How to close programs on your computer. How to close a program that is frozen, with examples. How to close programs using SuperF4

In today's realities, the most popular OS family is Windows. Even system administrators and professional programmers who use other solutions have to deal with Windows from time to time. The trouble with this operating system The problem is that anyone can write software for it. Testing is often not carried out very carefully. And this leads to freezes of the software or the entire OS. end user. Sometimes products from well-known developers present surprises and stop responding to commands. How to close a program if it does not close, read the article.

Expectation

The easiest way to shut down a frozen program is to wait. 5-10 minutes is usually enough. In the vast majority of cases, the application will close on its own or finish all resource-intensive algorithms and continue normal operation.

Computer games, office packages, programs for complex mathematical calculations, antiviruses - all this requires considerable resources. When your computer can't handle a sudden increase in load, applications freeze.

There is only one drawback to this method - waiting requires free time.

How can I close a program if it won't close? Use hotkeys

This method is as simple as the previous one. Left-click on the application window and press on the keyboard Alt combination+ F4, sometimes you can use F5.

Most likely, the utility will exit or a window will appear on the screen asking you to force close it. The operating system will then continue to function in normal mode. After the program terminates this way, wait a couple of minutes so that its process actually stops performing all operations.

Task bar

How to close a program if it does not close even using hotkeys? Hover your cursor over the symbol of the frozen utility and click on this area right click mice. In the context menu that appears, click on the “Close” item. After this, the software often shuts down.

Task Manager

Task Manager - powerful built-in Windows utility, with which you can close a frozen application. To launch this tool, right-click on a free area of ​​the taskbar and select the desired menu section. Another way to launch the “dispatcher” is to enter the combination Ctrl keys+ Alt + Del.

On the application tab you can see a table with the names of all workers custom applications. Highlight the desired line and press Del button on keyboard. Then confirm your intention. Typically, a hung utility closes immediately. But how can you close a program if it does not close using this method?

Go to the Processes tab and find the name here executable file applications. If the search does not produce results, it makes sense to go back, right-click on the program name and select the item that says “Go to process”. To close the application, press Del.

It must be said that in the process table you can see information about how much RAM each program occupies, what is the percentage of use central processor And network resources. This helps to understand which specific utility is frozen. If you find suspicious processes in the task manager list, then you need to scan your computer for viruses. It is quite possible that freezes occur because of them.

Command line

When a process running in hangs so that even the task manager is unable to help, you have to use Work in it is possible only in text mode. There are no buttons, check boxes, or interactive tips here. This is similar to performing actions in

How to close programs on your computer using command line? Follow these steps:

  1. Open the Start menu and follow the path “Programs - Accessories - Command Prompt”. Right-click on the last inscription and run the utility as administrator.
  2. In the main area of ​​the window that opens, enter tasklist and click on Enter key.
  3. A table will appear. It will show all the processes running in the OS.
  4. Find the name of the frozen application in the list. On the same line is the PID number. You need to remember it, since you can force close the program without exact value will not work.
  5. Type taskkill /pid__. Replace the underscores with those mentioned in previous paragraph number. After this the process will be completed.

The command line is a professional tool, but even it cannot 100 percent guarantee the solution to all problems if application freezes occur systematically. When products that work reliably on most machines freeze on your PC, it means you need to urgently scan your computer for viruses.

It can also help in some cases comprehensive optimization OS. Defragmentation, cleaning hard drives from garbage, deleting incorrect registry entries - without all this, Windows begins to fail over time. Don't forget about service physical components computer. These include such procedures as cleaning cooling radiators from dust, timely checking hard drives for bad sectors, monitoring the temperature of the main components.

Every computer user has encountered how to close a frozen program. This situation occurs quite often when working on a computer.

While working on a computer, it happens that some program does not respond to user commands. The program does not respond to the mouse or keyboard, a window appears with the inscription “the program is not responding.”

How to close a frozen program? Some users immediately press the “Reset” button, which is located on the front panel of the computer. After this, the operating system is rebooted Windows systems.

But this is not recommended. A reboot may negatively affect the operation of the operating system or individual programs running at that moment. After a new launch, errors may appear in the program that was running at the time of sudden shutdown.

If defragmentation was occurring at the time of the reboot, then files that were being processed at that time may be damaged due to the reboot. And if these were any system files, then problems with the operating system may begin.

If problems with the operating system have already begun, then one of the ways out will be until it is operational.

What to do if the program does not respond?

Let's look at the easiest case first. The program is frozen and does not respond to computer user commands. You need to disable the frozen program; to do this, you need to launch the “Task Manager” by simultaneously pressing the “Ctrl” + “Alt” + “Del” keys on the keyboard in the Windows XP operating system.

In the operating systems Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, after pressing these keys, in a new window of the operating system, in open menu You will need to select the “Start task manager” item at the very bottom, or simultaneously press the key combination “Ctrl” + “Shift” + “Esc” on the keyboard.

The Windows operating system has more convenient way launch the “Task Manager” - right-click on the “Taskbar”, and then select “Start Task Manager” from the context menu (In Windows XP, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 - “Task Manager”).

In the “Task Manager” window that opens, go to the “Applications” tab. Usually, opposite the name of the frozen program, in the “Status” column the inscription “Not responding” will be visible.

Next, select the frozen program, and then click on the “End task” button, or select the “End task” item in the context menu after right-clicking the mouse. In the warning window, agree to complete the process.

After some time, the frozen application will shut down. If this does not happen, go to the “Processes” tab.

Attention! You will need to be careful with this tab. Don't look for a hung process unless you know the name of the process!

In the Applications tab, select the frozen program, and then right-click on it and select Go to Process.

Task Manager will automatically switch you to the Processes tab and highlight the frozen application.

After that, click the “End process” button, or select the “End process” item in the context menu by right-clicking the mouse.

If the hung program is not displayed in the “Applications” tab, then you need to go to the “Processes” tab yourself, find the process of the frozen program and disable it, if you can find this process correctly. If you don’t know the name of the process, then it’s better not to do anything in this tab!

If these steps do not help, then go to the “Users” tab, click on the “Log out” button, or after right-clicking, select “Log off” from the context menu.

You will have to wait a while until the system completes all processes, and then an operating system window with your account icon will appear on your monitor. Click on this icon, and then log back into the operating system to continue working.

Similar actions can be performed using the Start menu, if you have access to the menu. In the Start menu, hover your mouse over the Shut Down button, and then select Sign Out from the pop-up context menu.

Restarting Explorer

One way to “revive” Windows is to restart Explorer. Windows Explorer is not only file manager, in the operating system it is responsible, among other things, for displaying the Desktop and the Taskbar.

First, launch the Task Manager using the “Ctrl” + “Shift” + “Esc” keys. Then go to the “Processes” tab, then click on the “Image name” button, and then click on the “E” button (in Latin layout keyboard).

The "explorer.exe" process will be highlighted. Terminate this process using the “End Process” button or from the context menu.

After this, Explorer will complete its work, and all icons will disappear from the monitor screen. In the Task Manager, go to the “File” menu, and in the context menu select “New task (Run...)”.

In the "Create" window new task", enter "explorer" in the input field, and then click on the "OK" button.

After this, the operating system should work normally.

Removing a hung process from the command line

Run Command Prompt as Administrator. In the command line interpreter, enter the command: “tasklist” (without quotes), and then press the “Enter” key.

You will see a list of all processes running in the operating system. Next to each application name, its “PID” and the amount of memory consumed are displayed.

Remember the “PID” (numbers) of the frozen application that you need to disable. In the command line interpreter window, enter new team: “taskkill/pid...” (without quotes). Instead of "..." after PID, insert the value that you remember. Then press the "Enter" key. The hung application will be closed.

other methods

The most difficult case is when some program or game that was deployed to fill the entire monitor screen freezes. In this case, you will not have access to the Desktop, the Task Manager, or the Start menu.

In this case, try exiting the window with the frozen program to the “Desktop” using the keys on the keyboard.

Press the keyboard keys “Alt” + “F4”. This key combination in the Windows operating system is used to close applications.

You can try pressing the “Esc” or “Enter” keys on your keyboard; perhaps, in some cases, you will be able to access the Desktop.

When you press the “Windows” key, you can also sometimes get to the Desktop when the program is frozen.

Try pressing the function keys “F1” - “F12” on your keyboard. In some cases, pressing these keys will open the Desktop. Which one specifically? function key may help, depends on the specific computer you have different computers it happens in different ways.

If the Desktop has opened, then to exit the frozen application, follow the steps described above in this article.

But, there are situations when the computer does not respond to any user actions. The mouse does not work, the computer does not respond to keystrokes on the keyboard. In this case, rebooting the operating system can no longer be avoided. Then you will have to click on the "Reset" button.

Conclusions of the article

If the program freezes. does not respond to user actions, try to shut down the frozen application without rebooting the operating system.

We've all experienced an app, utility, or video game that just freezes and we can't do anything about it. So she hung up and that was it. At these moments you want to take it and turn it off, but not everything is so simple, since it does not respond to a simple press of the Cross. So what to do in this situation?

If you are reading this article, then you are definitely new to using such an interesting little thing as a computer running the Windows operating system. You either miraculously closed a frozen application and are trying to figure out how to avoid it in the future, or you currently have it hanging and want to close it, but don’t know how.

Well, this article will definitely help you, as in it we will describe great amount methods for closing a particular application in the Windows operating system. Believe me, you can close not only by clicking on the Cross, although they can do it too. As with all our articles, we will start with the simplest, perhaps obvious, methods.

Repeatedly click on the cross

Yes, it may sound quite ridiculous, but it really helps sometimes. Try clicking on the Red X like this... a couple of dozen times, as this can really help, although it’s not clear how. However, this may not work due to the fact that the program window is completely frozen and it is not even possible to click on this Cross. In this case, you can immediately stop trying and move on to the next point in the article.

Closing a program via the Taskbar

The most logical way to close the window with the program is immediately after clicking on the Cross. In fact, the first and second methods are the same action, but practice shows that this method works much more often. Here small example here's how to do it if you're completely green:

  • Find the running and frozen program in the Taskbar (Start strip).
  • Right-click on it.
  • Select the item from the context menu "Close a window".

If this doesn't work, you can try this action several times. Fact - it works too, so be sure to try it.

Alt+F4

Luckily there is a shortcut command for closing active program. Everything is quite simple here: press the keys simultaneously Alt And F4 on the keyboard and launched in this moment the program, utility or video game will have to close...ideally. As with the previous methods, try pressing this combination several times, as it may help resolve the situation.

Calling Task Manager

A utility called Task Manager is one of the most useful and main utilities in your Windows operating system, standing alongside items such as Command Prompt or Windows Explorer. With this useful utility you can monitor the consumed resources of your computer on open utilities, check network activity, configure startup and the like.

In general, very useful program, which can be useful in many everyday situations. However, in most cases it will be useful for you to close various programs, which by no means want to be closed. To close problematic program do the following:

  • First, you need to launch Task Manager. There are several ways to do this: press the key combination Ctrl+Shift+Esc, right-click on the Taskbar and select the item from the context menu "Task Manager", press the key combination Ctrl+Alt+Delete and select from the options "Task Manager". Choose the method that is most convenient for you and open Task Manager.
  • Then go to the tab “Processes” and find in the lists of running programs the one that still won’t close.
  • Right-click on it and select “Cancel task”.
  • If nothing happens, try this several times.

In most cases, after completing the above, the system will give you a message saying that the program is not responding and will be closed. If everything was so, then consider that the problem is over, since after the specified message the program will have to close itself.

However, even this may not help you resolve the situation, which is, of course, likely for Windows. If this is exactly what happened, then now we will consider more drastic methods.

Restarting Windows Explorer

Here's what needs to be said about Windows Explorer. Everything you see on your desktop, i.e. folders, icons, Start items, windows of various programs, and the like - all these elements are Windows Explorer. Sometimes this whole system begins to fail, as a result of which applications may freeze, and vice versa - due to frozen applications, Explorer may begin to crash. One way or another, it is not so important what the reason is, but what is important is that this problem is solved by simply restarting Explorer. To do this, do the following:

  • First, open the Manager, as already shown in the methods above.
  • Find in the list running programs a process called "Conductor" or "explorer.exe".
  • Right-click on it and select “Cancel task”, or “End process”.

The note: The names of processes and actions may vary slightly in different Windows operating systems, but they will still be synonymous with each other.

After closing Explorer, all Windows interface will disappear, i.e. on the screen you will see only the desktop wallpaper. By the way, Explorer can turn off on its own, which can lead newcomers to using Windows just real panic. So, after turning off Explorer, you need to start it again. You can do this even without an interface:

  • Press the key combination Win+R to launch the utility “Run”.
  • Then write in empty line explorer and click OK.

After this, the problematic utility will definitely need to be closed.

Closing a program via the Command Line

If none of the above helped, then it’s time to turn to the big guns for help - the Command Line. If you're fairly green when it comes to PCs, then you've probably never had a chance to handle the Command Prompt. What is this element of the operating system?

In short, Command Prompt is a utility that allows you to manage your system using text commands without participation graphic elements. It can be said that this utility- this is one of the most important and powerful tools, the use of which is simply necessary in some situations. Closing stubbornly resistant programs is one of these situations. To close a program via the Command Line, do the following:

  • There are many ways to open Command Prompt. The simplest one is to right-click on "Start" and select “Command line (administrator)”.
  • Then enter the command in the line tasklist.

You will see a list of all running programs on your computer at the moment. Opposite each of them there will be a numbered process identifier. Find the problematic program that still won't close, and remember it PID.
Next, enter the command into the command line taskkill /pid **** and press Enter.

After this, your process should close. But if this could not eliminate his work, which may still happen, then he will have to resort to even more harsh methods.

Logging out of your Account

By simply logging out of your account, you can close all programs running on your computer, but you will not overload your PC. IN different versions In the Windows operating system, you can log out of your account in different ways. Usually, this option will be located next to the option to turn off the computer in Start. On more modern operating systems, Windows type 8-10, you need to click on your name in the Start menu and select "Go out".

After leaving your Account, enter it again. This time yours problematic application It definitely has to close by now, there’s no other way. But, if a miracle happened and this, we must admit, the invincible application still does not calm down, then there is only one solution in this rather difficult situation - restart the computer. There is nothing to describe here, since even the least trained users know how to do this.

Found a typo? Select the text and press Ctrl + Enter

Alt+F4 is a universal combination for closing any programs. Have you surfed the web? Alt+F4 – browser is closed. Have you worked in Photoshop? Alt+F4! In fact, if you wish, with Alt+F4 you can exit windows right up to the shutdown command.

But sometimes it's not that simple. The program may freeze and refuse to close even with the Alt+F4 command. In this case next step– Ctrl+Alt+Del, right? But what if this doesn’t work, or if the Task Manager remains hidden by a hung program window? There is a way out, and more than one.

Main method. How to force close a program in Windows if it does not respond to Alt+F4

You all probably know him, but you still need to mention him here. If Alt+F4, the next thing to try is to end the process through the Task Manager. To call it, press Ctrl+Alt+Del and select "Task Manager", or press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to call it directly.

Make Task Manager on top of all windows

The described method will not help if a hung program prevents you from seeing the Task Manager, putting you in a situation where it seems the only way out is to restart the computer. However, to prevent this from happening in the future, you can make the Task Manager appear on top of all windows, even hung ones.

To do this, open the Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), click “Options” and “On top of other windows”. Now, if some program has a day of defiance, call the Task Manager, and it will definitely appear. In Task Manager, right-click the rogue program and click End Task.

If Task Manager doesn't appear, use Command Prompt

If you can’t call the Task Manager, the next step is to call the command line. If possible, open the Start menu, type cmd, then right-click “Command Prompt” and select “Run as Administrator.”

In the command line, write tasklist and press Enter.

Using the mouse or the Ctrl+Down Arrow combination, scroll through the list of tasks in the Command Prompt window, looking for the hung program (the file name will most likely be similar to the name of the program - for example, if it Adobe Photoshop, the file will be called Photoshop.exe).

Now enter the command

taskkill /IM taskname /f

where "taskname" is the name of the program you want to force close. That is, if you want to close Photoshop, the command will be like this:

taskkill /IM Photoshop.exe /f


Sooner or later, many users have a question about how to close a program if it does not close. In fact, the topic is not so simple. After all, frozen applications are a huge problem for users. They not only load the operating system and processor, but also interfere normal operation with a computer. The following will provide the best tips and recommendations for what to do if you cannot close an application.

How to determine if a program is frozen

Before racking their brains for an answer to the question of how to close a program if it won't close, the user must understand whether the application is truly frozen. It is likely that the computer's performance leaves much to be desired, and the "close" command simply takes a long time to process.

Typically, if an application is frozen, it will stop responding to user input, the cursor will turn into either an hourglass or a small circle (depending on the operating system), and the application title will read “Not responding.” In this case, all attempts to complete work with the program in the usual way (by clicking on the cross in the right top corner screen) do not give results. Also when you click on work area program the screen is “covered with fog”. All these are signs of freezing. How can I close a program if it won't close? Top tips and recommendations will be presented below.

Expectation

The first advice is to wait a little. Do not forget that the computer has certain power. When the processor is loaded and random access memory OS speed decreases. And it takes longer to process the transaction.

Accordingly, you will have to wait a little. When the computer takes a long time to respond to actions performed in the program, all signs of freezing are observed. The waiting period should not exceed 5-10 minutes. If after this time there are no responses to user actions, you can proceed to other shutdown methods.

Method 1: Hotkeys

So, it turned out that the program is not responding. How to close a frozen program? If waiting does not produce results, the user must choose one course of action or another. You can press some keys on the keyboard, as well as their combinations.

When the program freezes, you are prompted to click on:

  • Ctrl+W
  • Alt + F4.

These combinations contribute to the emergency closure of many frozen programs. Not the most effective, but a valid method. But this is just the beginning. There are several more options.

Method 2: through the menu

How can I close a program if it won't close? The following trick works more often than a keyboard shortcut. Users use it in practice with noticeable success. To close a frozen application, you can call up the program action menu, and then select the appropriate function there.

To do this you need:

  1. Place the cursor over the program window on the taskbar.
  2. Right-click on the appropriate application.
  3. In the menu that appears, select "Close window". If the system issues a warning, agree with it.
  4. Wait a while.

As a rule, after the actions taken, the program closes on its own after 10-15 seconds. If this method didn't help, no need to panic. You can try using other methods. Luckily, Windows provides quite a few ways to close applications.

Method 3: Task Manager

Which ones exactly? How can you close a program if it freezes? When the listed methods do not produce results, the user is asked to act somewhat differently. For example, call the task manager, and then end the process launched by a particular program.

This method is the most effective. It allows you to urgently close almost any program. Doesn't work only in some cases. Therefore, users often prefer it.

How to close a program that is frozen or unresponsive? This requires:

  1. Press the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Del. Or Ctrl + Shift + Esc will do.
  2. Select "Task Manager" in the window that appears. If you used a combination with "Shift", this step you can skip it. The corresponding service will open immediately.
  3. Go to the "Applications" tab.
  4. Select the frozen program and click on the “End task” or “End task” button.
  5. Accept the operating system warning (if it is issued), and then wait a bit.

As a rule, after 5-15 seconds the program will be closed urgently. In some cases, it is suggested to send a message about the error of the corresponding application. This method can be improved a little. To do this, go to the "Processes" tab in the "Task Manager", then select the name of the process that is being executed by the frozen program, and click on "End". This will close the application approximately 99% of the time.

Method 4: additional programs

Helps in some situations additional software. Some processes are terminated forcibly only with their help. Not the most common, but effective option solving the problem. How to close a program that is frozen? The user must download and install a special additional application to search for processes running on your computer, and then repeat the same steps as in the Task Manager. Process Explorer is perfect for this idea.

How can I close a program if it won't close? The user will have to:

  1. Download Process Explorer for yourself.
  2. Run the program. The application does not require installation, which makes users very happy.
  3. Find the desired program/process in the list on the left side of the screen.
  4. Select it by right-clicking on the corresponding line.
  5. In the menu that appears, perform the “Kill” operation.

After this, the application will be closed on an emergency basis. The advantage of using the program is that it displays processes and programs hidden from the standard Task Manager.

Method 5: radical approach

How can you close a program if it freezes? The next method is radical. There is no need to rush with it, even though it is considered the simplest. The thing is that to successfully complete programs, you need... a reboot of the operating system.

Skype won't close? How to close it? Exactly the same as all other applications. First, try all the methods listed earlier. If they do not help, then the user has no choice but to restart the computer.

It is not recommended to use Start. After all, frozen programs sometimes interfere with the corresponding operation. Instead, you need to find it on your computer Reset button and click on it. This emergency reboot. This option works on desktop computers. It is recommended to save all data in other applications before using it. In addition, it is worth considering that constant reboot no computer in the best possible way affects the performance of the device.

Method 6: for laptops

Now it’s clear how to close a program that has frozen. The user could easily familiarize himself with examples of actions in a particular case. Detailed instructions will help solve the problem.

What to do if everything is earlier listed methods do not help, and the person does not work for desktop computer, and behind the laptop? Or if for a number of reasons the operating system refuses to reboot even after pressing Reset?

In this case, you need to urgently shut down the operating system. But before that, save all the data on your computer. Next, press the power button on the laptop (or computer) and hold it for about 5-10 seconds. The operating system will shut down. Then you can turn on the computer and continue working with it.

The disadvantage of this method of action is its danger to the device. Frequent emergency shutdowns lead to operating system failures and hardware malfunctions. This step will not solve the problem with programs freezing. Therefore, you can use it only as a last resort.

The reader should already understand how to force close a program on Windows. All of the above methods help to bring your idea to life without much difficulty. What tips will help you avoid app freezing next time?

The most common recommendations among them are:

  1. Make sure that it is the program that has frozen, and not the computer. The list of actions in one case or another will be different. Most often, when your computer freezes, an emergency reboot or shutdown helps.
  2. Scan your computer for viruses. Treat it if necessary.
  3. Reinstall a frozen program. Sometimes this method helps very effectively.
  4. Do not open many programs and applications when working with problematic software. The less the processor is loaded, the faster certain operations will be performed on it.
  5. Learn to wait. As already mentioned, sometimes processes simply take a long time to process. And so it begins to seem that computer program stuck.
  6. Try all the listed methods. It is recommended to postpone rebooting and shutting down the computer as a last resort.

That's all. In fact, there is nothing difficult about ending a stuck program. All of these methods are successfully used by PC users to varying degrees.