Close a frozen app with Task Manager
When an app stops responding, give it a minute — then end it cleanly with Task Manager instead of pulling the plug.
A frozen app isn't always dead — sometimes it's just busy. The skill is
knowing when to wait and how to end it when waiting is over.
First, sixty seconds of patience
If the window says "Not responding", the app may be finishing something
heavy. Give it a minute, especially if unsaved work is in it — apps often
recover on their own, and force-closing costs whatever wasn't saved.
End it cleanly
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager directly.
- Find the frozen app in the list — "Not responding" usually shows next to
it.
- Select it, then select End task.
- Wait a few seconds; the window disappears.
- Reopen the app. Office apps typically offer a recovered copy of what you
were working on — save it immediately.
If the whole machine is frozen
When even Task Manager won't appear: press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and pick
Task Manager from that screen. If nothing at all responds for several
minutes, hold the power button until the machine turns off, wait ten
seconds, and start it again — a last resort, because unsaved work in every
app is lost. After a full freeze, restart habits help (KB-0062).
If one app freezes daily
That's a pattern worth fixing rather than enduring — tell your IT support
which app, what you were doing, and how often. Repeat freezes usually have a
findable cause.