No more need to go through the task manager when an app starts to derail in Windows or stops responding: the End task option, available in Windows 11, is even faster and more practical!
Software that crashes but remains frozen on the screen happens on both PC and Mac. When this phenomenon occurs with macOS, a simple keyboard shortcut (in this case Cmd + Alt + Esc) displays a window showing all open applications. All that remains is to select the faulty one and force it to quit, in other words, stop it without the possibility of saving the work in progress. On Windows, the operation is also possible. It goes through the task manager which can be displayed via the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Esc (see our practical sheet).
However, the task manager is not always responsive and may also have some difficulty displaying itself. Rather than struggling, you can enable an option in Windows 11 hidden in the System Settings. It allows you to force the shutdown of an application with a simple click of the right mouse button and without even going through the task manager. Announced on the sly a few months ago (see our article), this new, very practical option appeared just as discreetly during a recent system update. Microsoft has hardly advertised it, and that’s a shame because it should provide valuable services on a daily basis for those who know it and who adopt it.
How to quickly force an app to stop in Windows 11?
To activate the new function, you must go through the Developer Space, in the Windows 11 settings.
► Open Windows Settings with the shortcut win + i or through the menu To start up.
► Select System in the left column. From the options offered at the center, choose Developer area. Don’t worry, you are in no way going to hinder the proper functioning of Windows with shaky functions currently being developed.
► In the list of options that appears, simply activate the one called End task. That’s all, you can close the Windows settings window.
► From now on, when you want to abruptly stop an open application, right-click on its icon in the taskbar. In the menu that appears, click on Complete task. The app or software will close immediately. Be careful if the work in progress in this app has not been saved, it cannot be recovered.
