How to: Kill a hanging application (Mac OS X, all versions)

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Applications run fine most of the time.  But sometimes (for what ever reason) an application gets stuck to a point where a user cannot exit out of it the normal way (Command+Q).

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Since Mac OS X is Linux based, a user has access to an area called the Terminal.  This lets a user access the  core operating system that Mac OS X ‘sits on’.  The Terminal allows users to enter text commands to do some of the same commands that a user can do within Mac OS X.

One of these commands is called ‘KILLALL’.  It’s almost the same as using the Command+Q option, but it also lets a user “kill” a hanging application.  However, this command should not be used on a frequent basis, as the user could loose any unsaved data.

To use the Terminal and the killall command:

1.  Open Finder.
2.  Go to APPLICATIONS > UTILITIES.
3.  Click on the Terminal icon.

A window will open with a text prompt.  This is telling a user that the computer is waiting for the user to type in Linux commands.  At the prompt, type in:

killall nameofapplicationtokill

So, let’s say you need to close the Text Edit app.  The command would be:

killall textedit

Then press the [ENTER] (or Return) key.  If the application’s icon is in the Dock, it should disappear when you issue the command.

To close the Terminal window, just issue the normal Command+Q option.

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Dan Uff

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