Force Quit not Working on Mac

Using the Force Quit option on Mac is a great way to stop unresponsive applications from working. You can use it through the Mac Activity Monitor or by using the stand-alone Force Quit menu. However, what should you do if your Force Quit is not working on Mac at all? This can prove to be quite the nuisance, and you should be prepared to use other methods to 'force quit' applications you want to close.

Typically, users do this by pressing Command + Option + Escape to load the Force Quit menu. If this does not work for you, then here's what else you can try:

Quit the App from the Dock

If you can't access the Force Quit menu or your app is not showing there for some reason, then you can try to do the same from the Dock. Find the app's icon, hold down the Option button on your keyboard, and then right-click the app. This will open a context menu with additional options, including Force Quit.

Use the Terminal

A more advanced method of stopping unwanted Mac apps is to do it through the Terminal. Head to Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal and enter the command ps –ax. Press Enter and you will see a list of running processes, as well as their process IDs (PID.) After you have identified the PID you want to terminate, enter the command kill PID and replace the PID with the numbers you got from the first command.

Restart your Mac

If all else fails, then restarting your Mac might be the only way to fix the issue. This should fix frozen applications, and you might be able to Force Quit them if they crash again.

Try Updating your Software

Application updates do not always introduce new features. They sometimes fix old bugs and issues that may cause all sorts of troubles, such as force quit not working. You should apply all pending program updates as soon as they are available so that you will encounter such issues as rarely as possible.

July 2, 2021
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