My computer is frozen. I’m getting the spinning beachball aka wheel of death. How can I force quit?
The spinning beach ball means that a program is currently processing a task. Wait a few minutes to see if the task completes.
If there is no response after a few minutes you can try a Force Quit (Note: When you do a Force Quit you will lose any unsaved information in the application you are working in!).
- Press the following keys on your keybaord: Command + Option + Escape (or you can click on the Apple Menu in the upper left corner of your screen and select Force Quit).
- Highlight the application in Red. If there aren't any applications in Red, highlight the application that you were working on and click Force Quit.
- Close out of the Force Quit Application window, and relaunch the application.
Another way to Force Quit is to control+click (or right-click) on the Dock icon for the frozen application, or simply hold down the mouse click button on the Dock icon. A menu will appear. Select Force Quit.
If Force Quitting doesn't work, force a shut down using the instructions below:
- Hold your Mac's power button for several seconds to force it to power down.
- Once it shuts down, disconnect all peripheral devices such as external hard drives, USB printers, keyboard, and mouse. Also disconnect any Ethernet cables. Only leave the power plug connected.
- Press and release the power button to start up your Mac.
- It may take up to a half an hour for your computer to boot after a cold shutdown while your computer runs diagnostics and system checks.
- Logging on again and go into the program that you were having problems with.
If your computer still doesn't work properly, please call Technical Support at x6688, or fill out a Web Help Desk work order ticket. Please include your computer's location and barcode number.