On the whole Windows is pretty reliable, but it can sometimes hang up and crash. How do we get back to work or gaming with the minimum of fuss? For that we need to force quit the operating system.
In this how-to we will show you how to safely power down or reboot your computer should the worst happen. We will also show you how to force close applications and quickly close an application without touching the mouse.
How to Force Quit Windows 10 and 11
There are times when Windows becomes unresponsive. It happens and instead of reaching for the power or reset button on our PC, we can safely power down / restart the computer by using a hidden menu.
1. Press CTRL + ALT + DELETE. This will bring up a new menu.
2. Click on the Power icon in the bottom right corner.
3. Select Shutdown / Restart to force the computer to power down / restart.
Alternatively we can open a hidden menu via the Start Menu to power down / reboot our machine.
1. Press Windows + X to open the menu. Right clicking on the Start Menu will have the same effect.
2. Select Shut down on sign out and then choose Shut down or restart.
How to Force Quit Windows Without A Mouse
Your wireless mouse runs out of power and you need to rush for the commute home. How do you safely power down your computer using just the keyboard?
1. With no other applications open press ALT+F4. This will open the Shut down Windows dialog.
2. Press TAB and then Enter to select OK and power down the computer. Shutdown is automatically selected but we can use the arrow keys to select reboot, switch user, sign out and sleep.
How to Force Quit Windows Using the Command Prompt
You may not be able to access the menus during certain types of Windows error (ex: if explorer.exe crashes). Should that be the case, you can use the command promptto power down and reboot our system.
1. Press Windows Key + R to open the run dialog. Alternatively right click on the Start menu and select Run.
2. Type cmd and press Enter / click OK.
3. Use this command to shutdown the computer within one minute. A prompt will appear. Clicking Close will not stop the shutdown process. An additional /t switch can be used to set the timeout in seconds. So /t 120 would be two minutes.
shutdown /s4. To reboot the computer use this command.
shutdown /rForce Quit an Application in Windows
Sometimes an application can suddenly become unresponsive. In these circumstances we need to force the application’s service / task to quit using the Task Manager. Note that force closing an application will result in any unsaved work being lost.
1. Right click on the Start menu and select Task Manager. Alternatively press CTRL + ALT + DELETE and select Task Manager from the list.
2. Select the application from the list. In our example Inkscape has frozen and we need to close the application.
3. Right click on the application and Select End Task. This will force close the application.
Force Quit an App from the Windows Command Prompt
Sometimes it can be convenient to force quit applications from the command prompt. For example this process can be automated using a batch script. The tasklist and taskkill commands will show and kill any tasks that are presented to it.
1. Press Windows Key + R to open the run dialog. Alternatively right click on the Start menu and select Run.
2. Type cmd and press Enter / click OK.
3. Type tasklist and press Enter. This will list all of the running tasks and applications.
4. Use taskkill/im (task / application to close) to force close an application. In our example we want to close Inkscape so we used the following command.
taskkill/im inkscape.exeHow to Quickly Close an Application in Windows
In the days of MSDOS we can remember learning how to be a console cowboy. throwing keyboard shortcuts around like we were hacking The Gibson. There are two common shortcuts to close an application.
1. Press ALT + F4. This will close the application, you should be prompted to save any unsaved work.
2. Alternatively press CTRL + Q to close the application.