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

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Learn how to get the same effects of Ctrl Alt Del on your MacBook or Mac desktop

Co-authored by Luigi Oppido and Kyle Smith

Last Updated: April 23, 2024 Fact Checked

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Using a Keyboard Shortcut

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Using the Apple Menu

|

Using the Dock

|

Using Activity Monitor

|

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Trying to close an app on your Mac and the typical quit function isn’t working? You can easily force quit any program on your Mac using the keyboard shortcut Command + Option + Esc . Similar to Ctrl + Alt + Delete on Windows, this shortcut displays a list of apps open on your Mac and gives you the option to close them, even if they're unresponsive. If you're looking for a tool on your Mac that's similar to Windows Task Manager, which is also available through Ctrl + Alt + Delete , we'll also show you how to open Activity Monitor. This wikiHow article will teach you easy ways to quit unresponsive apps on your Mac using keyboard shortcuts, the Apple menu, and Activity Monitor.

Things You Should Know

Press Command + Option + Esc to open the Force Quit window. You can then select an app and choose "Force Quit" to close it.
Alternatively, go to Apple menu > Force Quit to open the tool.
You can open Activity Monitor, which is similar to Windows Task Manager, for more detailed information on open apps and processes.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Using a Keyboard Shortcut

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1
Press ⌘ Command + ⌥ Option + Esc at the same time. This keyboard shortcut opens the “Force Quit Applications” window, which displays a list of open apps on your Mac. ^{[1]
X
Research source}
- 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 .
- Force Quit allows you to close applications when they aren’t responding and can’t be closed through the normal quit command ( Command + Q ).
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This will highlight it in the list.

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3
Click Force Quit . This will close the application that you selected.
- Note that you might lose unsaved data when using Force Quit .
- If your Mac desktop or MacBook is running slowly, check out our Mac optimization guide .

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Using the Apple Menu

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This is the Apple icon in the menu bar. The Apple menu options will pop up.
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This opens the Force Quit Applications menu, which displays a list of open apps on your Mac.
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This will highlight and select it in the list.
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This will close the application that you selected.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Using the Dock

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This will allow you to access additional options in the right-click menu.
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This will open the right-click pop up menu.
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This will close the app.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Using Activity Monitor

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1
Open Activity Monitor on your Mac. 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.
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2
Click the app in Activity Monitor. Click to select the app you want to close in the Process Name list in the Activity Monitor app. ^{[2]
X
Research source}
- 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 which processes are using the most of your CPU, click the %CPU tab. ^{[3]
  X
  Research source}
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This is the X with an octagon around it. It’s in the upper left corner of Activity Monitor. A list of options will appear.
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4
Select Force Quit . This will end the process and close the app.
- Alternatively, you can select Quit to try to close the app normally first.

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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Tips

If even Force Quit can’t close an app, try restarting your Mac by going to the Apple menu and selecting Restart .

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If your Mac is completely unresponsive, turn it off using the power button or Touch ID button. Press and hold it for 10 seconds, turning off the Mac. Then turn the computer back on.

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For more helpful Mac guides, check out how to automatically shut down your computer at a certain time and connect a Mac to a TV .

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

Things You Should Know

Steps

Using a Keyboard Shortcut

Using the Apple Menu

Using the Dock

Using Activity Monitor

Expert Q&A

Tips

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Expert Interview

References

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