As much as we'd like our computers to run smoothly all the time with no issues, there's always going to be a time when something hangs or freezes. Even if you have one of the best laptops on the market, you can still have problems sometimes and find yourself with an app that refuses to respond to your input.

Closing the app can usually solve these problems, but sometimes apps won't even let you close them normally. Fortunately, Windows 11 provides multiple ways to force an app to quit, even when the usual methods aren't working. If you're not sure what to do, try the solutions below.

Close an app from the taskbar

If an app isn't responding when you click the X button or if there's no way to get to the option to close an app, the first and simplest alternative involves using the taskbar. If you hover the mouse over the app's icon, you should see another X button in the corner. Try clicking that.

Alternatively, you can right-click the icon on the taskbar and choose Close window (or Close all windows).

If an app is completely unresponsive, there's a good chance this method still won't work, but it's worth a shot.

Press Alt+F4

This method is self-explanatory. The easiest way to force-quit an app is to press Alt+F4 on your keyboard while the app is active and in the foreground. This should close it instantly. Be careful not to close other apps instead, though.

Quit an app by using Task Manager

Task Manager is one of the hero solutions to many people's problems in Windows, and it's a very common way to force-quit apps. If you have an unresponsive app, try these steps:

1. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete (Del) on your keyboard.
2. Select Task Manager in the dialog box.
3. Locate the unresponsive app and click it.
4. Click End task.

It may take a couple of seconds, but this should effectively close the app.

Quit an app using the Settings app

Another method available in Windows 11 for closing an app is the Settings app. This works for only some apps, though — specifically "modern" apps in the Microsoft Store. To use this method, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Choose Apps from the side menu.
3. Click Installed apps.
4. Find the app you want to quit, click the ellipsis (...) button, and then click Advanced options.
5. Scroll down to the Terminate button and click it.

Quit an app with Command Prompt

If you'd rather use Command Prompt to do things on your system, there's a way to close apps using a command called taskkill. Here's how:

1. Right-click the Start menu button on the taskbar and choose Terminal. Alternatively, press Windows key+R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box, enter cmd, then press Enter.
2. Enter the following command to see a list of all running apps on your system:

   tasklist

3. Find the app you want to close, and note its name under Image name.
4. Enter the following command, replacing {imagename} with the name of the app you want to close:

   taskkill /im {imagename} /f

Once you do this, all processes associated with the image name will be forcibly terminated and the app will close.

What to do if your PC is still frozen

If you've tried all these methods and your PC is still frozen, you might have to reboot the computer and start fresh. Normally, the best way to do this is from the Start menu. However, if Windows is completely unresponsive, press and hold the power button for about 5 seconds to force the computer to shut down. If a specific app keeps giving you issues, you may have to uninstall it and then reinstall it. You might also have to update your drivers.