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It'south not uncommon for an application to stop responding on Windows 10. When it happens, you tin strength the app to shut downwards, effectively unfreezing said application. Here'due south how to force quit an app on Windows 10.

Try a Keyboard Shortcut

It's frustrating when an app you're using suddenly freezes. Nosotros've all washed it—exasperatingly clicking the "10" push at least 20 times to close the frozen program. There'south a ameliorate style.

With the frozen application in focus, press Alt+F4 on your keyboard to close information technology. If the Windows desktop is in focus instead, you'll see a "Shut Down Windows" prompt instead.

This won't e'er work—some frozen applications just won't answer.

Alt F4 keyboard shorcut window

Force Quit Using Job Manager

As the name implies, Task Manager is a tool that shows which apps are currently running (also every bit other data like resource usage and process stats) and allows you to manage them appropriately.

To open Task Director, yous can press Ctrl+Shift+Esc on your keyboard or correct-click the Windows job bar and select "Task Manager" from the menu.

Task Manager option from the task bar menu

With Task Manager open up, select the task you want to force quit, and then select "End Task."

If you don't see the name of the app in the list here, click "More than Details" and find it in the listing on the Processes tab.

End task from task manager

The frozen program will at present close.

RELATED: Windows Task Manager: The Consummate Guide

Strength Quit an App Using Control Prompt

You tin can find and force quit tasks from the Control Prompt. Open Command Prompt past typing "cmd" in the Windows search bar, and then selecting the "Command Prompt" app from the search results.

Command Prompt app in windows search bar

In Command Prompt, typetasklist and press "Enter." Once executed, Control Prompt volition brandish a list of currently running programs, services, and tasks.

tasklist command in command prompt

The list tin can admittedly be a bit overwhelming, so simply call back to append .exe to the stop of the program name. In one case you lot're fix to force quit the program, execute this control:

taskkill /im <program>.exe

Then, if I wanted to forcefulness quit Notepad, I'd run this command:

taskkill /im notepad.exe

taskkill command

A success bulletin will be returned, letting you know you've successfully force quit the problematic application.

Of course, you can always reboot or close downward your PC to close an app that's really stuck.

RELATED: ten Ways to Open the Control Prompt in Windows 10