Q: How do I quit a ’frozen’ program?

To stop a program that is running that does not respond to any keyboard command you’ll need to force the program to quit (known as ‘Force Quit’). Here’s how:

1. If possible, save, and close any open files and/or programs on your system in the usual way leaving only the ‘problem program’. This will help reduce the possibility of data loss.

2. Press the ‘Ctrl’, ‘Alt’, and ‘Delete’ keys on your computer at the same time.

3. The Windows Task Manager will now open and show you all the currently running programs on your system.

4. Select the program you wish to stop running and click ‘End Task’.

5. Now click the close button ‘X’ on the top right of the Windows Task Manager window.

Important Note: force quitting a program will result in the loss of any files that are open and associated with that program.

Applies to

Windows