How to force close unresponsive apps on Windows 11

Apps usually run fine on Windows 11, but not always - they can freeze. Here’s how to force close unresponsive apps on Windows 11.

If you encounter a situation on Windows 11 where apps won’t close at all? The good news is that Windows offers a few different ways to force them to close so you can continue to get your work done.

Apps generally run fine on Windows 11 without issues; however, they can freeze or get stuck for various reasons. For example, a faulty Windows update or a poor internet connection could cause it to freeze.

Luckily, there are several methods you can use to force close unresponsive apps on Windows 11. Methods as below.

How to force close an unresponsive app on Windows 11 using keyboard shortcuts

You can force close an app by using a keyboard shortcut, using Task Manager, or PowerShell terminal.

To use keyboard shortcuts to force an app to close on Windows 11:

1. Click the title bar of an unresponsive app.
2. After selecting an unresponsive application, press the Alt F4 keyboard combination to force close the application.
   NOTE: The app should close and you will not receive any other notifications. Also, depending on your keyboard, you can use the Alt Fn F4 keyboard combination.

How to use Task Manager to close unresponsive apps on Windows 11

If the keyboard shortcuts shown above don't work, or you want to use a different method, use Tasks Manager.

To force close an unresponsive application on Windows 11 using Task Manager:

1. Right-click the Start button , and then select "Task Manager" from the menu.
2. Select the Processes option, right-click the application or process causing the problem, and click End Task from the menu.
3. You can also click on the unresponsive application and select the End Task option from the top of the Task Manager.

Stuck and frozen processes or applications should end and the application will be closed on the desktop. After that, you can launch the app again and see if it works.

How to force close an unresponsive app via Settings on Windows 11:

Another way to force close an app on Windows 11 is to use the Settings app.

To turn off frozen apps on Windows 11 via settings:

1. Click the Start button or press Windows key and launch "Settings" .
2. Click on the application in the left panel and select the Installed Applications option on the right side.
Enter the name of the problematic app in the search field. Click the
3. three-dot button next to it and select Advanced options.
Scroll down to near the bottom and click "
4. TERM". You won't see a notification when you click the "TERM" button; the app will simply be closed.

How to force close an application via PowerShell on Windows 11

In addition to the above options, you can also force close an application via the PowerShell Terminal. If you prefer using the command line, this is a good choice.

The same steps also apply to newer Windows Terminals.

To force close an unresponsive application via PowerShell:

1. Open the "Start" menu.
2. Search for PowerShell and select the Run as administrator option on the right.
3. Run the following command and press Enter:

   Get-Process

   

4. The PowerShell screen will display a long list of applications and process. Run the following command and press Enter key.

   1. Stop-Process -Name ProcessName

The "process name" in the above command is the name of the application as it was displayed on the previous screen. So for example, here I want to end VLC, so the command would read:

Stop-Process -Name vlc

Windows 11 Application Troubleshooting

Full on Windows 11 Leveraging your apps is crucial, but sometimes they come into play. If an application freezes or becomes unresponsive, using one of the solutions above will get you back to normal. After force closing unresponsive apps on Windows 11, you can restart them and hope they work fine. If not, you will need to do further troubleshooting.

If you enable the Archive Apps feature, Windows will uninstall rarely used Microsoft Store apps. It helps save bandwidth and system resources. Additionally, if you want to have a specific app ready to go, learn how to launch apps during Windows 11 startup.

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