Stupid Simple Mac Tip #95–Using the Force to Move Forward
When your Mac is misbehaving,and an app becomes unresponsive, you may need to forcequit the apptoget back to work.
As (almost) always, there are several techniques for forcing quittingan unresponsive appin macOS.
Important reminder: Force quitting an app will not provide anyprompts asking you to save your work.
When should you use this option? When the app you are trying to use is completely unresponsive and nothing you do works.
Let’sget started.
Here’show to force quit an appon command.
These methods are compatible with macOSBig Sur.
Method 1: Use the Finder
The first thing to do is follow Apple’srecommended course of action if an app begins tolose its welcome.
Step 1: Click on theAppleicon in the top-left corner of your screen and selectForce Quitfrom the list.
Step 2: This should bring up theForce Quit Applicationswindow that displays your open applications.
Step 3: Just select the one that’sgiving you trouble and clickForce Quitat the bottom.
Method 2: Keyboard shortcuts
It’s time to try out keyboard shortcuts if the first method didn’t work.
Step 1: Start by hitting Opt + Cmd + Esc on your keyboard (on some Mac keyboards, Opt is labeled as Alt).
Step 2: This will bring up the Force Quit Applications window like other methods.
Step 3: Just select the application giving you trouble and click Force Quit.
Method 3: Use the Dock
Head down to the dock on your Mac (or to the side if you’re one of those odd side-bar users). Right-click on the affected app, hold down Option and this will change the menu from “Quit” to “Force Quit”
Pick your method and commit it to memory. Next time an app gets stuck, just call on the force and you’ll be back to work in no time.
Also, if you’re looking for even more keyboard shortcuts to speed up your computing on MacOS, check out our handy guide.
