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!).

1. 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).
2. 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.
3. 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:

1. Hold your Mac's power button for several seconds to force it to power down.
2. 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.
3. Press and release the power button to start up your Mac.
4. 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.
5. 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.