Force an app to close
Press these three keys together: Option (or Alt), Command, Esc (Escape).1 Or choose Force Quit from the Apple menu in the corner of your screen.
A Force Quit window will open. Select the app you want to close, then click Force Quit:
The Finder is always open, but if it stops responding, you can force it to close and then open again: select Finder in the Force Quit window, then click Relaunch.
Find out how to close an app on your iPhone or close an app on your iPad.
If you can't force the app to close
If you can’t force the app to close, try restarting your Mac: choose Apple menu > Restart.
If your Mac won’t restart, force your Mac to turn off:
1. Press and hold the power button on your Mac for up to 10 seconds until your Mac turns off.2
2. Turn your Mac back on.
Shut down your Mac
• On your Mac, choose Apple menu > Shut Down. If you don’t want app windows that are open to reopen when your Mac
restarts, deselect “Reopen windows when logging back in”. A Mac is completely shut down when the screen is black. Some
computers also don’t show an active power light or have any fan or
drive noise.
Important: If you’re using a Mac laptop, wait for it to shut down completely before closing the display. If you close the display while the Mac is shutting down, it may not shut down properly and may start up more slowly the next time you turn it on. Always shut down your Mac before opening the case to install additional memory or other devices inside the computer. You may also need to shut down before connecting or unplugging certain peripheral devices. If you’re unsure, refer to the documentation that came with the device.
You don’t need to shut down your Mac when connecting or disconnecting cables, such as USB-C, Thunderbolt or Ethernet.
Important: You can force a shutdown if necessary — for example, if your Mac becomes unresponsive — by pressing and holding the power button until your Mac shuts down. You may lose unsaved changes in open documents.
Restart your Mac
You should Regularly restart your machine
On your Mac, choose Apple menu > Restart.
If you don’t want app windows that are open to reopen when your Mac
restarts, deselect “Reopen windows when logging back in”.
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