The following methods will help you to at least close the app so you can move on and will show how you can use the task manager, Settings app, and the command prompt to force close those apps.
Use the Task Manager to Close an App
To open the task manager, you can search for it in the Cortana search bar, or you can press Ctrl + Shift + Esc. The processes tab should be the first of several tabs. If you don’t see it, click on the “More Details” button. If you’re under the Processes tab, you will see all of the apps that are currently running on your computer. Right-click on the app that is frozen, and select the option that says “End task.”
How to Close a Frozen App via Settings
To use the Settings app to close a frozen app, you’ll need to click on the Windows Start menu -> Settings -> Apps. Under the “Find a Setting” search bar, you should see the “Apps & features” option.
To the right, you’ll see a list of the apps you have installed on your computer. Click on the app that is frozen and on the Advanced options.
Scroll down until you see the option that allows you to terminate the app and all its processes.
Create a TaskKill Shortcut
The above method will work great if you can get the command prompt open, but if it’s failing, you can also use the TaskKill shortcut. Right-click on a space on your desktop. Select New, followed by Shortcut. You will see the following image, and you will need to enter the following code.
This command will force close any processes that fall under the not responding status. Make sure that you’ve entered the code correctly since it will not work if even a single letter is missing. You can name the shortcut whatever you want and click on Finish.
How to Close a Frozen App Using the Command Prompt
Note: this is an advanced option. Try the above option before trying this one. If you’ve never or rarely used the command prompt, it’s best that your tech friend give you a hand here. Open the command prompt by typing command prompt in the search bar or by typing cmd. Once the Command Prompt is open, type tasklist and press Rnter. Don’t be surprised if the command takes a few seconds to open.
The next command you’ll need to enter is Replace “filename.exe” with the filename of the program that is giving you problems. For example, if it is Chrome that is frozen, you can type Taskkill /IM chrome.exe. /F It’s very important that you include the /F since that is the command that will force close the frozen app. You can also force close an app by using the Process ID (PID). Look at the image above and find the PID Session Name column. (It’s the one with numbers followed by the word Services.) You’ll need the number to the left of the word Services to kill the frozen app. Locate the app you want to kill in the “Image Name” column and get its PID. Once you have it, type the following command Taskkill /PID XXXX /F and press Enter. Replace the “XXXX” with the PID. If you need to kill various processes, follow the name command and add the PID for the other processes as well. Your command will look like this Taskkill /PID 1440 928 596 /F.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are different ways you can close a frozen app. If you’re not very tech savvy, you may want to stay away from the command prompt method but can always try the remaining methods. Don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments below.
