you want to force quit in the list.
- Right-click the application and select End Task.
If you find it easier, you can also left-click the application after selecting the program, and then click the End Task button in the lower right corner of the Task Manager window.
Note: In step 2, you can instead select the Processes tab, but the items listed there will keep changing their positions, and choosing your application can be a bit tricky.
How to Force Close Apps Using Keyboard Shortcuts
To force close an application using the keyboard, hold down the Alt key, hit the F4 key and release the Alt key. (Alt+F4). This works with any version of Windows.
Important: The keyboard will not work if you don’t select an app first. To make sure it’s selected, click anywhere in the application or frame where the title appears. For an app or game in full screen mode, hold down the Alt key and tap the Tab key repeatedly until the app is selected. Release the Alt key after selecting the application.
How to force quit an application from the command line
- Use the search function on the taskbar and type command prompt to open a command prompt window. Then left click to run as administrator.
- Type tasklist in the Command Prompt application to see the task list of other background processes currently running applications.
- Enter the following command: taskkill /IM “YOUR-APPLICATION.exe” /F
NOTE: Remember to change YOUR-APPLICATION.exe to the application you want to quit. Keep the double quotes because it allows you to insert spaces between words without changing the taskkill command parameters.
Reason for application termination
There are various reasons why an application might be locked or frozen. Here are some insights into the most common reasons for this.
software bug
Some programs contain glitches called bugs. These errors are caused by the fact that the code of the program is not complete enough to run smoothly in various usage scenarios.
Errors may also occur under certain compatibility conditions related to frameworks, APIs or Windows versions.
These reasons can also cause the application to continue running in the background as a process invisible to the desktop.
These types of programs are harder to track down because you can only view them using the Task Manager as one method I might mention.
computer hardware
At times, your PC may not perform optimally, causing programs to malfunction and your PC to crash or freeze.
Hardware issues such as overheating can be another reason for a program to crash and you need to force quit the application.
Malicious software infections
Another reason could be malware or virus getting into your computer. In this case, you should run a good antivirus program like Avast or Bitdefender.
If this is your case, I always strongly recommend doing a boot-time scan. It helps eliminate services or programs that run in memory to prevent malicious files from being deleted.
Why you need to force quit the program
If the program freezes or hangs indefinitely, you need to force quit the application.
One of the main reasons is when you want to shut down your computer, it might prevent a graceful shutdown.
Another reason is that the program may be using precious resources such as CPU load or memory consumption.
Conclusion
There are three main ways how to force quit an application on Windows 11. The easiest way is through the Task Manager. These are the most common methods to quit an app on your computer.
Understanding the reasons behind force-quitting, and the consequences it can have, helps you use this function more wisely. So, visit our site Suntamah.com for the latest articles on technology.