Sometimes, a computer program must be force closed because it crashes and does not respond to a command. There are several ways to close a crashed computer program based on the seriousness of the problem and also based on the operating system used.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Using Task Manager (Windows)
Step 1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del.
This key combination will display a screen with four options: Lock, Switch User, Sign out, and Task Manager.
Step 2. Click Task Manager
The Task Manager in Windows contains various information about the processes, programs, and services currently running on the computer system.
Step 3. Switch to the Task Manager window
If after clicking Task Manager and you still don't see a new window pop up, this could be because the window is behind a stuck program. Try pressing Alt+Tab to switch to the Task Manager window.
Fix this problem so it doesn't happen again by clicking the menu tab Options in the upper-left corner of the Task Manager window, and make sure you select Always on top on the menu that appears.
Step 4. Locate and click the name of the stuck program
Programs are usually under the tab Applications. In column Status, The crashed program will have a description Not responding.
Step 5. Click End Task
When the stuck program has been selected and marked, click Options End Task in the lower-left corner of the Task Manager window. Click End Program when a new window appears.
Troubleshooting
Step 1. Click the Processes tab
When closing the program via tab Applications does not work or the program you are referring to is not in the tab, you must stop the process of the program running through the tab Processes. If you are using Windows 8, you must click More Details which is at the bottom of the Task Manager window first to show the tabs Processes.
Step 2. Locate and click on the process you want to stop
There will be more list of running processes on this tab when compared to tab Applications because this tab also displays the processes that are running on the system. It may take you a while to find the process you want to stop.
Step 3. Click End Process
When you have found and selected the process you mean, click End Process in the lower-right corner of the Task Manager window.
Method 2 of 3: Using Command Prompt (Windows)
Step 1. Open Command Prompt as administrator
Press Win then type cmd. Right click on icon Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator on the menu that appears.
Click Yes when a new window appears.
Step 2. Stop the program you want
Type taskkill /im filename.exe at the Command prompt and press Enter. Replace 'filename' with the name of the program you want to stop. For example, if you want to close iTunes, replace 'filename' with 'iTunes.exe'.
Method 3 of 3: Using Force Quit (Mac)
Step 1. Open Force Quit
Press Command + Option + Escape to open the Force Quit window. You will see a list of active programs.
Step 2. Click Force Quit to close the program you want
Find and select the program that crashed, then click Force Quit which is at the bottom right.
