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Mac app frozen: how to force quit and recover

An app on your Mac has stopped responding. Learn how to force quit it, relaunch Finder, restart a stuck Mac safely, and stop it happening again.

  • Updated
  • 6 min
  • Beginner
Applies to
  • Mac

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When an app on your Mac stops responding to clicks and the spinning rainbow wheel will not go away, Force Quit closes it. There are also steps for when the whole Mac is stuck.

Before you start

Give the app a minute first. A spinning wheel sometimes means the app is busy with a large task, such as saving a big file. If nothing changes after a minute or two, or the app does not react at all, force quitting is safe for your Mac.

You may lose unsaved work

Force quit closes the app at once, so changes you have not saved in that app can be lost. Many apps keep an automatic copy and offer it when you reopen. Your other apps and files are not affected.

From a frozen app to a stuck MacA top-to-bottom flow chart with 8 boxes. Work through them in order and stop when the problem is fixed. The full text follows the picture.From a frozen app to a stuckMacNoNo1Wait a minute or two2Try a normal quit withCommand-Q3Did the app close?Yes: You are done4Force quit from the Applemenu5Did the app close?Yes: You are done6Restart from the Applemenu7Hold the power button upto 10 secondsStill stuck? See the startupguide linked below.
Move down only if the step above did not help.
Text version of this diagram
  1. Step 1: Wait a minute or two
  2. Step 2: Try a normal quit with Command-Q
  3. Question 3: Did the app close? If yes: You are done. If no, go on to the next item.
  4. Step 4: Force quit from the Apple menu
  5. Question 5: Did the app close? If yes: You are done. If no, go on to the next item.
  6. Step 6: Restart from the Apple menu
  7. Step 7: Hold the power button up to 10 seconds
  8. If nothing worked: Still stuck? See the startup guide linked below.

Force quit one app

Method 1: The keyboard shortcut

  1. Press and hold Option + Command + Esc together. Option is also marked Alt on some keyboards. On a Mac with a Touch Bar, Esc is at the left end of the Touch Bar.
  2. A Force Quit Applications window opens. Select the app that is not responding.
  3. Click Force Quit, then confirm by clicking Force Quit again if asked.

The app disappears from the list and from the Dock. Open it again from the Dock or the Applications folder.

Method 2: The Apple menu

  1. Click the Apple logo at the top left of the screen.
  2. Choose Force Quit. The same Force Quit Applications window opens.
  3. Select the frozen app and click Force Quit.

Method 3: From the Dock

  1. Hold the Option key and right-click (or Control-click) the app's icon in the Dock.
  2. Choose Force Quit. While Option is held, this item replaces Quit.
Force quit in three moves3 numbered steps, one under the other. The full text follows the picture.Force quit in three moves1OpenPress Option, Command andEsc together2SelectClick the app that is notresponding3QuitClick Force Quit and confirm
The shortcut is the quickest way.
Text version of this diagram
  1. Open: Press Option, Command and Esc together
  2. Select: Click the app that is not responding
  3. Quit: Click Force Quit and confirm

If Finder is the problem

Finder runs all the time, so it cannot be quit. If your desktop, folders or Dock stop responding, open the Force Quit Applications window with the shortcut, select Finder, and click Relaunch. The desktop disappears for a moment and returns.

If the Force Quit window will not open or the app stays

  1. Choose Apple menu then Restart. Apple suggests this when an app will not force quit.
  2. If the pointer does not move or the menu will not open, press and hold the power button for up to 10 seconds, until the Mac turns off. On a laptop with Touch ID, hold the Touch ID button instead.
  3. Wait a few seconds, then press and release the power button to turn the Mac on again.

Use the long press as a last resort

Holding the power button cuts power without closing apps, so unsaved work in all open apps is lost. Use it only when nothing else works.

If the Mac does not turn on afterward, see what to try when your Mac will not start.

Stop it happening again

  • Update the app and macOS. Open Apple menu then System Settings then General then Software Update, and update apps from the App Store. On macOS Monterey and earlier, use System Preferences instead of System Settings.
  • Check free space. A nearly full disk makes apps freeze. See what to do when your Mac storage is full.
  • Close what you do not use. Many open apps and browser tabs can slow the Mac down. See how to speed up a slow Mac.
  • Check one app only. If only one app freezes again and again, reinstall it from its original source, such as the App Store or the developer's own website. See installing Mac apps.
  • Keep a backup. A current backup limits the harm from any crash. See how to back up your Mac with Time Machine.

Frequently asked questions

Will force quit damage my Mac?

It is built for this situation and closes only the one app. The cost is that unsaved changes in that app may be lost.

Why is the rainbow wheel showing even though the app is not frozen?

The app is probably busy. Wait a minute or two. If the wheel stays and the app does not respond to clicks at all, force quit it.

Can I force quit with the mouse only?

Yes. Click the Apple logo at the top left, choose Force Quit, select the app, and click Force Quit. If the menu bar does not respond either, hold the power button as described above.

A pop-up says my Mac is frozen or infected and tells me to call a number. What should I do?

Never call a number shown in a pop-up. That is a common scam. Force quit the browser with the steps above, reopen it, and do not restore the previous tabs. See what to do about a fake virus pop-up.

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