How to Ctrl Alt Delete on a Mac: Quit Apps + Check Performance

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Learn how to get the same effect as Ctrl +Alt + Del on your MacBook or Mac desktop
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Do you need to force quit a program on a Mac? Are you wondering if there is an equivalent to “Ctrl + Alt + Del” on Mac? While there is no exact equivalent, there are similar keyboard shortcuts. There are other ways you can force quit a program, too. This wikiHow article will teach you easy ways to quit unresponsive apps on your Mac using keyboard shortcuts, the Apple menu, and Activity Monitor with expert tips from computer specialist Luigi Oppido.

Force Quit a Program on Mac

  1. Press Command + Option + Esc .
  2. Select the program you want to close.
  3. Click Force Quit .
Method 1
Method 1 of 6:

Using a Keyboard Shortcut

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  1. According to Oppido, this is the keyboard shortcut to open the “Force Quit Applications” window, which displays a list of open apps on your Mac.
    • Ctrl + Alt + Delete isn’t a shortcut on Mac like it is on Windows, but you can get the same effect using Command + Option + Esc .
    • Alternatively, you can press Command + Q to quit an app the normal way. Since this is a normal quit (as opposed to a Force Quit), it probably won’t do much if the app is frozen.
  2. Click the app to highlight it in the list.
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  3. This will close the application that you selected.
    • Note that you might lose unsaved data when using Force Quit .
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Method 2
Method 2 of 6:

Using the Apple Menu

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  1. This is the Apple icon in the menu bar at the top of the screen. The Apple menu options will pop up.
  2. This opens the Force Quit Applications menu, which displays a list of open apps on your Mac.
  3. This will highlight and select it in the list.
  4. This will close the application that you selected.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 6:

Using the Dock

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  1. This will allow you to access additional options in the right-click menu.
  2. This will open the right-click pop-up menu.
  3. This will close the app.
    • If you let go of the Control and Option keys while the menu is open, the “Force Quit” option will change to “Quit.”
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Method 4
Method 4 of 6:

Using Activity Monitor

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  1. Another useful feature of the Windows “Ctrl + Alt + Delete” keyboard shortcut is opening Task Manager , which displays all open apps, background processes, and performance information. The Mac equivalent is Activity Monitor , which also lets you force quit apps. To open Activity Monitor:
    • Click the Spotlight magnifying glass icon at the top-right corner of the screen, or press Command + Spacebar .
    • Type activity monitor and press Return .
    • Double-click Activity Monitor in the search results.
      • You can also find Activity Monitor in the Applications folder under Utilities .
  2. Click to select the app you want to close in the Process Name list in the Activity Monitor app. [1]
    • You can also click the columns at the top of Activity Monitor to sort running processes by how many system resources they're using. For example, to see which processes are using the most of your CPU, click the %CPU tab.
  3. This is the X with an octagon around it. It’s on the left side of the menu bar at the top of Activity Monitor. A list of options will appear.
  4. This will end the process and close the app. [2]
    • Alternatively, you can select Quit to try to close the app normally first.
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Method 5
Method 5 of 6:

Using the Terminal

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  1. You can also use Terminal commands to force quit an application on a Mac. Terminal is the equivalent of the Command Prompt in Windows. Use the following steps to open the Terminal.
    • Click the Spotlight magnifying glass icon at the top-right corner of the screen, or press Command + Spacebar .
    • Type terminal and press Return .
    • Click Terminal in the search results.
      • You can also find Terminal in the Applications folder under Utilities .
  2. Replace “[application name]” with the actual name of the application. For example, killall Safari .
    • This command is case sensitive. Make sure you type the name of the app or process exactly as it is written, including any capital and lowercase letters, or Terminal won’t recognize it.
    • If the application name has two or more words, put them in quotations. For example killall “Google Chrome” .
  3. This should force quit the program you entered.
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Method 6
Method 6 of 6:

What to Do When the Application Won’t Force Quit[]

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  1. To do so, press and hold the Power button or Touch ID until your Mac shuts down. Then, press the power button again to restart it . This will force your Mac to shut down, which will clear the memory upon restarting.
  2. Keeping your Mac updated ensures that all bugs and security issues are patched out. It also keeps your computer running more smoothly. Use the following steps to check for updates: [3]
    • Click the Apple icon.
    • Click System Settings .
    • Click General .
    • Click Software Update .
    • Click Update Now if an update is available.
  3. In addition to updating macOS, you should also keep your software up-to-date. If you downloaded the software from the internet, you can download the latest version of the software from the same website or another trusted source. If you downloaded the software from the App Store, use the following steps to update it : [4]
    • Open the App Store .
    • Click Updates in the sidebar to the left.
    • Click Update All .
  4. If you have a ton of programs running in the background, it can use up a lot of RAM. This will make your programs slow to respond. Be sure to close any programs you’re not using and limit the number of programs you have running at the same time.
    • You can use Activity Monitor to check your RAM usage and close programs that are using a lot of RAM.
    • Web browsers with lots of tabs open can use up a lot of RAM.
  5. If the problem persists or your Mac is running slow in general, there may be a problem with your operating system. You may need to reset your Mac to its factory settings. Doing so will erase all data on your Mac. Be sure to back up your Mac before factory resetting it. Use the following steps to factory reset your Mac: [5]
    • Click the Apple icon.
    • Click System Settings .
    • Click General .
    • Click Transfer or Reset .
    • Click Erase all content and settings .
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    How do you do Ctrl Alt Delete on a Remote Desktop on Mac?
    Luigi Oppido
    Computer & Tech Specialist
    Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.
    Luigi Oppido
    Computer & Tech Specialist
    Expert Answer
    Mac Remote Desktops usually have an on-screen keyboard that you can load up; if it's an Apple-brand Remote Desktop, you should be able to toggle it on when log into the other machine. As soon as you toggle the other keyboard, you can do Command-Option-Escape.
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      Expert Interview

      Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about forcing an app to quit on mac, check out our in-depth interview with Luigi Oppido .

      References

      1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/activity-monitor/quit-a-process-actmntr1002/mac
      2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/activity-monitor/quit-a-process-actmntr1002/mac
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/108382
      4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/108382
      5. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102664

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