macOS · Mac · Everyday fixes

Force-quit a frozen app

A spinning beachball means the app is stuck, not your Mac. Kill it cleanly without restarting everything.

DifficultyEasy
Time1 min
RiskLow
ReversibleYes
PlatformmacOS
UpdatedSep 22, 2026

Written and tested by emdottech

What that means

Low risk. This fix only checks things, or changes settings you can switch back in the same place. This change is reversible — you can return to the previous state without professional help or data loss.

Steps

01
- Press CmdOptionEsc to open the Force Quit Applications window — a frozen app is often listed, sometimes marked '(Not Responding)'
02
- Give it 10–15 seconds first — some apps look frozen while finishing a save or a large file operation
03
- Select the app and click Force Quit; unsaved changes in it are lost, so only use this once you're sure it isn't coming back
04
- Faster alternative: right-click (or Control-click) the app's Dock icon and choose Force Quit directly
05
- If Finder itself is frozen: open Activity Monitor, select 'Finder' and hit the ⓧ button — it relaunches automatically, unlike other apps
06
- An app that freezes repeatedly, rather than as a one-off, usually needs an update — check for one before assuming it's a Mac problem

How to verify the fix

The frozen app closes without a full Mac restart, and other apps keep running normally.

If this didn't fix it

The app respawns or freezes again immediately — quit it from Activity Monitor; if Finder itself froze, relaunch it via the X button there.

Next stop: the related fixes below, or start a guided diagnosis.

Still stuck? Diagnose my problem Browse all Mac fixes

Force-quit a frozen app

Steps

✓How to verify the fix

!If this didn't fix it

Related fixes

How to verify the fix

If this didn't fix it