Chromebooks are designed to be fast and efficient, but sometimes apps can become unresponsive or freeze. And just like many other operating systems, a simple close button wouldn’t be sufficient. But thankfully I have some avenues you can try.
In this article, we’ll show you how to force quit apps on your Chromebook so you can get back to work. The following methods can be applied on most Chromebook versions and will work wonderfully.
Table of Contents
Force quite app with Task Manager
ChromeOS don’t have a native task manager like Windows do, but the main browser — Google Chrome can act like one. In the following guide, I’ll be showing you how to close apps using the Chrome’s task manager feature.
1. Click on the Launcher, then open Chrome. We are going to use Chrome’s Task Manager which in ChromeOS, can show programs beyond the browser tab itself.
2. Then, go to Customize and control Google Chrome, represented by the three-dot icon.
3. Navigate to More tools, and then click Task manager.
4. This is the Task manager on Chromebook. It displays running tabs and apps on the device.
5. You can select a task and then hit End process to kill it.
This process is quite straightforward, similar to the Task Manager on Windows. I also find it very quick to force close unresponsive apps. Overall, I highly recommended this method.
Oh, by the way, you can also use the shortcut key Search+Esc to launch Task Manager instantly without having to open Chrome beforehand.
Force quite app by signing off
Another method you could try is by signing off the device. This is similar to restarting the Chromebook but a lot faster and can be done by going to the clock menu and then click Sign out or use the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Q+Q.
This action will close all the previously running apps and return you to the login screen where you can type your PIN or password to enter again.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I close unresponsive apps on Chromebook?
To close an unresponsive app on your Chromebook, you can use the ChromeOS’own Task Manager. To access it, press Search+Esc, click on the app you want to close, and click End process. This is usually enough to shut off unresponsive apps.
What does force stop do on Chromebook?
ChromeOS do have a “force quit” feature similar to Windows. This feature is available on the Google Chrome Task Manager where you can select an app and “End process” to instantly shut it down. This is useful when an app becomes unresponsive or freezes.
What is the Alt+F4 version on Chromebook?
Chromebook does not have a function row and therefore there is no equivalent Alt+F4 for the operating system. However, as I mentioned earlier, you can use Search+Esc as a workaround to kill unresponsive apps.
What’s the equivalent of Ctrl+Alt+Delete on a Chromebook?
On a Chromebook, the equivalent of Ctrl+Alt+Delete is to press Search+Escape to open the ChromeOS Task Manager.
