Here’s a common problem we’ve all encountered. You’re using an application in Windows when it just doesn’t work anymore.
You might get an error message saying the application isn’t responding, or maybe it just freezes with no indication of when or if it can be recovered. At best, the freezing only affects the application itself, leaving you free to continue using other Windows programs and features. In the worst case, your entire system can crash with no clear way of recovering. Yes, this situation is frustrating, but there are ways to recover.
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For this process, I’m working with a Windows 10 PC. But the steps to deal with frozen applications and systems are practically the same between Windows 10 and 11.
Suppose you are running several different programs and one of them slows down and then freezes. For this example, I’m choosing iTunes because it’s buggy software that, in my experience, often freezes.
Of course, the first course of action is to try to close the problematic application using the Close button. In response, you will likely see a message telling you that the application has stopped working. Depending on the program and the type of freezing, the message gives you two options: Find a solution online and close the program or Close the program. Otherwise, it may only offer the one option to close the program.
You may also see a drop-down arrow for View problem details. Clicking it will show the name of the associated executable and other details, but you won’t be able to restore the app. Click the button to close it and wait a few seconds to see if it shuts down.
If the “Close” button isn’t enough, another option is to right-click the app’s system tray icon and select the option for Close the window. Wait a few seconds again to see if the program closes.
What if your mouse isn’t responding and you can’t click the close button or system tray icon? Pressing Alt+F4 will also attempt to close the currently active window or app.
If you can’t close the application directly, another option is to try shutting it down via Task Manager, which will show you a list of all running apps, files, and processes. There are a few ways to trigger Task Manager.
In Windows 10, right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager. On Windows 10 or 11, right-click the Start button and choose Task Manager from the menu or press Ctrl+Shift+Esc. When Task Manager opens in Compact View, you can click the button for More details to see the full view.
In either view, the status of the failed app entry may show as Not Responding. Right-click the entry and select it end task. Wait a few seconds to see if the application exits.
Another way to close a frozen app is with a built-in Windows command called Taskkill. To try this, open a command prompt and type to-do list. Locate the executable for the frozen app, e.g. B. iTunes.exe. At the next command prompt, type taskkill /f /im followed by the name of the .exe file, e.g. B. taskkill /f /im itunes.exe.
Here’s another trick that works in Windows 11, but only for specific apps. If an app is frozen, go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps. Click the ellipse icon for the frozen app. If you see an Advanced Options setting, click on it. Scroll down the screen to the Exit section and click the Exit button.
What if your Windows environment is frozen or not responding?
First, you should use one of the methods I mentioned to determine what application or process is interfering with Windows and try to shut it down. If Windows is still not responding, it might be time to shut it down.
Sign out or shut down Windows
First try to log out of your current session. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del and then select log out. If that works, log in again to see if Windows is now responsive. If not, you may need to shut down the PC completely. On the Ctrl-Alt-Del screen, click the power icon and then select Switch off. If Windows is still stuck, your last resort is to hold down the power button on your PC until it turns off.
Enable auto-recovery options
Finally, remember that using any of these methods to shut down an application or Windows itself will result in losing all recent unsaved work. This is paramount in a productivity program like Microsoft Office. Some programs like Word and Excel offer an automatic recovery feature that can attempt to recover the latest version of the file even if you recently failed to save it. Check the productivity apps you use to see if they provide such a feature and enable it.
