Devices and everyday software
What to do when an app stops responding
A calm first response when an app freezes, hangs or will not close normally.
What you will learn
You'll know safe first steps for a frozen app and when force closing may lose work.
Before you continue
Force closing an app can lose unsaved work.
Stop and ask for help if the app contains important unsaved work, freezes every time it opens, or the whole computer becomes unreliable.
Pause for a moment
If an app stops responding, wait a short time before clicking many times. The app may be busy saving, syncing or opening a large file.
Repeated clicking can make it harder to see what is happening.
Save anything you can
If the app still responds a little, save your work. If it offers recovery or autosave, make a note of what it says.
If the app is completely frozen, you may not be able to save the latest changes.
Close the app normally first
Try closing the app from its normal menu or close button. If it asks whether to wait or close, choose the option that best protects your work.
If the same app freezes often, check whether updates are waiting.
Force close only when needed
Windows and Mac both have ways to force an app to close. This can help when an app will not respond, but unsaved work may be lost.
After force closing, reopen the app and check whether it recovered your work.
Know the force-close shortcut
On Windows, press Ctrl, Shift and Escape together to open Task Manager, select the frozen app and choose End Task. On a Mac, press Command, Option and Escape together to open Force Quit, select the app and choose Force Quit. Knowing this shortcut means you do not need to restart the whole computer just to close one frozen app.
Restart the computer if several apps are affected
If more than one app is frozen or everything feels slow, restart the computer from the normal power menu.
If the problem keeps returning, write down the app name, what you were doing and any error message.
What to expect
You have tried the least risky options first and know what information to record if the problem returns.
Sources and further reading
- Close an app that is not responding in Windows · Microsoft Support
Supports guidance about closing an unresponsive Windows app.
- If an app on your Mac stops responding, closes unexpectedly or won’t open · Apple Support
Supports guidance about force quitting and checking problematic Mac apps.