How to Force a Program to Close (Windows)

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This wikiHow teaches you how to force an unresponsive program to close in Windows. You'll use Task Manager to do this.

Steps

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  1. Open the Task Manager . Right-click an empty taskbar space and choose Task Manager or Start Task Manager .
    • You can also press Control + ⇧ Shift + Esc simultaneously..
  2. It's located near the upper-left corner of the Task Manager window.
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  3. Click the unresponsive application name. In Windows 10 and 8, this will be under the "Apps" header.
  4. It's in the bottom-right corner of the Task Manager window. This will terminate the unresponsive application within a few seconds.
    • If the task will not end, right-click on the app name. Choose Go to Details (or Go to Process for older Windows versions). Then, end the task for the process.
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  • Question
    What should I do if the Task Manager program is freezing?
    Community Answer
    Try to restart your computer manually. If that doesn't work, you'll have to force a power-off.
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  • Question
    What do I do if it says "Access is denied"?
    Community Answer
    Then you need administrator permissions on that account in order for the file to allow you to edit/delete it.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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  • Question
    What is an unresponsive app?
    Zuubytron
    Community Answer
    It's an app that is frozen and needs to be closed. Just restart and see if it freezes again.
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      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Right-click an empty taskbar space.
      2. Go to Task Manager or Start Task Manager .
      3. Click the Processes or Applications tab.
      4. Select the unresponsive app from the list.
      5. Click End task .

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