As a Windows user, there might come a time when you encounter an app that misbehaves or stops responding. In such cases, it is necessary to force close the app to avoid further damage to your system. Here's a step-by-step guide with code examples on how to force close an app in Windows.
Step 1: Open Task Manager
The first step to force close an app in Windows is to open the Task Manager. You can do this by pressing the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys together, or by right-clicking on the taskbar and selecting "Task Manager" from the menu.
Step 2: Locate the App and End Task
Once Task Manager is open, you will see a list of running processes and applications. Find the app you want to force close from the list and select it. Then, click the "End Task" button located on the bottom right corner of the window.
Step 3: Use Command Prompt
Another way to force close an app on Windows is by using the Command Prompt. To do this, open the Command Prompt by pressing the Windows key + R, type "cmd" in the Run dialogue box and hit enter.
In the Command Prompt, type "tasklist" and press enter. This will show a list of all the running processes and applications on your system.
Next, type "taskkill /f /im [appname.exe]" and press enter. Replace [appname.exe] with the name of the app you want to close. For example, if you want to close Google Chrome, type "taskkill /f /im chrome.exe" and hit enter.
Step 4: Use PowerShell
You can also force close an app on Windows using PowerShell. To do this, first, open PowerShell by typing "PowerShell" in the search box on the taskbar and selecting "Windows PowerShell" from the results.
In the PowerShell window, type "Get-Process" and press enter. This will display a list of all the running processes and applications on your system.
Next, type "Stop-Process -name [appname.exe] -Force" and press enter. Replace [appname.exe] with the name of the app you want to close. For example, if you want to close Notepad, type "Stop-Process -name notepad.exe -Force" and hit enter.
Step 5: Use Batch File
Finally, you can create and run a batch file to force close an app in Windows. To do this, first, open Notepad by typing "Notepad" in the search box on the taskbar and selecting "Notepad" from the results.
In Notepad, type "taskkill /f /im [appname.exe]" and save the file with the .bat extension. For example, if you want to close Microsoft Word, type "taskkill /f /im winword.exe" and save the file as "ForceCloseWord.bat".
Next, run the batch file by double-clicking on it, and it will force close the app you specified in the code.
In conclusion, there are multiple ways to force close an app in Windows, including using Task Manager, Command Prompt, PowerShell, and a batch file. Use the method that you find most convenient or the one that gets the job done effectively. Remember, force closing an app should be the last resort, and it can cause data loss or corruption, so use it wisely.
Task Manager:
Task Manager is a built-in tool in Windows that allows users to view running apps, processes, and services, and monitor system performance. It can also be used to force close or end tasks of applications that are not responding or consuming too much system resources.
To access Task Manager, you can press Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys together, right-click on the taskbar and select "Task Manager" from the menu, or use the Windows key+X keyboard shortcut.
Once Task Manager is open, you will see a list of running processes and applications on the Task Manager's "Processes" tab, along with their CPU, memory, and disk usage. You can sort the list by clicking on the column headers or search for a specific app using the search bar.
To force close an app using Task Manager, you need to select the app or process from the list and click on the "End Task" button located on the bottom right corner of the window. Task Manager will try to close the app gracefully, but if it doesn't work, it will force close the app and terminate the process.
Command Prompt:
Command Prompt, also known as Cmd or cmd.exe, is a Windows command-line interface that allows users to execute commands and perform tasks using text-based commands.
To open the Command Prompt, press the Windows key+R keyboard shortcut to open the Run dialogue box, type "cmd" in the box, and hit enter.
Once in Command Prompt, you can use the "taskkill" command to force close an app. This command has various parameters, but the most common ones are "/f" to force close the app and "/im" to specify the process name or image name of the app.
For example, to force close Google Chrome, you can run the following command:
taskkill /f /im chrome.exe
This will forcefully close all processes related to Google Chrome.
PowerShell:
PowerShell is another command-line interface in Windows that is more advanced than Command Prompt. It is designed for system administrators and advanced users and offers more flexibility and control over your system than Command Prompt.
To open PowerShell, type "PowerShell" in the search box on the taskbar and select "Windows PowerShell" from the results.
In PowerShell, you can use the "Stop-Process" cmdlet to force close an app. This cmdlet also has parameters such as "-name" to specify the process name and "-Force" to force close the app.
For example, to force close Microsoft Word, you can run the following command:
Stop-Process -name winword.exe -Force
Batch File:
A batch file is a script that contains a series of commands that can be executed by Windows Command Prompt or PowerShell. It is an easy way to automate repetitive tasks or run a sequence of commands with a single click.
To create a batch file that force closes an app, you need to open Notepad and enter the following command:
taskkill /f /im [appname.exe]
Replace "[appname.exe]" with the process name or image name of the app you want to close. Save the file with the .bat extension, and you can run the batch file by double-clicking on it.
For example, to force close Notepad, you can create a batch file with the following code:
taskkill /f /im notepad.exe
In conclusion, force closing an app can be done using Task Manager, Command Prompt, PowerShell, or a batch file. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, so choose the one that suits your needs. Remember to use force closing as a last resort and save your work before doing it to avoid data loss or corruption.
Popular questions
- What is Task Manager, and how can it be used to force close an app?
Task Manager is a built-in tool in Windows that allows users to view running processes and applications and monitor system performance. It can also be used to force close or end tasks of applications that are not responding or consuming too much system resources. To use Task Manager to force close an app, you need to select the app or process from the list and click on the "End Task" button located on the bottom right corner of the window.
- How can Command Prompt be used to force close an app?
Command Prompt is a Windows command-line interface that allows users to execute commands and perform tasks using text-based commands. To force close an app using Command Prompt, you need to use the "taskkill" command and its parameters, such as "/f" to force close the app and "/im" to specify the process name or image name of the app. For example, to force close Google Chrome, you can run the command "taskkill /f /im chrome.exe" in Command Prompt.
- What is PowerShell, and how can it be used to force close an app?
PowerShell is another command-line interface in Windows that is more advanced than Command Prompt. To force close an app using PowerShell, you need to use the "Stop-Process" cmdlet and its parameters, such as "-name" to specify the process name and "-Force" to force close the app. For example, to force close Microsoft Word, you can run the command "Stop-Process -name winword.exe -Force" in PowerShell.
- What is a batch file, and how can it be used to force close an app?
A batch file is a script that contains a series of commands that can be executed by Windows Command Prompt or PowerShell. To create a batch file that force closes an app, you need to open Notepad and enter the command "taskkill /f /im [appname.exe]" in the file, replacing "[appname.exe]" with the process name or image name of the app you want to close. Save the file with the .bat extension and run the batch file by double-clicking on it.
- What should you consider before using force close to end a process?
Force closing an app should be the last option if the app is not responding or causing problems for your system. Before using force close, save your work to avoid data loss or corruption and try to close the app gracefully using its own user interface or Task Manager. Also, be careful when using force close because it can terminate processes and services that are essential for your system's stability and security.
Tag
TaskManager
