On Windows 10, every now and then, you’ll come across apps that will start acting up and stop responding. Usually, you’ll notice this, because in the app title bar, you’ll see a “Not responding” message and the app will simply become unresponsive.
In the past, you were only able to use Task Manager to terminate the app, but on a continue effort to consolidate all the Windows 10 settings in one place, the Settings app now include an option to terminate apps within the app settings page.
In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to quickly close an app when it’s not responding on Windows 10 using the Settings app and Task Manager.
- How to close an app when not responding using Settings
- How to close an app when not responding using Task Manager
How to close an app when not responding using Settings
If you’re experiencing problems with a Microsoft Store app, you can quickly terminate the app and its related processes using the Settings app.
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Open Settings.
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Click on Apps.
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Click on Apps & features.
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Select the app that is acting up and click the Advanced options link.
Apps & features settings -
Click the Terminate button.
Terminate app using Settings app
Once you’ve completed the steps, the app with the problem and its related processes will close, and you can now re-open and start using the app again, but this time (hopefully) without issues.
Alternatively, you can also right-click the app Live Tile from the Start menu, select More, and click App settings to quickly navigate to the settings page for a particular app.
How to close an app when not responding using Task Manager
In the case the problem is with a traditional desktop application, you can still use the Task Manager to terminate the app, but you’ll also need to end related processes manually as necessary.
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Right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager.
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Select the app that isn’t responding.
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Click the End task button.
End task using Task Manager
After completing the steps, the app with the problem will close, and you can now launch the app again without issues.
Alternatively, you can quickly open the Task Manager using the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keyboard shortcut.
Yet another quick way that may work to close an app that is not responding is to use the Alt + F4 keyboard shortcut while the app is on focus.
If you don’t see the option in the app settings page, it’s likely because you’re not running Windows 10 version 1803 (April 2018 Update) releasing sometime in 2018. The ability to terminate apps and related processes for Microsoft Store apps makes its way into Windows 10 starting build 17063.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.