Linux shares some of the free components of UNIX, replacing others to make this open-source software. iOS and iPadOS have similar underpinnings, as do many other computers. Reinvented as Mac OS X in 2001, this was a completely redesigned version of the Macintosh OS which used a variant of a Unix kernel known as BSD, an enterprise-grade OS designed for maximum reliability that can trace its origins as far back as 1960s. Rather than allowing a wayward app to hold the resources it has claimed, possibly using memory and processor time, it should be shut down quickly so that the system can return to normal.Īpple’s macOS is a very stable operating system (OS) likely owing to its origins. While errors like this don’t happen often, the infrequency can make it harder to remember what to do to solve the issue when it arises. 1.1 Force Quit A Mac App With A Keyboard ShortcutĪpple gave macOS a way to force an app to quit, freeing up memory and CPU resources, when a wayward Mac app isn’t responding to user input.Īpple allows MacBook notebooks and Mac desktops to quit an app even when it becomes non-responsive by using a ‘Force Quit’ option.1 How To Force Quit A Mac App When An Error Occurs.This method is initiated by going to Option + Right Click on an apps icon in the Dock to bring up the “Force Quit” option, selecting this will kill the app without any confirmation. While not quite as well-known as the first, his one offers perhaps the quickest way to force quit the foreground application in Mac OS X and is another keyboard combo you should keep in mind! #3. One thing to keep in mind is that this closes the active app so make sure that the app you want to quit is at the top of the list, or it will force quit whatever is active when held down. Just hold the key combo down until the app forcibly closes. Holding down Command+Option+Shift+Escape for a second or two is another option. How to Force Quit on Mac from the Active App using the Keyboard That Force Quit keyboard shortcut is probably the best combination of easy and power when force-quitting apps in Mac OS X since you can access it with a keystroke, select and force quit multiple apps if necessary, and it will appear in any scenario! #2.

Force close mac application