Every computer user has encountered how to close a frozen program. This situation occurs quite often when working on a computer.
While working on a computer, it happens that some program does not respond to user commands. The program does not respond to the mouse or keyboard, a window appears with the inscription “the program is not responding.”
How to close a frozen program? Some users immediately press the “Reset” button, which is located on the front panel of the computer. After this, the Windows operating system restarts.
But this is not recommended. A reboot may negatively affect the operation of the operating system or individual programs running at that moment. After a new launch, errors may appear in the program that was running at the time of sudden shutdown.
If defragmentation was occurring at the time of the reboot, then files that were being processed at that time may be damaged due to the reboot. And if these were some system files, then problems with the operating system may begin.
If problems with the operating system have already begun, then one of the ways out will be until it is operational.
What to do if the program does not respond?
Let's look at the easiest case first. The program is frozen and does not respond to computer user commands. You need to disable the frozen program; to do this, you need to launch the “Task Manager” by simultaneously pressing the “Ctrl” + “Alt” + “Del” keys on the keyboard in the Windows XP operating system.
In the operating systems Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, after pressing these keys, in a new window of the operating system, in the open menu, you will need to select the “Start task manager” item at the very bottom, or simultaneously press the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl” + "Shift" + "Esc".
In the Windows operating system, there is a more convenient way to launch the “Task Manager” - right-click on the “Taskbar”, and then select “Run Task Manager” from the context menu (In Windows XP, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 - “Task Manager ").
In the “Task Manager” window that opens, go to the “Applications” tab. Usually, opposite the name of the frozen program, in the “Status” column the inscription “Not responding” will be visible.
Next, select the frozen program, and then click on the “End task” button, or select the “End task” item in the context menu after right-clicking the mouse. In the warning window, agree to complete the process.
After some time, the frozen application will shut down. If this does not happen, go to the “Processes” tab.
Attention! You will need to be careful with this tab. Don't look for a hung process unless you know the name of the process!
In the Applications tab, select the frozen program, and then right-click on it and select Go to Process.
Task Manager will automatically switch you to the Processes tab and highlight the frozen application.
After that, click the “End process” button, or select “End process” in the context menu by right-clicking the mouse.
If the hung program is not displayed in the “Applications” tab, then you need to go to the “Processes” tab yourself, find the process of the frozen program and disable it, if you can find this process correctly. If you don’t know the name of the process, then it’s better not to do anything in this tab!
If these steps do not help, then go to the “Users” tab, click on the “Log out” button, or after right-clicking, select “Log off” from the context menu.
You will have to wait a while until the system completes all processes, and then an operating system window with your account icon will appear on your monitor. Click on this icon, and then log back into the operating system to continue working.
Similar actions can be performed using the Start menu, if you have access to the menu. In the Start menu, hover your mouse over the Shut Down button, and then select Sign Out from the pop-up context menu.
Restarting Explorer
One way to “revive” Windows is to restart Explorer. Windows Explorer is not only a file manager; in the operating system it is responsible, among other things, for displaying the Desktop and the Taskbar.
First, launch the Task Manager using the “Ctrl” + “Shift” + “Esc” keys. Then go to the “Processes” tab, then click on the “Image name” button, and then click on the “E” button (in the Latin keyboard layout).
The "explorer.exe" process will be highlighted. Terminate this process using the “End Process” button or from the context menu.
After this, Explorer will complete its work, and all icons will disappear from the monitor screen. In the Task Manager, go to the “File” menu, and in the context menu select “New task (Run...)”.
In the “Create a new task” window, enter “explorer” in the input field, and then click on the “OK” button.
After this, the operating system should work normally.
Removing a hung process from the command line
Run Command Prompt as Administrator. In the command line interpreter, enter the command: “tasklist” (without quotes), and then press the “Enter” key.
You will see a list of all processes running in the operating system. Next to each application name, its “PID” and the amount of memory consumed are displayed.
Remember the “PID” (numbers) of the frozen application that you need to disable. In the command line interpreter window, enter a new command: “taskkill/pid...” (without quotes). Instead of "..." after PID, insert the value that you remember. Then press the "Enter" key. The hung application will be closed.
other methods
The most difficult case is when some program or game that was deployed to fill the entire monitor screen freezes. In this case, you will not have access to the Desktop, the Task Manager, or the Start menu.
In this case, try exiting the window with the frozen program to the “Desktop” using the keys on the keyboard.
Press the keyboard keys “Alt” + “F4”. This key combination in the Windows operating system is used to close applications.
You can try pressing the “Esc” or “Enter” keys on your keyboard; perhaps, in some cases, you will be able to access the Desktop.
When you press the “Windows” key, you can also sometimes get to the Desktop when the program is frozen.
Try pressing the function keys “F1” - “F12” on your keyboard. In some cases, pressing these keys will open the Desktop. Which specific function key can help depends on the specific computer; it varies from computer to computer.
If the Desktop has opened, then to exit the frozen application, follow the steps described above in this article.
But, there are situations when the computer does not respond to any user actions. The mouse does not work, the computer does not respond to keystrokes on the keyboard. In this case, rebooting the operating system can no longer be avoided. Then you will have to click on the "Reset" button.
Conclusions of the article
If the program freezes. does not respond to user actions, try to shut down the frozen application without rebooting the operating system.
Do you have too many open windows on your desktop? Do you want to quickly jump between them or, for example, expand one and collapse the other? Or maybe you just want to focus and expand the window to full screen? For each of these actions there are hotkeys, which, for some reason, are not actively used. Meanwhile, they help very well in work. Here are some keyboard shortcuts you can use to manage windows and save time.
1.Switching between windows of the active application – Command+’
You switch between applications using the Command+Tab combination, right? The proposed combination is the same, only inside the active application. This is much faster than right-clicking an application shortcut to find the window you need.
So that no one has any questions, the second key from this combination is the same tilde, usually located above the “1” key on a standard keyboard.
2.Minimize the current window – Command+M
Want to get rid of the current window without closing it? Just press Command+M and the window will collapse into the Dock, where you'll find it whenever you decide to return to it.
3.Maximize the current window
Tired of clicking the green button in the corner of the window to expand it to full screen? This can be done using a keyboard shortcut, although you will have to configure it yourself - it is not there by default.
- Open System Preferences
- Select the Keyboard menu
- In this menu, go to the “Keyboard Shortcuts” tab
- In the left column, select "Program shortcuts" and click "+"
- In the “Menu Name” field, enter “Zoom”, and in the “Keyboard Shortcut” field, enter a keyboard shortcut that is convenient for you, for example Command+=
4.Hide other applications – Command+Option+H
If, in addition to the current application, you have a bunch of windows open and you want to quickly eliminate this mess, then the best solution is to press Command+Option+H. As a result, you will remain in the current program window, and all other applications will be minimized and will no longer interfere with your life and work.
5.Enter full screen mode – Command+Power
If you want to focus on the current task, say, working in a text editor, then maximize the window to full screen. To do this, press Command+Power and there will be nothing on the screen except the current application. To reverse the action, press the same key combination again. If this option does not work for you, then from the previous paragraph you already know how to make it work.
6.Close the current window – Command+W
This keyboard shortcut has been around in OS X since the early days of the system, but I still meet people who have never heard of it. One way or another, pressing these hotkeys closes the current program window (for example, a tab in a browser), and if there is only one window in the application, then Command+W closes the application.
7.Close all application windows – Command+Option+W
The keyboard shortcut is similar to the previous one. Only it closes all windows of the current application. Convenient when the browser is littered with tabs, for example.
Sooner or later, many users have a question about how to close a program if it does not close. In fact, the topic is not so simple. After all, frozen applications are a huge problem for users. They not only load the operating system and processor, but also interfere with normal operation of the computer. The following will provide the best tips and recommendations for what to do if you cannot close an application.
How to determine if a program is frozen
Before racking their brains for an answer to the question of how to close a program if it won't close, the user must understand whether the application is truly frozen. It is likely that the computer's performance leaves much to be desired, and the "close" command simply takes a long time to process.
Typically, if an application is frozen, it will stop responding to user input, the cursor will turn into either an hourglass or a small circle (depending on the operating system), and the application title will read “Not responding.” At the same time, all attempts to complete work with the program in the usual way (by clicking on the cross in the upper right corner of the screen) do not produce results. Also, when you click on the working area of the program, the screen becomes “covered in fog.” All these are signs of freezing. How can I close a program if it won't close? The best tips and tricks will be presented below.
Expectation
The first advice is to wait a little. Don't forget that a computer has a certain power. When the processor and RAM are loaded, the operating speed of the OS decreases. And it takes longer to process the transaction.
Accordingly, you will have to wait a little. When the computer takes a long time to respond to actions performed in the program, all signs of freezing are observed. The waiting period should not exceed 5-10 minutes. If after this time there are no responses to user actions, you can proceed to other shutdown methods.
Method 1: Hotkeys
So, it turned out that the program is not responding. How to close a frozen program? If waiting does not produce results, the user must choose one course of action or another. You can press some keys on the keyboard, as well as their combinations.
When the program freezes, you are prompted to click on:
- Ctrl+W
- Alt+F4.
These combinations contribute to the emergency closure of many frozen programs. Not the most effective, but a valid method. But this is just the beginning. There are several more options.
Method 2: through the menu
How can I close a program if it won't close? The following trick works more often than a keyboard shortcut. Users use it in practice with noticeable success. To close a frozen application, you can call up the program action menu, and then select the appropriate function there.
To do this you need:
- Place the cursor over the program window on the taskbar.
- Right-click on the appropriate application.
- In the menu that appears, select "Close window". If the system issues a warning, agree with it.
- Wait a while.
As a rule, after the actions taken, the program closes on its own after 10-15 seconds. If this method does not help, no need to panic. You can try using other methods. Luckily, Windows provides quite a few ways to close applications.
Method 3: Task Manager
Which ones exactly? How can you close a program if it freezes? When the listed methods do not produce results, the user is asked to act somewhat differently. For example, call the task manager, and then end the process launched by a particular program.
This method is the most effective. It allows you to urgently close almost any program. Doesn't work only in some cases. Therefore, users often prefer it.
How to close a program that is frozen or unresponsive? This requires:
- Press the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Del. Or Ctrl + Shift + Esc will do.
- Select "Task Manager" in the window that appears. If you used a combination with "Shift", you can skip this step. The corresponding service will open immediately.
- Go to the "Applications" tab.
- Select the frozen program and click on the “End task” or “End task” button.
- Accept the operating system warning (if it is issued), and then wait a bit.
As a rule, after 5-15 seconds the program will be closed urgently. In some cases, it is suggested to send a message about the error of the corresponding application. This method can be improved a little. To do this, go to the "Processes" tab in the "Task Manager", then select the name of the process that is being executed by the frozen program, and click on "End". This will close the application approximately 99% of the time.
Method 4: additional programs
In some situations, additional software helps. Some processes are terminated forcibly only with their help. Not the most common, but an effective solution to the problem. How to close a program that has frozen? The user must download and install a special additional application to search for processes running on the computer, and then repeat the same steps as in the Task Manager. Process Explorer is perfect for this idea.
How can I close a program if it won't close? The user will have to:
- Download Process Explorer for yourself.
- Run the program. The application does not require installation, which makes users very happy.
- Find the desired program/process in the list on the left side of the screen.
- Select it by right-clicking on the corresponding line.
- In the menu that appears, perform the “Kill” operation.
After this, the application will be closed on an emergency basis. The advantage of using the program is that it displays processes and programs hidden from the standard Task Manager.
Method 5: radical approach
How can you close a program if it freezes? The next method is radical. There is no need to rush with it, even though it is considered the simplest. The thing is that to successfully complete programs, you need... a reboot of the operating system.
Skype won't close? How to close it? Exactly the same as all other applications. First, try all the methods listed earlier. If they do not help, then the user has no choice but to restart the computer.
It is not recommended to use Start. After all, frozen programs sometimes interfere with the corresponding operation. Instead, you need to find the Reset button on your computer and click on it. This is an emergency reboot. This option works on desktop computers. It is recommended to save all data in other applications before using it. In addition, it is worth considering that constantly restarting the computer does not have the best effect on the performance of the device.
Method 6: for laptops
Now it’s clear how to close a program that has frozen. The user could easily familiarize himself with examples of actions in a particular case. Detailed instructions will help you solve the problem.
What to do if all the previously listed methods do not help, and the person is working not at a desktop computer, but at a laptop? Or if for a number of reasons the operating system refuses to reboot even after pressing Reset?
In this case, you need to urgently shut down the operating system. But before that, save all the data on your computer. Next, press the power button on the laptop (or computer) and hold it for about 5-10 seconds. The operating system will shut down. Then you can turn on the computer and continue working with it.
The disadvantage of this method of action is its danger to the device. Frequent emergency shutdowns lead to operating system failures and hardware malfunctions. This step will not solve the problem with programs freezing. Therefore, you can use it only as a last resort.
The reader should already understand how to force close a program on Windows. All of the above methods help to bring your idea to life without much difficulty. What tips will help you avoid app freezing next time?
The most common recommendations among them are:
- Make sure that it is the program that has frozen, and not the computer. The list of actions in one case or another will be different. Most often, when your computer freezes, an emergency reboot or shutdown helps.
- Scan your computer for viruses. Treat it if necessary.
- Reinstall a frozen program. Sometimes this method helps very effectively.
- Do not open many programs and applications when working with problematic software. The less the processor is loaded, the faster certain operations will be performed on it.
- Learn to wait. As already mentioned, sometimes processes simply take a long time to process. And so it begins to seem that the computer program has frozen.
- Try all the listed methods. It is recommended to postpone rebooting and shutting down the computer as a last resort.
That's all. In fact, there is nothing difficult about ending a stuck program. All of these methods are successfully used by PC users to varying degrees.
In life, there are often situations when the computer interface malfunctions, and neither the mouse cursor nor the treasured close and minimize window icons are visible on the monitor. At such moments, it is very useful to know how to close a window using the keyboard. This can also be useful when someone has entered the room and you urgently need to close the window, but one hand is occupied. If you know what I mean. So, let's go.
Close the window using the keyboard. The easiest and fastest way
To close a window in the Windows operating system, click Alt + F4. The Alt keys are located on each side of the spacebar, you can press any of them. And F4 is the fourth key to the right of the Esc button.
The command is very helpful when you need to close a frozen program, game, or simply close a window without the help of your right hand.
- Sometimes the command is used Ctrl+W, but it is less universal. Does not work with all programs.
- Sometimes the key helps Esc.
The second way to close a window using the keyboard in two steps
This method forcibly calls up the program menu, in which you can choose what to do with the window: close, minimize, restore.
1. To do this, click Alt + Space. Here's what will happen:
2. You can navigate this menu using shooter keyboard, and having selected the desired item, press Enter. The action you choose will be carried out if the computer still shows signs of life.
An alternative to closing a page is collapsing
Sometimes closing a window or program is too drastic a method. Often simply rolling it up is enough. There are several ways to do this:
Keyboard shortcut Alt + Tab
This command allows you to switch between all open windows on the system. A very convenient command, a must-have in the arsenal of any computer user.
Win + M: minimize all windows and go to the desktop using the keyboard
Another extremely useful keyboard command, although it doesn’t close windows, it minimizes them all at once! If you are mired in clutter among many windows, just press this combination and enjoy the moment of purification. Then you can manually close all unnecessary windows.
Bottom line
Today we learned some very useful keyboard commands that allow you to close or minimize windows. This:
- Alt + F4 - close the current window;
- Alt + Space – call up the window menu, use the arrows to select “Close”, press Enter;
- Alt + Tab - switch between windows;
- Win + M - minimize all open windows.
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How to close all browser windows? When browsing the Internet, users most often open several browser tabs or windows. This speeds up work and makes it more convenient. But when installing programs or applications, the installer may require you to close all open browser windows. To close all browser windows, follow these steps: 1 You can close all browser windows at once. To do this, click on the cross in the upper right corner of the program. To do this using the keyboard, press the keyboard shortcut Alt + F4. 2 If you don’t want to close the browser right away (so as not to lose important information, for example), you can close the tabs one at a time. Left-click on the cross in the right corner of the tab, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + F4 or CTRL + W. After you have closed all tabs, close the browser itself. Now that all browser windows are closed, you can install the desired application or program. 3 In most cases, the previous steps are sufficient. But there are situations when you have closed all visible browser windows, and the program refuses to continue the installation and again requires you to close the windows. Enter the task manager: press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC. Another way: press the combination CTRL + ALT + DELETE, in the window that appears, select “Launch task manager”. 4 Go to the Processes tab. The processes currently running are displayed here. Click the "Show processes of all users" button. Click on “Image Name” to alphabetize the processes and make it easier to find. Depending on your browser, look for the following file names: iexplorer.exe, opera.exe, firefox.exe, chrom.exe, etc. Click on the desired process, click “End Process” and confirm completion. Now all browser windows are closed, you can install the program or application. 5 Sometimes it becomes necessary to minimize browser windows without closing them. For example, you are at work and want to view your personal emails, but you don’t want others to notice. To quickly switch to another program window, such as a Word document, use the ALT + TAB keyboard shortcut. To minimize all browser windows and see the “Desktop”, press the WIN + D or WIN + M keys. You can also minimize windows by clicking on the “Collapse all windows” button in the lower left corner of the monitor, next to the “Start” button. Please note Collapse all - there is no such combination. You can only use Alt+F4. SHIFT + Right-click Opens the context menu ALT + F4 Closes the current window. If no window is open, it opens the Windows shutdown menu. Useful advice That's the whole point of this program - with the help of it you can easily close all the windows that are currently open on your PC. This will help you eliminate confusion and avoid having to close multiple windows individually. The program can be placed on the taskbar, as shown in the figure above, and by clicking on it with the left mouse button, you can close all open windows.