I get it. You’re having some trouble with a program on your Mac. Let’s get to the point so you can solve whatever issue you may be having and continue on with your day.
A number of issues on an Apple computer running MacOS can be solved by entering the Mac task manager to determine which apps are causing trouble and force quit them accordingly. Here’s how to get there in the simplest way.
Force Quit Apps on Mac:
Simultaneously pressing the Command (⌘) + Option + Escape buttons will access the Force Quit window allowing you to close apps that are not functioning properly. Alternatively, go to Activity Monitor to see more detail on the apps your Mac is running.
Still having trouble? Read on to get a step-by-step walkthrough to force quitting programs on Mac.
There are two different levels of task managers on MacOS that allow you to force quit processes. One is designed simply for closing apps that are not responding and the other is to take a deeper look at the processes your computer is running.
Simple task manager
When having problems with a specific app, it may be unresponsive. Trying to exit a window or quit will not work in this situation. Opening the Force Quit Applications window is where you will go to resolve this.
This can be accessed by selecting the Apple icon in the toolbar and then clicking on “Force Quit…” The keyboard shortcut Command (⌘) + Option + Escape will also bring up the Force Quit window.
From here, select the app that is not responding and click “Force Quit” to completely exit the application. If this doesn’t solve your problem, you may need to take a deeper look.
Activity Monitor on Mac
A more exact equivalent to the Windows Task Manager on Mac is the Activity Monitor. Activity Monitor allows you to view all the running processes your computer is working on. This is a much more detailed visualization of how much CPU load, RAM memory, energy used, disk space, and network monitoring of each program. Certain programs may be negatively impacting your Mac’s performance in the background without you even being aware.
To access the Activity Monitor, press Command (⌘) + Space Bar to bring up the Spotlight. Typing “Activity Monitor” and entering will open the program. Alternatively, use the Launchpad or search through your Applications → Utilities folders to locate the following icon.
Once the Activity Monitor is opened, you will see all the programs you have running in the foreground and background. Switch through the tabs at the top to see options on CPU, Memory, Energy, Disk, and Network.
If you determine that a program is degrading the performance of your Mac in a certain way, select it and then press the button containing an octagon with an X in the top left to force the process to quit.
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