How to Close a Program That Is Not Responding in Windows 7

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 Tested

Your Windows 7 computer is not responding. You try to you try, but you are getting nowhere. Get your computer out of this bind and back up and running by following an easy path. Remember to try the steps in the order presented for the quickest results.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Keyboard Shortcuts

1
Press Alt+F4. Usually, this will quit the browser and any programs which are open.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Task Manager

1
Press Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Esc. This will open Task Manager.
- Alternatively, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, then click on "Start Task Manager."
2
Click on the unresponsive program. It should become highlighted.
- If there are additional unresponsive programs, Ctrl+Click on the additional programs. Any action you initiate will be performed on all the highlighted items and only on the highlighted items.
3
Click End Task. The computer will try to shut down the selected program(s).

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Restarting the Computer

Soft Resart

1
Press ⊞ Win.
2
Select "Restart."

Hard Restart

1
Press and hold the On/Off switch until the computer powers down. This will be indicated by "power" LED going dark and the cooling fan stopping.
- This should only be used as a last resort because you will lose unsaved information in programs and files which are still open.
2
Wait at least 20 seconds.
3
Power the computer back on.
4
Wait for the computer to come up. It is likely that you will receive a warning message that the computer was shut down improperly.
5
Hit enter to clear the warning message if it has been displayed. The boot sequence will then resume.

Community Q&A

Question

Does Ctrl+Alt+Del and choosing Restart from the shutdown menu help when reacting to a non-responsive program?

Tec_Help

Community Answer

Yes, this would; you'll be provided with a prompt to force-close any unresponsive programs during the shutdown process. A hard reset is only needed if your entire Windows screen freezes up.
Question

What if a program is completely unresponsive?

Community Answer

Right click on your taskbar, click start task manager and, then, in the processes tab, scroll to the app, right-click, then click, "end task."

Warnings

You will lose documents if you restart your computer before backing up or saving open files.

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When you try a hard restart, there is a chance your computer will have to verify the integrity of each file in your hard drive individually. This can take anywhere from ten minutes, to an hour.

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