TL;DR
To close apps on Mac:
- Find the app in the Dock at the bottom of your screen.
- Right-click the app icon.
- Select Quit to close the app.
Tried and Tested ✅: The methods and steps mentioned in this article have been tried and tested firsthand by Ojash Yadav on his MacBook Pro M3 and rechecked for errors on Hashir’s MacBook Air M2.
Too many apps open and slowing down your Mac? No problem. Check out these seven easy ways to Close Apps on Mac and get your system running smoothly again.
Did You Know? Most apps on Mac don’t fully close when you click the red X button. Instead, they minimize to the Dock and continue running in the background. Closing them properly can free up system resources and improve performance.
7 Methods to Close Apps on Mac
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Here, I’ve shared some quick and easy methods to close unnecessary apps on your Mac and avoid clutter.
1. Use Dock
The Dock shows your open apps at the bottom of the screen. You can quickly close any app from here. Here’s how to use Dock to close apps on Mac:
- Locate the app you want to close in the Dock.
- Right-click the app icon.
- Select Quit from the context menu to close the app.
2. Close Apps Using MacKeeper
MacKeeper can help you close apps that are using too many resources. Follow these steps to end a process on Mac using MacKeeper:
- Download and install MacKeeper on your Mac.
- Click the Memory Cleaner option in the left sidebar under Performance.
- Click Open.
- Click Apps & Processes in the left panel.
- To terminate a task, click the X button next to its name.
- Tap the Quit button on the pop-up to close a process.
3. Quit From Menu Bar
You can close apps directly from the Menu Bar at the top of your screen.1 The following steps explain how to quit an app from your Mac’s menu bar:
- When you have multiple applications open, click the app you want to close to make sure it is the active app.
- Once you have the app in focus, click the app name you want to close in the menu bar.
- After you click the app name, a dropdown menu will appear. Click the Quit [app name] option in the dropdown menu.
- When you click Quit app name, a dialog box may appear asking you to confirm that you want to quit the app. If you are sure you want to close the app, click Quit.
- Once you confirm you want to quit the app, it will close, and you will return to your desktop.
4. Using a Keyboard Shortcut
A simple keyboard shortcut can instantly close any app. It’s a fast way to manage your apps without using a mouse. Here’s the keyboard shortcut you can use to close apps on Mac:
- Click the app you want to close to bring it to focus.
- Press the Command ⌘ + Q keys together.
This will quit the app.
5. Use Terminal Command
Advanced users can use Terminal to close apps with a command. This method gives you direct control over running processes. Here are the steps to close apps on mac using the Terminal:
- Open Terminal by searching for it in Spotlight or navigating to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
- Type the following command in the Terminal window and press Enter to execute the command:
ps -ax | grep [app name]Replace [app name] with the app you want to close.
- It will display a list of processes associated with the app.
- Find the process ID (PID) associated with the app you want to close.
- Type the following in the Terminal window and press Enter:
kill [PID]Replace [PID] with the process ID you found in step 4.
- It will force quit the app.
6. Force Quit the App
Use Force Quit to close apps that are not responding. This method is essential for dealing with frozen apps. Here are the steps to force quit an app on Mac:
⚠️ Warning: Force quitting apps may cause you to lose unsaved data. Always try to save your work before force quitting an app to prevent data loss.
- Click the Apple menu located in the top-left corner of the screen.
- Select Force Quit from the dropdown menu.
- A window will appear with a list of open applications. Select the application you want to force quit.
- Click the Force Quit button in the window’s lower-right corner.
- A confirmation dialog box will appear, asking you to confirm that you want to force quit the application. Click the Force Quit button again to confirm.
7. Use Activity Monitor
Activity Monitor shows all running apps and processes. You can close apps here that are using too much CPU or memory. Here’s how to use Activity Monitor to close apps on Mac:
- Open the Activity Monitor app from the Utilities folder, which can be found in the Applications folder.
- In the Activity Monitor window, you can see a list of all the apps and processes currently running on your Mac. Look for the app you want to close, and click to select it.
- Once you have selected the app you want to close, click the X button in the window’s upper-left corner.
- It will create a dialog box asking if you want to quit the app. Click the Force Quit button to confirm.
- You can confirm it has been closed by checking the Activity Monitor window again to see if it is still listed as a running process.
Keep Your Mac Running Smoothly
Closing apps on Mac is a simple and necessary task to maintain the performance and memory of your device. To ensure a smooth experience on your Mac, here are some more tips to keep in mind for the future:
- If you fail to close unresponsive apps, try to force shut down your Mac and resolve this issue.
- Monitoring memory usage on Mac and identifying the apps that consume the most memory can help you prioritize which apps to close first.
- Keeping your apps up to date on your Mac can help them run more smoothly, reducing the chances of needing to force quit or close them frequently.
