By Marlo Anderson – The Tech Ranch
The spinning rainbow wheel shows up and your app won’t budge. Instead of holding down the power button, press Command + Option + Esc. The Force Quit window opens so you can close just the app that’s stuck.
The Shortcut
- ⌘ + Option + Esc: opens Force Quit Applications
- Stuck apps are marked not responding
- Select the app and click Force Quit
Heads Up
Force quitting closes the app right away, so any unsaved changes in it will be lost. If the wheel just appeared, give it a minute first.
Bonus Tip: Quit Means Quit
Press ⌘ + Q to quit the app you’re using. Clicking the red button in the corner only closes the window. If you still see a dot under the app in the Dock, it’s still running.
On Windows?
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
More Keyboard Shortcuts, Explained
This is part of my Keyboard Shortcuts Explained series: quick, plain-English tips that make everyday computer work faster. Watch the whole series on YouTube and subscribe to The Tech Ranch so you don’t miss the next one. Short on time? Here’s the quick Short version.
Found this helpful? Give the video a thumbs up on YouTube. Got a shortcut you can’t live without? Tell me in the YouTube comments and it might show up in a future video.
