3 Effective Methods to Force Quit Apps and Games on Windows PC

ByJim Miller

An app or game freezing on your Windows computer can be incredibly frustrating. Whether it's due to limited system resources or buggy software, the result is the same: the app refuses to close. If you find yourself in this situation, don't worry. In this article, we will walk you through three methods to force quit apps and games on your Windows 11 and 10 PC.

Disclaimer: When you forcefully close an app or game, any unsaved progress or data will be lost. If possible, remember to click on the Save button to prevent any data loss.

Method 1: Force Quit Apps or Games Using Alt + F4

One of the easiest and oldest tricks to close an unresponsive program on Windows is by pressing Alt + F4 on your keyboard. However, if a program is completely frozen or not responding due to a more severe issue, using Alt + F4 may not have any effect. In such cases, you might need to rely on other methods, such as the Task Manager.

Method 2: Force Quit Apps or Games Using Task Manager

Task Manager is another effective method that Windows users have been using for years to forcefully terminate apps or games. Here's how you can use it:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open the Task Manager.
  2. Select the app, game, or process that you want to close and then click on the End task button.

No matter how severely the program has frozen, this method will effortlessly close it without any hassle.

Method 3: Force Quit Apps or Games Without Using Task Manager

If the Task Manager fails to open or becomes unresponsive, you can rely on Windows Command Prompt to force quit apps or games. With a few simple commands, you can view all your running programs and force-stop any of them as needed. Here's how you can do it:

  1. In the Start Menu, search for Command Prompt (CMD) and open it. Alternatively, press Windows Key + R, type “CMD” in the search field, and hit Enter.
  2. Enter the command tasklist to view all the programs running on your Windows PC.
  3. Copy the name of the app, game, or program that you wish to forcefully quit and enter the following command: taskkill /im [ProgramName.exe] /t /f. For example, if you want to close the Slack app, the command should be: taskkill /im Slack.exe /t /f.

By following these steps, you can successfully force close the app without using the Task Manager on your Windows machine. You can also use PowerShell as an alternative.

Tip: If you're a Mac user as well, you can refer to our comprehensive guide on how to force quit apps on Mac.

Task Manager Hidden Behind a Frozen Window

Sometimes, when you attempt to open the Task Manager to terminate a frozen program, it keeps opening behind the frozen window, causing further complications. To avoid this, follow these steps:

  1. Open Task Manager and click on Settings (Gear Icon) at the bottom left corner.
  2. Under Window management, check the Always On Top box.

Alternatively, you can create a Virtual Desktop (Ctrl + Win + D), open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) from there, and select the program you want to close. To switch back to your original desktop screen, press Windows Key + Tab. From there, you can create, close, or select any virtual desktop without closing your opened applications.

Conclusion

Dealing with frozen applications can be a hassle, especially when they refuse to close. Luckily, there are several effective ways to force quit apps on your Windows 10 or 11 PC. This guide has outlined practical solutions—from simple shortcuts to command-line methods—to help you regain control. If all else fails, restarting your computer remains a final option to force quit apps and restore normal function.