• The Mac alternative to Ctrl+Alt+Delete does exist. The keyboard shortcut will make it easy to stop your Mac applications. It is an effective method to remove any lagging or buggy software. Follow the guide to force quit using this method. The keyboard shortcut for this is Option+Command+Esc. Use this shortcut when you are stuck on your Macbook.
• The alternatives to Control-Alt-Delete on a Mac The closest equivalent to the well-known Windows keyboard shortcut on a Mac is Command-Option (Alt)-Escape. Pressing those three keys together pulls up a window displaying currently-running apps. It also shows you any apps that have hung and allows you to force quit them.
• In Windows you can manage login items using Control-Alt-Delete. Here’s how to do it on a Mac. Click the Apple menu and choose System Preferences. Go to Users & Groups. Select the Login Items tab. Click on any login item you want to remove. Press the “–” button at the bottom of the window. Force restart your Mac.
• What Is Control Alt Delete on a Mac? If you have been using Windows for a long time, you must be aware of the shortcuts like Control + Alt + Delete, Control + Shift + Escape, Alt + Tab, etc. All these keys when pressed together in their specific formation, they create a shortcut way to perform a specific function, maki.

• Macbook Air Control Alt Delete Equivalent
• Macbook Pro Control Alt Delete
• Apple Ctrl Alt Delete
• Macbook Pro Control Alt Delete Windows

The command or cmd key, which you’ll find on either side of the spacebar, is the Mac equivalent of the Control (ctrl) key on Windows. Many of your Windows shortcuts involving the ctrl key work on Mac as well if you use cmd instead of ctrl. For example, the cut-copy-paste shortcuts from Windows — ctrl+x, ctrl+c, ctrl+v — turn into cmd+x, cmd+c, and cmd+v respectively on a Mac.

May 12,2020 • Filed to: Mac Recovery • Proven solutions

“I recently used my friend’s MacBook, and found that I couldn’t Force Quit apps with the help of keys Control + Alt + Delete on Mac. Is there any equivalent to Control + Alt + Delete keys on Mac to Force Quit frozen apps?”

Well, one of our readers faced a little problem while he tried to switch from Windows to Mac, and we are sure that most of you also had faced the same. There is no Control + Alt + Delete on Mac like windows. But Yes! There are alternatives to Control + Alt + Delete on Mac, and we will talk about the same in the article. So, stick with us till the end.

Part 1. What Is Control Alt Delete on a Mac?

If you have been using Windows for a long time, you must be aware of the shortcuts like Control + Alt + Delete, Control + Shift + Escape, Alt + Tab, etc. All these keys when pressed together in their specific formation, they create a shortcut way to perform a specific function, making it so easy to use your computer.

But, when a user switches to Mac, he really misses those shortcut ways to perform various functions. Just to let you know, Mac also has all the shortcuts to perform the tasks similar to what you used to perform on Windows. The MacOS is different from Windows, and that’s why the shortcut keys are different. One of the very popular shortcut keys combinations on Windows is “Control + Alt + Delete”, which is used to open the Task Manager and force quit apps. The New user on Mac really suffers from doing that as they don’t know the correct keys combination. The “Control + Alt+ Delete” equals to “Command + Option + Escape” on the Mac.

Part 2. When Should You Use Control Alt Delete on Mac?

Now, as you already know what is the Control + Alt + Delete on Mac. It’s probably the time to find out when should you use the equivalent of Control + Alt + Delete keys on Mac.

• When you are using an App and it suddenly freezes, the equivalent of Control Alt Delete can be an option to force quit that app on your Mac.


• Sometimes an app on your Mac starts misbehaving, it starts getting into the way of your other tasks and also denies quitting normally. So, the best way to force quit it is the Control Alt Delete on Mac.


• If an App on your Mac is freezing, the probability is high that your Mac’s screen will freeze too, and won’t let you perform any function through screen or mouse. So, this shortcut key is the best way.

Part 3. How to Control Alt Delete on Mac?

There is no Control + Alt + Delete on Mac, so, who is there to help you out when an app misbehaves? Are there any other shortcuts to Force Stop apps on Mac? Well, the answer is multiple yeses, because there are plenty of alternatives to Control + Alt + Delete on Mac. On Mac, you can force quit an app through the keyboard shortcuts, Dock, Apple Menu, etc.

Below are the 5 equivalents of Control + Alt + Delete on Mac:

1. Try the Shortcut Key Command + Option + Escape

Command + Option + Escape is exactly the Control + Alt + Delete of the Mac. It performs the same task, as soon as you press all these keys together, it takes you to the Force Quit window on Mac similar to Windows.

Step 1 While you are working on your Mac and any app starts freezing or misbehaving, just press the shortcut Command keys simultaneously, press “Command + Option + Escape”. Pressing these keys will transport you to the Force Quit Window.

Step 2 Once you get into the Force Quit window, you will see that there is a list of all the apps that are currently running on your Mac in the foreground as well as in the background. The frozen app will have “Not Responding” mention against it. Simply select that app, and click the “Force Quit” button laying at the bottom corner of the window.

2. Try Instant Kill with Command + Option + Shift + Escape

Command + Option + Shift + Escape is another great equivalent of Control + Alt + Delete on Mac. It’s a great combination of keys to directly kill the frozen app without taking you to any window or any step by step procedure.

Step 1 When you see an App freezing while you are working on it, just stop working and leave the app in the foreground without minimizing it.

Step 2 Now, use the keyboard keys “Command + Option + Shift + Escape “, press all these keys together for more than 2 seconds, or until you see the app in the foreground getting force closed.

3. Try to Use the Dock on Mac

The dock is a user-friendly feature on your Mac, it keeps the app in front of you on your Mac’s desktop for easy access. But, do you know that Dock can also serve as an alternative to Control + Alt + Delete on Mac. Yes, it’s certainly a great and easy way to Force Quit any misbehaving app.

Step 1 If you are on the desktop of your Mac, you will see the Dock having the icon of all the running apps on your Mac, including the one that’s frozen and you want to force quit. Now, reach out to that app icon.

Step 2 Now, hold the “Option” key and “Right Click” on that app icon. It will bring a few options in front of you regarding that app. You will see a “Force Quit” option, click on it, it will close the app instantly.

4. Access the Force Quit Window from the Apple Menu

You already know the plenty of things that you can do with the help of Apple Menu on your Mac, but you probably don’t know that Apple Menu can also provide you with an alternative to Control + Alt + Delete on Mac. Yes, you can access the Force Quit window through the Apple menu and force quit an app.

Step 1 While on the Desktop, click on the Apple icon on top of your screen to access the Apple Menu. You will see a drop-down menu appearing.

Step 2 You will see a “Force Quit” option in that drop-down menu, clicking on that Force Quit option will take you to another window having a list of all your currently running apps on Mac. The list will have all the running apps including the one that’s frozen, it will have “Not Responding” written in front of it.

Step 3 Now, to force quit that not responding app, simply select it, and click on the “Force Quit” button at the bottom of the window.

5. Open the Activity Monitor

Now, here is the actual feature of Mac that is made to keep a track of all the app’s activities on Mac and to Force Quit any misbehaving app. Activity Monitor is for Mac what the Task Manager is for Windows. You can easily see how many tolls an app is taking on your Mac, and force quit any misbehaving app.

Step 1 When on the home screen, search for “Activity Monitor” with the help of Spotlight, Spotlight is a magnifying glass icon at the top corner of your home screen.

Step 2 You will see various search results, look for Activity Monitor app among them, it should be one with the app's icon. Click on the app to enter. You will be directed to a new window named “Activity Monitor (My Processes)”. This window will have a list of all of your fully or partially running apps in the foreground as well as background.

Step 3 Now, to forcefully close the frozen app, simply select the app from that list, and then click on the “Quit Process” button in the top corner of the window, the button might look like an “X”, look for it and click on it with the app selected.

Part 4. How to Perform Control + Alt + Delete on Mac without Losing data?

Whenever you do Force quit your app via alternatives of Control + Alt + Delete on Mac, the possibilities of losing data from your Mac increase by a very good percentage. The main reason being the unsaved files under the apps while you killed them in between the operation. You’ll lose your important files and data, and it can be a trouble for you until you know how to recover the files on Mac. We’ll tell you a powerful app that you can try to recover your files lost due to force quit of apps.

You can try Recoverit (IS) tool for Mac. It can easily recover your files lost on Mac due to the force quitting of misbehaving apps. The recovery tool is powerful and supports the recovery of a large variety of files types, and it’s very easy to use as well. iSkysoft for Mac is the best recovery tool for Mac, and that reflects very well through its features.

Recoverit (IS) for Mac

Some Really Useful Features:

• The tool comes packed with various types of Recovery modes to fulfil your recovery needs. You can select among multiple types of recovery modes.
• You can recover more than 1000 files formats with the help of iSkysoft.
• iSkysoft can recover all kinds of data for you i.e. Audio Files, Videos, Images, Documents, ZIP, etc.
• You can recover data from all kinds of Operating Systems as well as different kinds of storage devices.
• The tool carries the highest recovery rate, and that comes from the 2 different scanning modes to provide you with a powerful scan.

How to Recover Data?

Step 1 As soon the app will launch you will notice the first window having various Recovery Modes listed, modes like All Around Recovery, Lost Partitions Recovery, Deleted Files Recovery, Recycle Bin Recovery, and few more. All these are Recovery modes to help you with recovery, you can choose any recovery mode that suits your recovery need.

Step 2 Once you have chosen the Recovery Mode, it’s time to now select the storage drive to perform recovery on. The second window will contain all your Mac’s partitions, Disks, and also if any external device is connected. Simply choose the disk you want to recover data from, and click “Scan”. Clicking the Scan button will initiate the scanning of the drive as per the chosen Recovery Mode. The program will take a few minutes to scan for every possible lost file.

Step 3 Once done, you’ll see a preview of all the lost files that can be recovered. Navigate through the files, or look through the previews, to find the files that you want to recover. As soon as you find the files, select all those files, and click the “Recover” button at the bottom of the window. Then select the storage location on your Mac through the browse window, and click “OK” to restore files on your Mac.

There are equivalents to Control + Alt + Delete on Mac, and now you all know that very well. Now, if any apps start misbehaving, you can simply force quit it with the help of any of the above-mentioned method. No need to regret the absence of the shortcut command keys Control + Alt + Delete on Mac. And in case, if you lose your data during the force quit process, you can try Recoverit (IS) Tool for Mac to help you to recover all of your data.

Force quit is a fail-safe mechanism on devices to close unresponsive apps. The infamous Ctrl+Alt+Delete command for Windows is well renowned. Mac devices lack such a recognized shortcut for their failsafe. Many of you might be wondering how you will now stop the annoying app that won’t respond. Mac devices offer you multiple ways to quickly force quit. There are specific keyboard shortcuts for Mac users.

It works only on the macOS and can be utilized to stop and remove the problem causing software. It will ensure the safety of your device’s health. We will learn how to force quit on Mac using different ways.

• Visit –https://www.apple.com/mac/.

Try Quitting the Application:

It is always a good idea to try the primary method. The program might be unresponsive, but it can still quite frequently. Users can press the cross button on the Mac app to close it. It is the most basic method to end a Mac application process. If this doesn’t work, you can try the keyboard shortcut. Press Command + Q together to manually quit the application. In most cases, this will solve your problem. In case the app doesn’t stop, then you can move on to the force quit options.

Force Quit on Mac – Different Ways

Force quit on Mac is quite a convenient way to end a process. It is recommended only when there is no viable solution. There are multiple methods to force quit on a Mac. Unlike Microsoft Windows devices, users can have backups to their fail safe on a Mac. Here are the different ways to force stop on Mac.

Keyboard Shortcuts method

The Mac alternative to Ctrl+Alt+Delete does exist. The keyboard shortcut will make it easy to stop your Mac applications. It is an effective method to remove any lagging or buggy software. Follow the guide to force quit using this method.

• The keyboard shortcut for this is Option+Command+Esc. Use this shortcut when you are stuck on your Macbook. It is the same as using the Windows alternative.
• It will bring about the force quit application window. Here you will find the list of apps that are running on your Mac device. It is somewhat similar to the Windows task manager in terms of force quit. It doesn’t provide extra app-based information except for the names.
  
• Select the application that is giving you problems. Find the app which is causing errors and then click on the force quit button. It will kill the application process, and your device will go back to working smoothly.

Apple Menu Method

It is an excellent alternative if you want to avoid using the keyboard shortcut. It works similarly and has almost the same process. The force quit using the Apple menu method is quite conventional. The technique works flawlessly if your cursor is moving. It is the easiest way to close an application. Follow the guide to force quit the hanged application. Here are the steps –

• Click on the Apple logo on the top left corner of your screen. It will open up the Apple menu of your device.
• Here you can find the option to force quit the running applications. Select the window, which is not working correctly.
  
• The list of applications that are running will be available. Find the lagging software from the force quit window.
• Select the application and click on the force quit button to end the process. It will help to save precious computer resources on your device.

Macbook Air Control Alt Delete Equivalent

Activity Monitor Method:

Macbook Pro Control Alt Delete

The activity monitor is a direct counterpart to the Windows task manager. It has all the details about the application usage on your Mac device. Very few people know about the keyboard shortcut, which is the direct alternative to Ctrl+Alt+Del. Here are the steps to force quit an app using the activity monitor –

• Press the Command+Space button to bring out the spotlight search bar. You can also click on the search button manually on the top of your screen.
  
• Type activity monitor in the search options to run the Mac task manager. The search results will be instantaneous. Click on the application to check the resource use of your macOS device.
  
• Select the application, which is slowing your Mac down. You can click on it to bring the quit options.
• Click on the force quit application button to end the process. It will clear the application from your memory and reduce the CPU load.
  

Force quit on Mac is not working:

When force quit is also not working, then you would need to force a restart on your device. It can be a little unsafe to force a reboot on any device. The hard disk health can be affected because of this. We recommend this method only if all else fails.

The keyboard shortcut to forcefully restart your MacOS device is the Control+Command+Power button. Press and hold these buttons until you can see the Apple logo pop up again. It will be hard to reboot your macOS device.

Apple Ctrl Alt Delete

If you can’t seem to force a restart, your next best option is to force shutdown. The process to force shut down any Mac device is quite simple. Press and hold on the power button till the screen of your device goes off. It can be found on the top right corner of your Macbooks. Use this method only if nothing seems to work. Users will lose all of their work progress because of this method.

Why do you need to force quit on Mac?

Saying that an unresponsive application is a reason to force quit will be a first-hand account. Instead, it is the underlying issue that causes it. An application can be unresponsive when your Mac is not able to distribute memory efficiently. It can happen because of an aging computer or a corrupt operating system. Mac devices are reliable in their features. Old generation Mac devices come with fewer GB of RAM storage. It can be a reason why your apps are freezing. The laptop should be capable of managing resources. The reinstallation of the operating system can often resolve the underlying memory issues. In other cases, you might be required to use less memory-intensive applications. Sometimes it is recommended to avoid multitasking. Hard drive issues can also lead to freezing apps. It is especially true for aging Macbooks.

Conclusion:

Macbook Pro Control Alt Delete Windows

Mac devices are well renowned all over the world. They are known for their smooth functionality. It is rare to find Mac devices that have freezing applications. In case you are facing a buggy app, our guide will help you out. The primary motivation behind this article is to provide you with all information regarding force quit. Force quit is a part of any normal computing fail-safe. It will help you close unresponsive applications and resume your work. There are multiple methods to force quit on Mac. Follow our guide to get the best results on your device.