How to Force Quit on Excel Mac: Step by Step

• Right-click on the Excel icon and select Quit.

• The application will close. But if it does not, you have to wait for some time. It may get unfrozen by itself.
• But if all these attempts fail, you will have to force quit the application.

This should be your last option, as force quitting may cause the unsaved changes to be lost.

 

How to Force Quit Excel on Mac

Keyboard Shortcuts

STEP 1: Press and hold Command + Option + Esc.

STEP 2: In the list, select Microsoft Excel.

STEP 3: Click on Force Quit.

Menu Bar

STEP 1: Click on the Apple logo in your menu bar.

STEP 2: From the dropdown, select Force Quit….

STEP 3: Select Microsoft Excel.

STEP 4: Click the Force Quit button to close the app.

This method is a convenient alternative for mouse or trackpad users.

 

Close Excel Through Mac Utilities

Activity Monitor

STEP 1: Open Finder. Click on Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.

STEP 2: Click on the CPU tab.

STEP 3: Select Microsoft Excel in the list.

STEP 4: Click the “X” button in the toolbar.

STEP 5: Select Force Quit.

Terminal Commands

STEP 1: Open Finder. Go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.

STEP 2: In the window, type:

killall "Microsoft Excel"

STEP 3: Press Return to execute the command.

This method is useful, but you need to make sure that you know the correct name for the application.

 

Troubleshoot Issues

If force quitting does not work:

• Go to the Apple logo and click on Restart. This will make sure that the system is clear of any hiccups.

• Make sure that macOS and Excel are updated. An update can fix any bug issue that was causing the freeze.

• Run Disk Utility. Disk error may also be the cause for frozen spreadsheet.

• Try a force restart Mac by pressing Control + Command + Power buttons.

 

FAQs

How to Safely Force Quit an Unresponsive App on Mac?

To safely force quit an unresponsive app on a Mac:

• Press Command + Option + Escape to open the Force Quit window.
• Select the unresponsive app from the list.
• Click “Force Quit” to close it without affecting other programs.

How to force quit on a Mac with a frozen keyboard?

If your Mac’s keyboard freezes, use the mouse or trackpad to access the Apple menu at the top left of the screen, and select ‘Force Quit…’. Then choose the app you need to close.

What is the shortcut key for force quit?

The shortcut key to force quit applications on a Mac is Command + Option + Esc.

How to control alt delete on a mac?

On a Mac, Control + Alt + Delete is replaced by Command + Option + Esc.