Apple's latest Macs are both powerful and efficient, thanks to the included M-series chips. And while apps optimized for Apple silicon tend to run smoothly, outdated applications may misbehave at times. Fortunately, there are five different ways to force quit an unresponsive app on macOS Sonoma. And if none of the five methods work, we've included a final workaround.

Using the Force Quit Applications tool

Arguably, the most popular way to force-close unresponsive applications is, well, using the Force Quit Applications tool. Here's how:

  1. Tap the Apple menu in the top-left-hand corner, then choose Force Quit.
  2. Alternatively, you can press down Option + Command + Esc.
  3. A small box will appear listing all currently running programs. Choose the app you want to kill, and click the Force Quit button at the bottom.

Using the Dock

If you're looking for a faster method, then using the Dock may be an option in some cases.

  1. Go to the icon of the unresponsive app in the Dock and right-click on it.
  2. Choose Force Quit.
  3. If the menu only says Quit, hold down the Option key on your keyboard, and it will change to Force Quit.

Using a keyboard shortcut

If you're more of a keyboard shortcuts person, then you can also rely on a button combo to quit an app.

  1. Make sure the unresponsive app is in the foreground.
  2. Use Command + Q on the keyboard to force quit the app.

Using Terminal

If you're in a Hackerman state of mind, then you can also force-quit an app using the built-in Terminal app. Here's how:

  1. Launch the Terminal app.
  2. Paste the following and hit Return: 
killall [app name]

You obviously would have to replace [app name] with the app's actual name, such as:

killall Messages

​​​​Using Activity Monitor

Activity Monitor is an app that shows you a list of activities that are running on your Mac. Through it, you can kill a certain app, even if it's unresponsive, by following the steps below:

  1. Launch the Activity Monitor app.
  2. Go to the CPU tab and click on Process Name at the top to rearrange all running programs in alphabetical order. This will make it easier to find what you're looking for.
  3. Find the program you're looking for in the list. If it is unresponsive, it will likely say not responding in red next to it.
  4. Click and highlight the program, and then tap the cross icon (x) at the top.
  5. A small pop-up box will now ask if you're sure. If so, click Force Quit, and it shall be done.

Restarting your Mac as a last resort

If all else fails, you can simply switch off the computer and turn it on again. Many people have a bad habit of hardly ever restarting the computer, but it helps keep everything nice and zippy, so restarting once in a while is not a bad idea. You can do so by going to the Apple menu, selecting Restart, then confirming by clicking Restart again.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to force-quit an unresponsive app on macOS. Apps glitch for many reasons and at random times. It could be because you're overloading it, you came across a specific bug, it's not well-optimized to run on your machine, or for a completely different reason altogether. Fortunately, force-quitting an app typically resolves temporary issues. And if it persists, you may want to report it to the respective developers and hope they issue a fix.