Stop the Spinning Rainbow Wheel: How to Force Quit an App on Mac

Article Summary

• Force quit Mac: If a freeze is stopping a Mac from working and the spinning rainbow appears, the proper commands will close the frozen application and let you regain control.
• Force quit key stroke: Press Command + Option + Escape. This is the quickest, most reliable way to close a stuck app and stop the spinning rainbow issue.
• Forced quit from Dock: Right-clicking an application’s Dock icon is another quick solution to force-quit a single frozen app if one is the only issue.
• If force quit doesn’t work: Restarting your Mac wipes away memory and corrects temporary system mistakes that make the machine freeze.
• My Computer Works support: Ongoing freezes are usually signs of underlying software issues, but My Computer Works technicians can troubleshoot them for you.

We think all Mac users will agree that the one rainbow we never want to see is the spinning rainbow wheel that appears on our screens. The spinning rainbow wheel is the Apple user’s worst nightmare. It usually rears up when an application freezes and the mouse won’t budge, even when you angrily swipe it multiple times, you know… usually when you’re in the thick of something urgent. 

Well, knowing how to force quit an unresponsive app on Mac gives you back the control you need to say goodbye to the rainbow you don’t want to see. And best of all? The solutions for the spinning rainbow wheel issue are built into macOS and are the safest options for you. They won’t damage your machine when you’re trying to get out of a frozen program. However, if the built-in solutions don’t work, there are other measures you can try.

In today’s blog, our team at My Computer Works shares how to force quit an app on a Mac. We’ve shared a few safe and effective options to try to get rid of the spinning rainbow wheel that so often leads to unnecessary frustration. 

Force Quit macOS Application With Keyboard Shortcut

Command + Option + Escape

If the mouse is unresponsive or menus are freezing, the Mac keyboard shortcut force quit function is the ultimate first step to try to resolve this issue. Apple recommends this method for stopping unresponsive programs without restarting the device. 

Use or press down Command + Option + Escape on your keyboard, and you’ll see the force quit macOS application window pop up. When you see this, choose the problem app and select Force Quit on Mac to end the task. Once the app closes, you can reopen it and continue working.

This approach works even when your screen appears frozen, as it communicates directly with macOS. 

Force Quit Apps From the Dock

Right-Click the App Icon

If the main system remains responsive but an application is slow, try closing it from the Dock. To do this, Ctrl+ right-click the application’s icon, and hold the option key. The normal “Quit” changes to Force Quit. The application closes immediately when you select it.

When Should You Force Quit?

When Command + Q Stops Working

Typically, the keyboard shortcut Command + Q will quit an application entirely, but a frozen application will not respond to the command. If you find Command Q not working on Mac, then try changing over to the keyboard shortcut Command + Option + Escape.

Apps Frozen for Over a Minute

If the rainbow spinning wheel remains for more than a minute, the app is no longer communicating with macOS. A force quit of a macOS application tool frees up memory, allowing the rest of the system to work correctly. If you have to force-quit unresponsive apps on Mac devices, it’s likely that waiting wouldn’t have worked, and action was needed.

What If Force Quit Doesn’t Work?

Sometimes, even Mac’s Force Quit isn’t working, and this is an issue you may encounter. If the frozen app won’t close and your entire Mac becomes unresponsive, restarting is the safest option for you to take.

Restarting a Frozen Mac

To restart, all you need to do is press and hold the power button until the screen turns black. After a few seconds, turn your Mac’s power on again by pressing the button as usual. The reason this works is that a restart clears temporary data, reinitializes memory, and reinitializes all system functions. 

After this, the Mac will run properly. This is also the most reliable method for those looking into how to restart a Mac when Force Quit doesn’t work. Yet, if freezing is still frequent, the likely cause is low storage, outdated macOS versions, or background processes hogging resources. Luckily, preventing them is possible through regular system maintenance or assistance from one of our experts.

My Computer Works Offers Professional MacOS Help for Persistent Freezes

It’s obvious that frequent freezes are abnormal and may indicate underlying issues. My Computer Works technicians will diagnose why apps are freezing repeatedly, fix corrupted files, and tune up your Mac to run better. 

Our technicians are experts in resolving issues such as how to restart a frozen app on a Mac, overheating, and stubborn system slowdowns that hot key combinations won’t resolve.

Final Thoughts

We hope that the information we’ve given you on how to quit apps on Mac through the Mac shortcut for force-quitting applications and through other solutions will help.

However, if these steps only provide a temporary solution and the issue keeps popping up, My Computer Works can find the root cause and restore your Mac’s performance. Schedule a remote support session today and keep your Mac running smoothly with our technicians.