The Mac version of Alt+F4: quit an app properly

Why it happens

On Windows, Alt+F4 or the X button usually closes the whole program. On a Mac, the red button and Command-W only close a window, and the app often stays open in the background. Quitting is a separate step, and it closes every window of that app.

How to fix it

1. Click a window of the app you want to quit, so its name shows in bold next to the Apple menu at the top-left.

2. Press Command-Q. Or click the app's name in the menu bar and choose Quit at the bottom of that menu.

   Menu bar›App name›Quit

3. Another way: Control-click the app's icon in the Dock and choose Quit. This works even when the app isn't in front.

4. If the app asks about unsaved work, choose Save or Don't Save. Once it has quit, the small dot under its Dock icon goes away.

Still not fixed?

1. App frozen and won't quit? Press Option-Command-Escape, select the app and click Force Quit. You can also choose Force Quit… from the Apple menu. Anything you hadn't saved in that app may be lost.

   Apple menu›Force Quit…

2. Just want to close one window and keep the app? Press Command-W, the Mac's version of Ctrl+W.

3. Can't see which apps are still open? Turn on Show indicators for open applications in Desktop & Dock. A dot then shows under every app that's running.

   Desktop & Dock›Dock›Show indicators for open applications

4. If an app freezes again and again, check for an update to it, then restart your Mac. If Force Quit itself stops working or your whole Mac freezes often, contact Apple Support.