How to close an Application on MacBook

 

Seamless Application Closure: Discover the various methods to gracefully close applications on your MacBook for enhanced performance and efficient multitasking. This article provides easy-to-follow steps to close applications using keyboard shortcuts, the Dock, and the Activity Monitor.

how to close an application on macbook

Closing an application on a MacBook is a simple process that can be done using multiple methods. Here’s a detailed step-by-step guide on how to close applications on your MacBook:

Method 1: Close from the Application Window:

1. Click on the application window you want to close to bring it to the forefront.
2. Look for the red circle button with an “x” in the top-left corner of the window.
3. Click on the red circle button, and the application will close. Note that some applications may prompt you to save any unsaved work before closing.

Method 2: Close from the Dock:

1. Locate the application’s icon in the Dock, which is usually at the bottom of the screen.
2. Right-click (or Control-click) on the application’s icon.
3. From the context menu that appears, click on “Quit” or “Close” (if available), and the application will close.

Method 3: Close Using Keyboard Shortcut:

1. Make sure the application’s window is active (click on it if necessary).
2. Press “Command” (⌘ + Q ) on your keyboard, and the application will close. This is a universal keyboard shortcut to quit an application.

Method 4: Close Using Force Quit:

1. If an application becomes unresponsive and won’t close using the above methods, you can use “Force Quit” to close it.
2. Press “Command + Option + Esc ( ⌘ + ⌥ + Esc ) key combination on your keyboard. This will open the “Force Quit Applications” window.
3. Select the unresponsive application from the list, and click the “Force Quit” button. Be cautious as this will close the application immediately without saving any unsaved work.

Method 5: Close from Activity Monitor:

1. If you want to force quit an application or see detailed information about its performance, you can use the “Activity Monitor.”
2. Open “Activity Monitor” from the “Applications” > “Utilities” folder.
3. Find the application you want to close in the list, select it, and click the “X” button in the top-left corner to force quit the application.

Remember to save your work before closing applications to avoid losing any unsaved changes. Additionally, closing unnecessary applications can free up system resources and enhance overall performance on your MacBook. By following these methods, you can gracefully close applications, streamline your workflow, and efficiently manage your computing tasks.

Terminal method

The Terminal method of quitting apps on Mac is the most direct way to close them and requires knowledge of using a command line interface. Terminal is an application available in the Applications > Utilities folder that allows you to access the command line. Once the app has been launched, you can enter a specific command to terminate any running app. The command used to quit an app is ‘osascript -e ‘quit app “[insert app name here]”‘. To execute this command, all you need to do is replace the [insert app name here] text with the name of the app you want to close.

Using Terminal with this quit command can be intimidating for those who are not familiar with using a command line interface, but it is no less effective than closing apps through a graphical user interface or other methods discussed earlier today. If all else fails, this simple but powerful tool will get you back up and running in no time!

How to Force Quit An App

When an app is misbehaving, it can be necessary to force quit the application. On Mac computers, this is a simple process that can be done in just a few steps. To force quit an app on Mac, start by holding down the Option key and right-clicking its icon in the Dock. Doing so will reveal a Force Quit action in the popup menu which can be clicked to shutdown the app. This method is great for quickly and safely closing programs that are malfunctioning or freezing.

Force quitting apps can help prevent damage to data and programs as well as potential hardware issues if an application were left running while experiencing technical difficulties. Additionally, force quitting an app eliminates having to completely restart your computer if a single application is causing problems. It’s important to remember that force quitting apps should only be used when absolutely necessary because it can cause you to lose any unsaved work before closing the program. However, when properly used, this technique is a great way to help keep your Mac functioning at its best!

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are several ways to close an application on a Macbook. The most common methods include pressing Command + Option + Esc, ( ⌘ + ⌥ + Esc ) closing from the dock, using Activity Monitor, or using Terminal with the ‘osascript -e ‘quit app “[insert app name here]”‘ command. Additionally, you can also force quit an application if it is malfunctioning or freezing by holding down the Option key and right-clicking its icon in the Dock. Be sure to save your work before closing applications to avoid losing any unsaved changes. With these methods, you can gracefully close applications, streamline your workflow, and efficiently manage your computing tasks!