Ctrl+Alt+Delete on a Mac: how to force quit a frozen app

Why it happens

An app freezes when it gets stuck on a task and stops responding to you, often with the spinning colour wheel. On Windows you'd reach for Ctrl+Alt+Delete or Task Manager. On a Mac, the Force Quit window does the same job, and the rest of your Mac keeps working.

How to fix it

1. Give the app a minute first. A busy app often comes back by itself, and force quitting loses anything you haven't saved.

2. Press Option-Command-Esc together. The Force Quit Applications window opens. An app that has frozen often says Not Responding next to its name.

3. Select the app and click Force Quit, then confirm. It closes straight away.

4. No keyboard handy? Open the Apple menu and choose Force Quit… for the same window.

   Apple menu›Force Quit…

5. From the Dock: hold Option, Control-click the app's icon (or right-click with a mouse), and choose Force Quit.

6. Open the app again. Many apps offer to reopen the windows or documents you had open.

Still not fixed?

1. If the whole Mac is frozen and the pointer won't move, press and hold the power button for about 10 seconds until the screen goes black. Wait a few seconds, then press it again to turn on.

2. If the Finder is the one stuck, select it in the Force Quit window. The button changes to Relaunch, which restarts the Finder safely.

3. If the same app freezes again and again, update it from the App Store or the developer's website, then restart your Mac.

4. Check Activity Monitor's Memory tab. If Memory Pressure is red, close other apps and browser tabs so the app has room to work.

   Activity Monitor›Memory

5. If many different apps freeze, or the whole Mac hangs often even after a macOS update and a restart, contact Apple Support. They can help test for a deeper problem.