Can someone please let me know if there is a way to close apps running in the background on my mac. More Less MacBook Pro, iOS 5.0.1. Actually I do not like that stupid behaviour that 'X' terminates the app. It's very important to note that's much better approach for documents based apps, such as Photoshop or docs Editors, in fact - now I always forget to remember that 'X' terminates the app (such as Photoshop), and then I need to spend additional time on initialisation. If an app on your Mac stops responding and you can't quit the app normally, use Force Quit to close the app. To quit (close) a Mac app normally, choose Quit from the app's menu in the menu bar, or press Command (⌘)-Q.
6 12 likes 119,768 views Last modified Jan 19, 2019 8:33 AM
Too often people upgrade only to find their problems begin, or persist.
If you need help with a slow Mac running a Mac operating system, please be prepared to answer these questions, or find out how to get the answer to these questions.
Etrecheck, a software written by one of our fellow contributors, is a software that has been useful in isolating many of the issues below:
Look at these troubleshooting steps. Find
https://playvitamin.weebly.com/blog/dropbox-download-mac-107. 1. If MacKeeper was installed, and if it is, remove it with the instructions in this tip:
2. If any other system cache cleaner is installed. If there is, contact the vendor on how to remove it.
3. If the possibility your hard drive is over 85% full exists.
4. If Spotlight hasn't finished indexing. (does not apply to 10.3.9 or earlier). Clicking on the icon in the upper right that looks like:
(it may have a different color), will reveal if Spotlight is indexing, or is ready to search. Going to Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Spotlight -> Privacy will show if a specific folder or drive is ignored by your last Spotlight index.
5. If you are attempting to multitask with a Time Machine backup going on. (does not apply to 10.4.11 or earlier)
6. If permissions are damaged. Often a problem when using pre-2006 Classic environment on PowerPC Macs. See #10 how to identify Macs.
7. If third party software or drivers hasn't been tested with your installed operating system.
8. If You migrated data from a different Mac CPU type. I.e. from PowerPC to Intel, or Intel to PowerPC. See 10 on how to identify Macs.
APP is reading my browser searches. 10.31 Not private so I would never pay them. Mac fm radio app.
9. If energy saver isn't giving some peripheral problems, because the peripheral doesn't understand low power mode.
10. If the possibility exists that there is marginal hardware on
Intel Macs or PowerPC Macs
Use: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6413 to determine if you have PowerPC or Intel.
11. If you have had 4 language screens forcing you to restart your Mac, that's significant, and indicates what is known as a kernel panic.
Usually an issue relating to the hardware, though sometimes a directory may be damaged, or sometimes a bad or incompatible driver is installed.
Delete open any files app on mac computer. As a result, the app may not open. Plist files can become corrupt when a Mac shuts down or restarts unexpectedly or when an app freezes or crashes. .Delete the app preference file.
Running the hardware test for Intel Macs or PowerPC Macs
will indicate if some RAM is bad, but not all RAM. Any errors found with it are significant.
12. If you don't have a current system, find out if a website you are visiting needs a newer plugin for Java, Flash, etc.(10.7.2 or earlier do not run a current Java. 10.6.7 or earlier do not run a current Flash. But updating to those is only necessary for a few websites. Check before updating to ensure you don't make yourself incompatible in other ways). Before updating to 10.7 or later, be sure to read this tip about compatibility first: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6271
13. If your data is backed up from before or after the upgrade, and we can isolate other issues. Without a backup, we can't say if the solution might be worse than the problem.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-1992 - tells you how to backup a functional system.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-1689 - tells you how to recover a system that is not functional or able to boot so at least other issues can be
isolated.
14. Slowdown to internet applications may be due to third party router firmware not being up to date, too many machines using the router, an insecure router not using WPA2 connectivity (802.11b original Apple Airport can't use it, and it is better to get a WiFi ethernet bridge with at least 802.11g), proxy servers, and bad DNS issues which http://www.opendns.org/ can resolve. Additional WiFi related issues are documented on this tip:
15. A bad iTunes install, or one that isn't properly updated for the system may cause slow down. If you are trying to isolate that as a possibility, note the path to the iTunes Helper which is loaded in your System Preferences -> Accounts (Users and Groups in some versions of Mac OS X), Login Items (startup items in other versions of Mac OS X)
/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Resources
You can use the Finder's Go to Folder command in the Go menu to reload that program after removing it from your Login Items and troubleshooting the situation.
16. Peer2peer sharing software, torrent software, both make your machine into a software server. This can slowdown your overall internet. Do not get software from such sources, as most are illegal. If you have trouble finding software for your operating system, visit http://www.roaringapps.com/ if using Mac OS X 10.7 or later, or ask on this board where to find software that is legal that does what you need.
17. If your Mac is backed up, then's the time to see if a directory repair is necessary:
18. Often times, you will see the system slowdown and get a spinning color circle indicating it is busy. After a certain amount of time, if you can risk losing the data that has not been saved on the application, force quitting the application with command-option-escape key sequence is a possibility.
If command-option-escape does not work, it may indicate one of the aforementioned issues is happening. Command and Option keys may look like some variation of:
On non-Apple keyboards the Windows key usually takes the place of the Command key, and the Alt key usually the Option key. Though Microsoft has made a patch for its keyboards that forces the two keys to switch their assigned Apple keystroke, since they are in reverse orientation of the Apple keyboard. The Escape key is typically just labelled ESC.
19. You may not experience any of the above issues with games or high end graphics applications. The graphics processor unit (GPU) recommended by the developer should be the one you have installed on your computer. Any others, and speed may be an issue with those programs. It is not to be confused with RAM or your CPU.
20. Migrating data from PowerPC Macs. See first #10 to see if you had a PowerPC Mac you were migrating from. If you did, you may have brought over some drivers the Intel Mac does not understand in the Migration or Setup Assistant. If there is a chance this may have happened, you should see this tip on migration which avoids the issue:
21. Notifications can slow Mac OS X 10.9 down. Go to Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Notifications to disable those notifications you don't need.
22. iCloud syncing (in 10.7.2 and later) can slow things down. Manage iCloud through the System Preferences to ensure syncing only happens when you need it. iSync in Mac OS X 10.6 and earlier can also slow things down when you don't need it.
By Nathan E. Malpass, Last updated: August 27, 2019
Frozen program bothering you all day long? Well look no further than this guide on how to close a program on Mac
There’s nothing worse than getting into the groove of things, maybe you were winning a game or perhaps you were really making great headway with your workload for school or work and then for some reason or another the screen freezes on you. There’s nothing more infuriating and off-putting than to stare at a nonresponsive screen. Lucky for you there’s a way this article is a how-to force close a program on Mac and it can help you get rid of that pesky locked screen.
Now since you are looking for ways on how to force a program to close on a Mac, it would be good to know that there are several methods to do this and all of them will likely help you with your problem. We will tackle them one by one and you can test them as it happens.
1. Close A Program with Apple Menu
This is what Apple suggests to use when you are looking for top methods on how to frozen program on Mac. It is a pretty easy method and usually should work for most users. Simply follow the steps below and you should be saying goodbye to that frozen window with a few easy steps.
Step 1: Click on the Apple menu and find the Force Quit option
Step 2: After pressing the Force Quit option, you should see a new Force Quit window that will open up, it should have all the names of the programs running at the moment
Step 3: Highlight the program you want to Force Quit and press the button, then you are done
2. Close A Program with Mac Shortcut
Perhaps you are too angry at your mouse and want to ignore it or you threw it against the wall in frustration, please don’t do the latter, or maybe even the mouse is frozen because of the program, well, this might be the option for you among all the how to close a program on Mac options here.
Step 1: Press the following buttons altogether Command + Option + Esc, this will open the Force Quit window
Step 2: Once more choose and highlight the program or app you want to forcibly close
Step 3: Press the Force Quit button and that should just about finish your problems
3. Close A Program with Activity Monitor
Now if you just switched from a Windows operating system to a Mac just lately, you might be more comfortable using the Activity Monitor. The Activity Monitor is a surprisingly similar program to the Task Manager that Windows operating systems use and if you prefer this option, it shouldn’t be a problem at all either. Take these steps to open and use the Activity Monitor.
How To Actually Close Apps On Mac Pro
Step 1: Open the Activity Monitor by going on your Finder and search for the Applications, move on to Utilities and there you will see Activity Monitor. Of course, if you are familiar and use the Spotlight search then you can simply type in Activity Monitor and you should gain access to it right away
Step 2: There are several sections here but the leftmost is what you’ll likely need. That window should have a list of the programs and processes that are running and for sure your crashed program is among them. Highlight said program and proceed to the next step
Step 3: While the selected frozen program is highlighted, press the Quit Process button and you should finally close that program
4. Close A Program with Dock Panel
As opposed to the Closing a program with a Mac Shortcut option listed as second on this how to force close a program on Mac, this one relies on your mouse or touchpad. Take these steps to get that program to stop running.
How To Close A App Pc
Step 1: Bring your pointer down to the dock and find that program that is giving you trouble
Step 2: Click on it and a list of options should open up. You’ll notice that the Quit option that is usually found on the bottom of the programs usually has been changed to Force Quit. The system has likely recognized the error but needs a command to forcibly shut the door on the program, highlight the Force Quit
Step 3: Simply press to help your Mac to decidedly slam the door on the said program
5. Close A Program with Terminal
Now assuming you do enjoy working with the Terminal and want to use it, of course, the Terminal has the capability to shut down a program. This process is shockingly easy and a good option on this list of how to force a program close on Mac. Take these steps to make sure that the rebellious program gets shut down hard.
Step 1: Open the terminal, you can use the Finder, a shortcut or even Spotlight Search to open up the terminal, whatever your choice is all of them should open that black little window on your screen
Step 2: Type out this command - killall [application name]. Here is where it gets a little tricky, as you need to know the program’s exact name. Usually it can be found on the title bar of the unresponsive program but there are exceptions to that, however, it shouldn’t be too impossible to figure out all together
Step 3: After finding and typing out the right name, press enter to input the command and it should just about do the trick
6. Close A Program with Restarting Your Mac
There are times that a program can be a real handful, in fact, you’ve tried a few of the steps above on how to close a frozen program on Mac but still, it won’t work. A kiss for the petals download. When all else fails, it might be time to restart your Mac altogether.
How To Close Apps On Computer
Sure, the program is still open as you restart the Mac but it won’t be open when you get back, will it? Instead of steps for this one, let’s list down the methods on how you can actually restart the Mac.
Option 1: Press the power button and when the window opens up, simply choose Restart and the rest is history
Option 2: Find the Apple menu and scroll down to the Restart option to get your Mac to shut down and start up again
Option 3: One of the best methods as it even works when the entire Mac is frozen still and refuses to comply with any input or press of the keyboard or mouse. Press the following altogether Control + Command + Power Button and that should do the trick
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7. Close A Program with Factory Settings
Alright, admittedly this is pretty extreme option among all of the other choices on this how to close a program on Mac, however, it will do the job and then some. Again, this is the last resort and should only be used if a number of programs continue to crash and you have experienced this happening time and time again, which is strange as Macs are known to be quite stable in most options. Now, if you are really going to go through with this option, it would be ideal that you back everything up, assuming you have stuff that needs to be saved, which most likely, you do. After that is done, take these steps to complete the reset the factory settings of your Mac.
Step 1: Restart your Mac, please use any of the options mentioned in the prior step in order to get your Mac to shut down and boot up
Step 2: Make sure to press and hold the following buttons - Command + R, this will have your MacOS utilities window to open
Step 3: Find the Disk Utility option and continue forward
Step 4: Find your startup disk somewhere on the left side and choose the option Erase
Step 5: You can now proceed to open the Format menu and then simply find the option of Mac OS Extended, enter a name in the middle, and click Erase
Step 6: At this point, you can quit Disk Utility
Step 7: When presented with the option, choose the Reinstall MacOS and follow the instructions as they come along, then you should be rid of that frozen program
After all of that, you can now see that there are several methods open to you on how to force close a program on Mac. All of them are viable options and the last option, in fact, is quite extreme. However, it is also good to note if a particular program is giving you a problem quite often it might be best to uninstall it completely and start all over. There are many ways to do this but PowerMyMac - Uninstaller is capable of remedying that problem as quickly as a few steps while having many other nice and nifty options to help you maximize the use of your Mac.
>Tricks >TOP 7 Ways: How to Close A Program on Mac
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