can't force quit safari on mac

How to Force Quit Safari on Mac [2 Ways]

Apple’s Macbooks and iMacs are known to be some of the most celebrated computers on the planet. They carry the signature look and feel of the macOS and are widely revered to be rock-solid when it comes to day-to-day performance. However, every now and then, the apps — including the super popular Safari browser — on the said macOS devices can start acting a little stubborn.

To come out of these situations safely, it’s important to keep a get-out-of-jail card handy, and today, that’s exactly what we’re focusing on. So, without further ado, let’s see how to force quit Safari on your Mac.

Related: How to Combine Videos on a Mac Using Quicktime and Shotcut

What does ‘Force Quit’ mean?

The term ‘Force Quit’ is exactly what you might think it means: it forcibly instructs an application to terminate its running processes and free up the space it was occupying. Usually, the little red cross icon at the top-left corner of a window is more than capable of killing a window.

However, if the application you’re running freezes up for some odd reason, you might find the button to be unresponsive. For those desperate times, you’ll need to hit the ‘Force Quit’ button to close the application window. Like all other applications on macOS, the ‘Force Quit’ rule also applies to the Safari browser, which means that you can safely quit Safari by clicking on the ‘Force Quit’ button.

Related: How to Erase M1 Mac Before Returning It

Will a ‘Force Quit’ hurt Safari?

Since ‘Force Quit’ is a pretty rough process, it’s not unusual to think about possible consequences. Unlike a regular closure, ‘Force Quit’ doesn’t give you the option to save your work before quitting. It simply assumes that you’ve lost control of the application and wish to bounce it off your primary memory. So, instead of prompting you to save your pending work, it automatically kills off the application.

Ideally, Safari should recover just fine from such a setback. However, in rare cases, few data blocks might get corrupted. This could lead to inconsistencies when you open the browser the next time. A quick restart should do the trick.

Related: How to Play Among Us on Mac

How to ‘Force quit’ Safari on Mac

Apple’s very own Safari browser is, without a doubt, one of the neatest and well-optimized browsers out there. Still, despite all its qualities, Safari, too, can find itself in a mess on a few occasions. Thankfully, there are three ways to forcibly quit your Safari when it starts throwing tantrums.

Using the shortcut

Similar to its big rival, Windows, macOS is also laden with super useful and super convenient shortcuts. To make yourself a true master of the macOS, it’s important to speak the language of the Apple OS, and we highly encourage you to get to work.

Like most important things, the option to force quit an application also comes with a convenient multi-buttoned shortcut. It might take a while to get used to it, but we assure you that it’s totally worth stretching your fingers a little. To ‘Force Quit,’ you’ll need to hold ‘esc,’ ‘option,’ and ‘command’ buttons together. This would open the ‘Force Quit’ window, where you’d be able to select ‘Safari’ and ‘Force Quit.’

Bonus tip : For those of you who don’t mind the burden of adding another button to the mix, you could terminate an application without going into the ‘Force Quit’ menu. Simply hold the ‘shift,’ ‘esc,’ ‘option,’ and ‘command’ buttons together and see Safari take its leave for good.

Related: How To Clear Cache On iPhone, Android, Windows And Mac

Through Apple Menu

The Apple Menu is this little hovering failsafe that follows you around across all applications. It contains all the tools you’re likely to need to come out of a tough spot.

Unlike Windows, macOS’ power menu resides at the top-left corner of your Mac screen.

Now, after you’ve located it, click on it and go to ‘Force Quit.’

This will get you to a little window, with a list of all the applications that are currently running. Select ‘Safari’ and click on the ‘Force Quit’ button at the bottom right corner of the window.

That’s it! Safari will be dumped out immediately.

Bonus tip : After clicking on the Apple logo, hover your cursor over the ‘Force Quit’ menu item. Hold shift and see it change into ‘Force Quit Safari.’ Click on it to quit the application without going into the menu.

Related: 12 Best Games That macOS Catalina Supports

From Activity Monitor

The Activity Monitor is pretty much what Task Manager is to Windows machines. It houses all the active applications and processes and allows you to have full control over your Mac. To access the Activity Monitor, first, you’ll need to hit ‘command’ + the space bar to bring up Spotlight Search and then search for “Activity Monitor” in there. When it brings up the result, hit ‘enter’ to open.

Now, inside the Activity Monitor, you’ll need to locate ‘Safari’ and then hit the ‘Stop’ button at the top.

When the option pops up, click on ‘Force Quit.’

This isn’t exactly the most efficient way of killing Safari, but it’s most definitely effective.

Related: How To Snapchat On Mac? Step-by-step Guide

A mediocre engineer hoping to do something extraordinary with his pen (well, keyboard). Loves Pink Floyd, lives football, and is always up for a cup of Americano.

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Why Won’t Safari Quit and How to Force Quit It on Mac?

When Safari becomes unresponsive, it can interrupt your whole workflow. While often a frustrating experience, you can easily get out of it with a few quick fixes.

Working as an Apple repair technician has shown me that Safari often hangs and becomes unresponsive for a variety of reasons. But luckily, it’s usually an easy fix. 

Let’s explore why won’t safari quit, and how you can force quit it on your Mac.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

Quit via keyboard, quit via finder menu, use the apple menu to force quit, force quit from the dock, force quit using activity monitor, shut down your mac, keep your mac up-to-date, remove malware and system junk, final thoughts.

• You might need to Force Quit Safari if it stops responding or freezes.
• There are a few ways you can force quit Safari, the quickest way is undoubtedly using the keyboard shortcut , Option , Command , and Esc .
• You can also force quit using the Apple menu or the dock , or even by killing the process via Activity Monitor.
• While uncommon, you may have to shut down and restart your computer if Force Quit does not work. 
• To ensure Safari works as you expect it to, keep your Mac up-to-date with the latest software.
• Additionally, keeping your Mac optimized and free from Malware will ensure Safari keeps working properly.

Why Won’t Safari Quit on Mac

Safari is Apple’s web browser that is automatically installed on all of their devices. Just like all web browsers, Safari sometimes freezes, and you are unable to quit the application. This can happen for several different reasons. 

First, Safari may simply have too many tabs open . Are you someone who likes to have videos playing in the background while surfing the web with 100 different tabs open all at the same time? 

Sometimes it isn’t your fault at all, but an issue with the application. You may need to reset the cache or update your software .

Lastly, it is possible that Safari is just frozen . In any of these cases, the following ways to Force Quit on Mac will help you close Safari when it is not responding. 

Before we continue, let’s make sure you’re clear on how to quit Safari normally.

If you are in an application (Safari in this instance) and you press Command-Q on your keyboard , this quits the application.

Now, this is not a forced quit, so it may not work in this instance, but it is worth a try if clicking the red X is not working for you right now. 

You can also quit Safari by right-clicking on the icon in the dock . Then select Quit.

If neither of the usual ways of closing Safari work or the Quit Safari button is grayed out, then you will need to Force Quit the app.

How to Force Quit Safari on Mac?

When Safari refuses to quit, the best course of action is to use the handy Force Quit option. 

The fastest way to Force Quit Safari is by using the keyboard shortcut . This special key combination will bring up the Force Quit menu.

Step 1: Hit the Option , Command , and Esc keys simultaneously. That will open the Force Quit menu. 

Step 2: Once this menu opens up, select Safari and Force Quit.

Step 3: Click Force Quit again to confirm.

Simply hit the Apple icon in the upper left of your screen, then select Force Quit from the options. From here, you can select the app you would like to force quit from the menu.

Finally, you can simply click on the Safari icon on your dock. If Safari is unresponsive, you will get an option to Force Quit when you right click.

If Safari won’t force quit in the typical ways, you can always kill the active process through Activity Monitor.

To get started, just open Launchpad.

Open Activity Monitor .

Navigate to Safari and Click the X at the top.

Click Force Quit to Confirm.

If all else fails, simply shut down the computer. This will force Safari to restart. 

Click the Apple menu, and Shut Down .

If you need to Force Shutdown your Mac, then simply Press and Hold the power button until the computer turns off.

Next, just turn your computer back on and check if Safari is functioning properly. To prevent any future issues with Safari, you should check for updates and make sure your Mac is optimized. Let’s discuss how to do that.

Safari could be malfunctioning due to out-of-date software, so checking for updates is wise if Safari freezes or becomes unresponsive.

To get started checking for updates, just click the Apple icon in the upper left corner and select System Preferences from the drop-down menu . Alternatively, you can hit the System Preferences icon on the dock .

The following window will pop up. Look for Software Update . Open this and install any updates that are available.

Sometimes Safari doesn’t work properly when you have too much junk on your computer. While anything from minor software bugs to malware could cause Safari to malfunction, checking for these problems can be time-consuming.

A third-party app like CleanMyMac X is pretty helpful for taking care of this stuff for you in one shot. Probably the most helpful thing, in this case, is flushing your DNS cache. Resetting your cache can often fix issues related to Safari not working properly.

After downloading and installing the app, just launch it and select Maintenance from the sidebar. Here you can select options like running maintenance scripts and flushing your DNS cache. Just hit run, and the app will handle the rest.

Additionally, if a malware issue is causing Safari to become unresponsive, you can easily check for and remove it using CleanMyMac X.

While not necessarily a free program, you can try it out with a free trial, and an annual subscription will save you more time than it is worth. You can read our full CleanMyMac X review to learn more.

There are several reasons why Safari may not be quitting. These include out-of-date software, cache, too many tabs open, and simply being frozen. We hope these methods of Force Quitting applications helped you to get Safari closed out. 

In order to prevent future issues with Safari, and other applications as well, you should ensure you run software updates frequently. 

Additionally, third-party apps like CleanMyMac X can help prevent problems with Safari by automatically running maintenance scripts, and clearing malware and system cache, among a host of other handy tasks.

Did these methods work for you? Were you able to quit Safari? Let us know in the comments below!

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How To Force Quit Safari On A Mac

• Software & Applications
• Browsers & Extensions

Introduction

Safari, the default web browser for Mac, is known for its smooth performance and user-friendly interface. However, there are instances when Safari may become unresponsive or freeze, leaving users in a quandary. In such situations, force quitting the application becomes necessary to regain control and continue browsing without disruptions.

Understanding the need to force quit Safari is essential for Mac users, as it empowers them to troubleshoot unresponsive browser instances effectively. This article aims to provide a comprehensive guide on how to force quit Safari on a Mac , ensuring that users can navigate through such scenarios with ease and confidence.

By delving into the intricacies of force quitting Safari, users can gain valuable insights into troubleshooting unresponsive browser issues, thereby enhancing their overall Mac experience. Whether it's a temporary glitch or a persistent problem, having the knowledge to force quit Safari can be a valuable skill for Mac users, enabling them to swiftly address browser-related challenges and resume their online activities seamlessly.

In the following sections, we will explore the step-by-step process of force quitting Safari on a Mac, along with alternative methods to tackle unresponsive browser situations. By equipping users with these essential techniques, this article aims to empower Mac users to navigate through potential browser issues with confidence and ease.

Understanding the Need to Force Quit Safari

Safari, the default web browser for Mac, is renowned for its stability and seamless performance. However, despite its reliability, users may encounter situations where Safari becomes unresponsive or freezes unexpectedly. This can be attributed to various factors such as conflicting extensions, excessive memory usage, or issues with web pages or scripts. When Safari stops responding, it can disrupt the user's browsing experience and hinder productivity.

In such scenarios, understanding the need to force quit Safari becomes crucial. Force quitting is a troubleshooting technique that allows users to terminate unresponsive applications, including Safari, effectively resolving the issue and restoring normal functionality to the browser. By force quitting Safari, users can address instances of unresponsiveness, frozen tabs, or unexpected behavior, enabling them to regain control and continue their online activities without interruptions.

The need to force quit Safari arises when the browser becomes unresponsive to user input, fails to load web pages, or exhibits erratic behavior such as slow performance or unexplained crashes. In these situations, force quitting Safari can serve as a practical solution to address the underlying issues and restore the browser to a functional state.

Furthermore, force quitting Safari can be necessary when attempts to close the browser through conventional methods, such as clicking the close button or using keyboard shortcuts, prove ineffective. In such cases, force quitting becomes the go-to method for terminating the unresponsive browser instance and preventing it from consuming system resources unnecessarily.

Understanding the need to force quit Safari empowers Mac users to tackle unresponsive browser instances effectively. By recognizing the symptoms that indicate the necessity of force quitting, users can take proactive measures to troubleshoot browser-related issues and maintain a smooth browsing experience on their Mac devices.

In the subsequent sections, we will delve into the step-by-step process of force quitting Safari on a Mac, providing users with a comprehensive guide to address unresponsive browser situations confidently and efficiently. Additionally, alternative methods to force quit Safari will be explored, offering users a range of options to troubleshoot browser issues and optimize their browsing experience on Mac.

Step-by-Step Guide to Force Quit Safari on a Mac

When Safari becomes unresponsive on a Mac, force quitting the application can help resolve the issue and restore normal functionality to the browser. Here's a detailed step-by-step guide to force quit Safari on a Mac:

Accessing the Apple Menu : To initiate the force quitting process, start by clicking on the Apple logo located in the top-left corner of the screen. This action will open the Apple Menu, providing access to essential system functions and options.

Selecting "Force Quit" : Within the Apple Menu, navigate to the "Force Quit" option, which is designed to terminate unresponsive applications. Clicking on "Force Quit" will prompt a window to appear, displaying a list of active applications and processes on the Mac.

Identifying Safari : In the "Force Quit Applications" window, locate and select "Safari" from the list of active applications. This step is crucial for targeting the unresponsive Safari instance and initiating the force quitting process for the browser.

Confirming the Force Quit : After selecting Safari, click on the "Force Quit" button located in the bottom-right corner of the window. This action will prompt a confirmation dialog to appear, verifying the decision to force quit Safari. Confirm the force quit by clicking on the "Force Quit" button in the dialog box.

Verifying the Force Quit : Once the force quit command is executed, Safari will terminate, effectively ending the unresponsive browser instance. Users can verify the successful force quit by ensuring that Safari is no longer listed in the "Force Quit Applications" window.

Relaunching Safari : With Safari successfully force quit, users can relaunch the browser by accessing it from the Applications folder or clicking on its icon in the Dock. Relaunching Safari allows users to start afresh, providing an opportunity to resume browsing activities without the previous unresponsiveness or disruptions.

By following these step-by-step instructions, Mac users can effectively force quit Safari when it becomes unresponsive, enabling them to troubleshoot browser-related issues and restore seamless functionality to their browsing experience. This method empowers users to take control of unresponsive browser instances and maintain a smooth and productive browsing environment on their Mac devices.

Alternative Methods to Force Quit Safari

In addition to the conventional method of force quitting Safari through the Apple Menu, Mac users can explore alternative approaches to terminate unresponsive browser instances effectively. These alternative methods provide users with additional options to address unresponsive Safari situations, offering flexibility and convenience in troubleshooting browser-related issues. Here are some alternative methods to force quit Safari on a Mac:

Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Mac users can leverage keyboard shortcuts to force quit Safari swiftly. By pressing "Option + Command + Esc" simultaneously, the "Force Quit Applications" window will appear, allowing users to select Safari and initiate the force quitting process. This method provides a quick and convenient way to terminate unresponsive browser instances without navigating through multiple menus, streamlining the troubleshooting process for users.

Activity Monitor

The Activity Monitor , a built-in utility on Mac, offers a comprehensive view of system processes and applications, enabling users to force quit unresponsive programs, including Safari. To access the Activity Monitor, users can navigate to the "Applications" folder, open the "Utilities" subfolder, and launch the Activity Monitor application. Within the Activity Monitor, users can locate Safari in the list of active processes, select it, and choose the "Quit Process" option to force quit the unresponsive browser instance effectively.

Terminal Commands

For users comfortable with command-line interfaces, Terminal provides a powerful alternative for force quitting Safari. By launching the Terminal application and entering the appropriate command to identify and terminate the Safari process, users can force quit the unresponsive browser instance with precision and control. While this method requires familiarity with Terminal commands, it offers a versatile approach to troubleshooting unresponsive applications, including Safari, on a Mac.

Force Quit from the Dock

Mac users can also force quit Safari directly from the Dock, providing a convenient shortcut to terminate unresponsive browser instances. By right-clicking on the Safari icon in the Dock while holding down the "Option" key, users can access the contextual menu and choose the "Force Quit" option to terminate the unresponsive browser swiftly. This method offers a streamlined approach to force quitting Safari, allowing users to address browser-related issues with ease.

By exploring these alternative methods to force quit Safari on a Mac, users can expand their troubleshooting capabilities and tailor their approach to address unresponsive browser instances effectively. Whether through keyboard shortcuts, system utilities, command-line interfaces, or contextual menus, these alternative methods provide Mac users with a range of options to tackle unresponsive Safari situations, ensuring a seamless and productive browsing experience on their Mac devices.

In conclusion, mastering the art of force quitting Safari on a Mac is a valuable skill that empowers users to navigate through unresponsive browser instances with confidence and efficiency. By understanding the need to force quit Safari and familiarizing themselves with the step-by-step process, Mac users can effectively troubleshoot browser-related issues and maintain a seamless browsing experience on their devices.

The step-by-step guide to force quitting Safari provides users with a clear and structured approach to address unresponsive browser situations. By accessing the Apple Menu, selecting Safari, and confirming the force quit, users can swiftly terminate unresponsive browser instances and resume their online activities without disruptions. This method equips users with the knowledge and capability to take control of unresponsive Safari instances, ensuring a smooth and productive browsing experience on their Mac devices.

Furthermore, the exploration of alternative methods to force quit Safari offers users a diverse set of options to troubleshoot unresponsive browser instances effectively. Whether through keyboard shortcuts, the Activity Monitor, Terminal commands, or the Dock, Mac users can tailor their approach to force quitting Safari based on their preferences and familiarity with different methods. This versatility enables users to address browser-related issues with flexibility and convenience, enhancing their overall browsing experience on Mac.

By combining the foundational knowledge of force quitting Safari with alternative methods, users can build a robust troubleshooting toolkit to tackle unresponsive browser instances comprehensively. This empowers Mac users to overcome unexpected browser challenges and maintain a smooth and uninterrupted browsing experience, ultimately optimizing their productivity and satisfaction with Safari on their Mac devices.

In essence, the ability to force quit Safari on a Mac is not only a practical skill but also a means to reclaim control and restore normal functionality to the browser. By equipping users with the knowledge and techniques to address unresponsive browser instances, this article aims to enhance the browsing experience of Mac users, enabling them to navigate through potential challenges with confidence and ease.

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How to Force Quit on a Mac

Has one of the apps on your Mac frozen? Are you seeing the ‘spinning beach ball’? Has your mouse stopped working? All these are symptoms that suggest an app has stopped working and you need to Force Quit before you can carry on. But how do you Force Quit on a Mac? Or, if you are used to Windows, how do you control alt delete on a Mac?

Windows users will be very familiar with the classic Ctrl+Alt+Delete key combination, the measure of last resort when an application has become unresponsive. Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete on a Mac will do nothing, that’s if you can even find those keys: on some Mac keyboards the Alt key is called Option, the Control key is there, but it’s equivalent on a Mac is really the Command key, and there isn’t usually a key marked as Delete.

So how do you Force Quit a Mac? There’s actually more than one way to Force Quit an app on a Mac. Here we’ll show you a variety of ways to find the problematic programs and shut them down, without the need to resort to the power button.

If you’re finding that apps are becoming unresponsive on a regular basis, and that it’s not always the same one, then it might be worth backing up all your data and doing a clean install of macOS . It’s a rather nuclear option, but could save you a lot of headaches in the long run.

You might also find it helpful to check out How to fix a frozen Mac . We also run through How to shut down a MacBook or Mac .

Before we begin we will quickly summarise the five different ways to force quit on a Mac:

• Right click on the app in the Dock
• Click on the Apple menu and select Force Quit
• Press Command + Alt (or Option) + Escape
• Force Quit in Activity Monitor
• Restart your Mac

Read on for details of how to do each of the above.

Force Quit via the Dock

If an app has become unresponsive, then there’s a good chance that trying to place your mouse pointer over the menu bar at the top of the screen will result in a spinning beach ball that doesn’t allow you to select any options. You can of course give the app some time to resolve its issue, but if the problem persists then the app will need closing and launching again.

• Go to the Dock at the bottom of your screen.
• Find the icon for the app.
• Right click (or Ctrl+click) to bring up the contextual menu.
• At the bottom of this list is the Quit option. Click this and hopefully the app will close.
• If this doesn’t close the app repeat the process, but when the menu appears hold down the Alt key and the Quit option changes to Force Quit. Select this and the program should close immediately.

Force Quit via the Apple menu

There is another way to access the Force Quit command:

• Switch to an app that is working fine. 
• Now click on the Apple icon in the top left of your screen. 
• You can select the Force Quit option from the drop-down list.
• Don’t worry, this won’t Force Quit the app you’re currently using – it will give you a list of all currently open apps, from which you can select the frozen one (s).
• Now click on Force Quit.

Force Quit on a Mac using the keyboard

Another way to Force Quit an app is to hold down the Command + Alt (or Option) + Escape keys, this will bring up the same Force Quit Applications window as seen above.

• A list will appear showing every app currently running on your system – the one you’re having problems with most likely has ‘Not Responding’ in brackets next to it.
• Highlight the app.
• Click the Force Quit button in the bottom of the window.

What to do when you can’t leave an app

In severe cases, you’ll find that you can’t actually escape from the app itself to perform the above commands. If this is the case then you still have a command you can use.

Simply hold down the Cmd + Alt (Option) + Shift + Esc buttons and macOS should close whichever app is currently the active one on your screen.  

Force Quit via Activity Monitor

If you’re experiencing problems on your system, say the spinning beach ball is appearing more than normal, then one way to see what’s happening is using the Activity Monitor app.

• Open Activity Monitor (press Command + Space and start to type Activity Monitor, or going to the Finder and navigate to Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.)
• Once launched the Activity Monitor tool will display all the apps and services that are using the CPU , Memory , and Network among other things.
• Double-clicking on any app will bring up a separate window with even more information about the app and its current demands.
• From here you can choose to Sample the app, which gives you a report of its activities over a short period of time, but this is quite a technical procedure and the results are unintelligible for most people.
• The more useful command is the Quit button, which will of course close the app.

What to do if your Mac is frozen

Sometimes an app can get into trouble and cause your entire system to freeze. While these cases are rare, they do happen. We offer more advice about what to do if your Mac is frozen in a separate article as there can, of course, be a number of reasons why your Mac is frozen.

Should you be faced with an unresopnsive Mac due to an app that won’t force quit the only option left to you is to hold down the power button on your Mac for several seconds.

Normally when you press the power button a message is sent to your system telling it that you want to close it down. The system then usually responds by putting the machine to sleep. Holding the button down for longer will give you a dialog box with various options such as Restart, Sleep, or Shut Down. But in a severe system crash, even this option might not appear.

So the last resort is to hold the button down until the machine cuts off the power completely. Now, while this will allow you to reboot and get back into your Mac, because of the sudden nature of the shutdown you may find that any unsaved data will be lost.

It’s not perfect, but sometimes it’s the only way to get back up and running.

Note, if you want to prevent the application that was causing the problem from opening up again when the computer restarts make sure that the box beside Reopen windows when logging back in is not ticked!

We look at restart the Finder in a separate article. 

Wondering how to copy and paste on a Mac?

Author: Martyn Casserly , Contributor

Martyn has been involved with tech ever since the arrival of his ZX Spectrum back in the early 80s. He covers iOS, Android, Windows and macOS, writing tutorials, buying guides and reviews.

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Quit Safari Is Grayed Out On Mac, Fix

Several Mac users have complained that they could no longer quit Safari on their computers because the link or button to quit appears “grayed out” or “dim”.

See also: Safari not working ?

This article explains what you can do if you can’t quit the Safari app because the Quit Safari option is not working.

This guide will help you fix this problem.

See also: Safari Isn’t Responding, Keeps Crashing or Freezing

How to quit Safari

You can quit Safari easily. In the Safari menu bar, while in Safari, choose Safari and Quit Safari. If this option appears to be disabled, let’s first try to close the Safari normally. There are a few ways to do this. The following methods will close Safari gracefully.

• Dock : Right-click the Safari icon in the Dock then select Quit from the popup menu. See also: Dock is not working ?
• Shortcut : While in Safari, press the Command ⌘ + Q keys together on the keyboard.
• Activity Monitor : Open Activity Monitor (Applications > Utilities ), click the CPU tab, find safari, then select Safari and click the (X) quit button at the top left of the Activity Monitor window. This will bring up a menu, click Quit.
• Terminal : Open the Terminal app (Applications > Utilities), then enter the following command then hit enter:

If the above methods do not work, you can force quit the app . There are a few ways to force quit:

• Apple menu : Click the Apple menu (which is located in the top-left corner of the screen) and then select Force Quit. A dialog window will appear. Select Safari and then click Force Quit.
• Keyboard shortcut : On your keyboard, press the Command-Option-Escape keys together. This will also bring up the Force Quit menu. Select Safari and then click Force Quit.
• Dock : Find the Safari icon in the Dock. Right-click (or control-click) the icon and hit the Option key. This will open a menu, select Force Quit.
• Activity monitor : Open the Activity Monitor (Applications > Utilities) on your Mac, click the CPU tab and select Safari. Click the (X) quit button in the upper-left corner of the Activity Monitor window and then select Force Quit.
• Terminal : You can also use the Terminal app to force quit it. Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities) and then enter the following command and hit enter:

See also: Activity Monitor Not Working? How To Fix

Reopen Safari

After quitting or force-quitting Safari, reopen the Safari, does your problem occur again? If it does, try the following tips:

Please note that you should try these steps in order. After trying each step, open and test Safari again to see if you’ve fixed the issue.

• Open Safari : Simply press and hold the Shift key while opening Safari. Then clear cache .
• Restart : Simply restart your Mac. You can restart your Mac by choosing Restart from the Apple menu.
• macOS Mojave or later: Click the Apple menu then go to System Preferences and Software Update. If there is an update available, follow the onscreen instructions to update your Mac.
• macOS High Sierra or earlier: On your Mac open the App Store app and then click the Updates tab and follow the onscreen instructions.
• Turn off your Mac.
• Turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold the Shift key.
• Release the Shift key when you see the login window.
• Log in to your Mac.
• Test Safari now, does the Quit option work now?
• Now restart your Mac normally. Turn off your Mac and then turn on without pressing the Shift key. This will exit Safe Mode .

See also: How To Know If Your Mac Is Started In Safe Mode

Dr. Serhat Kurt worked as a Senior Technology Director specializing in Apple solutions for small and medium-sized educational institutions. He holds a doctoral degree (or doctorate) from the University of Illinois at Urbana / Champaign and a master’s degree from Purdue University. He is a former faculty member. Here is his LinkedIn profile and Google Scholar profile . Email Serhat Kurt .

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Categories:

• macOS 101: how to force quit a Mac app

If an app is misbehaving, make it stop

By Barbara Krasnoff , a reviews editor who manages how-tos. She’s worked as an editor and writer for almost 40 years. Previously, she was a senior reviews editor for Computerworld.

Share this story

Apps on macOS are usually well-behaved, but there are times when they can stop working or freeze and slow down your entire Mac. If that happens to you (and it might happen often if you’re playing with the latest Monterey betas ), it’s time to quit the app.

The first thing to do, of course, is try to quit the app normally:

• Right-click on the app’s icon in the menu bar and select “Quit,” or...
• Press the Command-Q keys.

However, if the app is frozen or just won’t go away, then you need to force a quit. Again, there are a couple of ways to do this:

• Click on the Apple icon in the top-left corner and look for a choice that says “Force Quit” or...
• Press Command-Option-Esc.

Either way, this will bring up the “Force Quit Applications” box, which will have a list of currently active apps. Highlight the troublesome app, and click on the “Force Quit” button. A pop-up will ask if you’re sure; click on “Force Quit” to finally quit the app.

If for any reason you can’t access the “Force Quit” menu, there is another way to quit the app using the Activity Monitor, which lists all of the active processes on your Mac. To get to the Activity Monitor:

• Use Spotlight Search to find “Activity Monitor,” or...
• In your Finder, click on Applications in the left-hand menu. In the resulting list of apps, double-click on Utilities to open the folder, and then double-click on Activity Monitor.

• You’ll see a list of active processes, which should include your misbehaving app. It’s going to be a long list, so you can click on the “Process Name” heading to alphabetize the list for an easier find. If you suspect that the app is stressing your CPU, you might try clicking on the “% CPU” heading, which may put the app at the top of the list.

• Highlight the app you want to quit, and click on the “x” icon at the top of the window.
• Click on “Force Quit.”

And if you’re still having difficulties, you can always shut down your system. You may lose some of what you’re currently working on, but it will close the app that’s driving you nuts.

• Hold down your power button (or the Touch ID button if your Mac has a Touch Bar) until you see the Apple logo on your display.
• Let go, and allow the system to restart.

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How to Quit an Unresponsive App on a Mac: Step-by-Step Guide

Last Updated: June 26, 2024 Fact Checked

Using a Keyboard Shortcut

Using the apple menu, using the dock, using activity monitor, using terminal, expert q&a.

This article was co-authored by Gonzalo Martinez and by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Dillon . Gonzalo Martinez is the President of CleverTech, a tech repair business in San Jose, California founded in 2014. CleverTech LLC specializes in repairing Apple products. CleverTech pursues environmental responsibility by recycling aluminum, display assemblies, and the micro components on motherboards to reuse for future repairs. On average, they save 2 lbs - 3 lbs more electronic waste daily than the average computer repair store. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 4,359,895 times.

Force-quitting a frozen application on your Mac is an easy fix. This wikiHow will walk you through the different easy ways you can force quit an app on your Mac.

Ways to Force Quit Apps on a Mac

Press Option/Alt + Cmd + Esc to force quit the active application on your Mac. You can also click the Apple menu and select Force Quit… , then the unresponsive application, to force it to close down as well. If you prefer, you can also Ctrl-click on the unresponsive app in the Dock and select Quit .

• If your Mac has a Touch Bar, look for the Esc key on the left side of the Touch Bar. [2] X Research source

• If your computer is frozen, you may need to restart it.

• If the app isn't unresponsive, you'll see an option that says Quit instead of Force Quit .

• If a normal Force Quit doesn't work, you may need to use this method to end the program.

• The COMMAND list may use a truncated name for the program. Look for a name that looks similar to the program you are trying to close.

• It may be difficult to spot the PID you want since the processes will shift around in the list.

• If the program does not respond to the “kill” command, type “sudo kill -9 ###”, replacing ### with the PID number.

• It is not possible to force quit Finder. If you select Finder, the "Force Quit" button will say "Relaunch". Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Before you click "Force Quit", double check that the application is still frozen. Sometimes the application un-freezes while you bring up the "Force Quit" window. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Force quitting a running program can cause you to lose any unsaved changes in that program. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Gonzalo Martinez. Computer & Phone Repair Specialist. Expert Interview. 30 March 2021
• ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102586

About This Article

1. Open the Apple menu. 2. Click on Force Quit… . 3. Click on the app you want to quit. 4. Click on Force Quit . Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to force an app to quit on your Mac

If an app stops responding and you can't quit the app normally, use these steps to force the app to quit.

To quit a Mac app normally, choose Quit from the app's menu in the menu bar, or press Command-Q. If the app doesn't quit, follow these steps to force the app to quit.

Force an app to quit

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 opens. Select the app that you want to quit, then click Force Quit:

The Finder is always open, but if it stops responding, you can force it to quit and then open again: Select Finder in the Force Quit window, then click Relaunch.

Learn how to close an app on your iPhone or close an app on your iPad .

If you can't force the app to quit

If you can't force the app to quit, try restarting your Mac: Choose Apple menu  > Restart.

If your Mac won't restart, force your Mac to turn off:

Press and hold the power button on your Mac for up to 10 seconds, until your Mac turns off. 2

Turn your Mac back on.

1. Even computers that have a Touch Bar have an Esc key. It's on the left side of the Touch Bar.

2. Every Mac has a power button. On Mac laptop computers, the power button is in the upper-right corner of the keyboard. If the laptop keyboard has Touch ID, that key is also the power button.

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Contact Apple Support

Need more help? Save time by starting your support request online and we'll connect you to an expert.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Can't start or quit Safari, have to force shut down Mac and restart!

Once upon a time it was said that Mac OS was so well isolated from the apps in its own space that if an app crashed, it wouldn't bring down Mac OS X.... I remember bragging about this too! I am beginning to wonder lately about this luxury!

Here's the typical rundown.... I can't be the only one experiencing this...

• My Mac is running normally, no obvious issues. I am also not someone who downloads a whole lot of apps frequently, delete etc.
• I notice Safari is not running (it's my main browser, second is Chrome)
• I go click on the button on the Dock, no response
• I try to force quit from the Dock (also from the Apple menu). I see the greyed out "Safari not responding..." message. I can't force quit.
• I try to log out and login (instead of restarting, as it's a bit faster). But the login-logout process is held hostage by Safari, it seems like. So after a long time, nothing is happening.
• Finally I have to force shut down the computer and restart, just so I can use Safari normally.

Is anyone experiencing this? Obviously I am not looking for the generic "just reinstall the OS..." thingy. I know there's a very good chance I might be able to solve the issue. But for one, it doesn't tell anyone WHAT was the cause of this issue... Secondly, this isn't Windows!

I am going to see if I can start the Mac in Safe mode and see if that can isolate the issue.... before you guys chime in with some great answers 😀

MacBook Pro 15", 10.14

Posted on Jan 27, 2019 11:37 PM

Posted on Jan 28, 2019 1:54 AM

Other users have reported this issue.

Adware is installed on your Mac.

  Use  the latest release of MalwareBytes for Mac to remove malware/adware.

     Install guide:       https://support.malwarebytes.com/docs/DOC-1817

     Uninstall Guide:  https://support.malwarebytes.com/docs/DOC-1190

     The installer may ask you to allow it in Security & Privacy  /System Preference. Allow it.

     Click the “Scan Now” button. Once done quit Malwarebytes for Mac.

     Restart the computer, relaunch Safari holding the shift key down.

Similar questions

• Safari won't load. Yet it shows that it is when I look at Force quite. I'm on a MacBook Pro, OS 10.14.6. And have plenty of memory. A couple days ago I clicked on Safari on the dock and it never jumped up and down. Nothing happened. It is sometimes sluggish especially in the morning. AS I recall I tried to power down and restart but it wouldm't do that because Safari was not quiting. So I went into Force Quit and it was indeed there (no little black teepee below the Safari icon on the dock) so I forced it to quite and continued to shut down and restart my computer. That didn't fix it. When I go into Applications folder and click Safari there in an effort to open it. I get a message "Application 'Safari' is not open anymore." File info says it was last modified 8-8-19; version 12.1.2; and last opened 8-27-19 8:23 am. But it never opened for me. When I look at Force Quit right now, Safari appears there. Yet there is no indication on the dock that it is open. I cannot get it to come up so I use it. And Applications says it is NOT open anymore. I'm using Foxfire at the moment to access this. 453 3
• Safari quits mysteriously after computer is on for a while, no error just no longer running This is happening on two different computers both running Mojave. I'll use the computer and it seems if I don't have any active browser windows open, Safari will just quit. I've never seen this happen, I just come back to my computer in the morning and notice that while all the other programs I left running the night before (Mail, Chrome etc) are still running, still have a black dot under them in the dock, Safari does not. I have to launch it. This happens on both my computers. It was hard to notice at first, just seemed that I forgot that I had quit Safari or something. But I intentionally left it running, no open windows last night and this morning it is not running. I don't know where to search in the Console to find info on it. Searching "Safari" brought up nothing. Anyone else notice this? 125 1
• Safari won't open or force quit by any method First Safari just bounced and bounced in the dock for quite a while. So I tried to Force Quit. It won't Force quite by any method. But it won't open either. I'm pretty sure I have to restart my iMac, but it's having problems and takes AGES to start so I'm wondering if there's anything else I can do. Thanks 478 5

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Jan 28, 2019 1:54 AM in response to marconey

Jan 28, 2019 10:00 AM in response to marconey

If the above doesn't work, try the Safe Mode and also try in another admin user account.

If it works in the Safe Mode, try running this program when booted normally and then copy and paste the output in a reply. The program was created by Etresoft, a frequent contributor.  Please use copy and paste as screen shots can be hard to read. Click “Share Report” button in the toolbar, select “Copy to Clipboard” and then paste into a reply. This will show what is running on your computer. No personal information is shown.

Etrecheck – System Information

If the log won’t post, try posting it in Pastebin and provide a link in a reply        Pastebin