Once you are there, type in 'tasklist' and select Enter. Note that the Command Prompt option may also be called Windows PowerShell in some versions of Windows. Here you can go right to the source and run some commands to shut down an app, which may be useful if Task Manager isn’t working, etc. PC gamers are flocking to Windows 11, new Steam survey says Ranking all 12 versions of Windows, from worst to best Don’t navigate away from the buggy app, or you’ll end up closing something else by mistake.

Note that the ALT + F4 shortcut will work on the app you are currently using. This may be necessary on some portable computers like Microsoft's Surface laptops. If this doesn’t work, try pressing the FN key so the indicator light is turned on, then try the keyboard shortcut again. Press it once and wait several seconds for the app to respond. It skips the in-between steps and proceeds to force quit the app you are currently using. If you don’t want to mess with Task Manager or can’t bring it up, this is an alternative shortcut you should try. If you’re unable to use Task Manager, then the whole operating system is having problems. If the shortcut launches Task Manager and you can successfully interact with it, that’s good news. Task Manager is also an easy test to see just how bad things are.

Try dismissing some of the apps and background processes that are taking up a lot of memory to see if this improves your situation. If the percentage is particularly high, you could be running into RAM troubles that are causing your crashes.

It’s also a good idea to use Task Manager to check on how much memory your apps are using. This will force quit the app in question. Find the app that’s not responding, select it, and then choose End task. The Task Manager will display all the apps that are currently running and the resources they are taking up. This shortcut opens the famous Task Manager.

Close all my windows