Use a Keyboard Shortcut to Force Quit on Mac
While you can use the Control+Alt+Delete keyboard shortcut to close an unresponsive application on Windows, the key combination is different for that action on a Mac. As you may have already noticed, Macs don’t have an Alt key.
Shortcut Method One: Command+Option+Escape
The Command+Option+Escape keyboard shortcut is convenient if you have more than one unresponsive app that you need to close.
Shortcut Method Two: Command+Shift+Option+Escape
Alternatively, you can close the app immediately. Make sure the app is active and use the keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+Option+Escape. This will bypass the Force Quit Applications window and close the active app.
Use the Dock Icon to Force Quit an App
Your open and active apps display in your Dock, which also gives you a quick and easy way to quit an app that’s not responding.
Use the Apple Icon in the Menu Bar to Force Quit
You can also use your menu bar to force quit an application on your Mac, one of two ways.
Menu Bar Method One: Force Quit Applications Window
Menu Bar Method Two: Force Quit an App Directly
Alternatively, you can assign the force quit action directly to the selected app and bypass the Force Quit Applications window. Like the first keyboard shortcut mentioned above, this is handy when you need to quit more than one app.
Use the Activity Monitor to Force Quit
One more way to force quit an unresponsive application is with the Activity Monitor. You can access the Activity Monitor from the Utilities folder.
