For instance, if you're looking for something with more power, Process Explorer will definitely fill that need. Technically, another way to force-close programs without the Task Manager is using a Task Manager alternative. Force-Close Programs With a Task Manager Alternative It hasn't been updated since 2019, but its simplicity is still handy. The app uses the Ctrl + Alt + F4 key combo for its closing action by default. Call it anything you like, then press Finish.

The shortcut creation box will then ask you to name your new shortcut.

Otherwise, this command would close all running processes! You want it to only kill processes with a status equal to Not Responding.

Finally, the text in quotes is the command criteria.

/fi tells the command to run only on processes that meet the following filter criteria.

Without this, Windows nicely asks the process to terminate, which won't work if it's stuck.

/f tells the command to force-close the program.

taskkill is the command to kill a process, which you should do when something is frozen.

In that box, paste the following command: taskkill /f / fi 'status eq not responding' This command is simple to understand when you break it down: You'll be asked to enter a location for the shortcut.Right-click an empty space on your desktop and choose New > Shortcut.

Here's how to create a shortcut that will close frozen processes: This runs the same Command Prompt command you'd type manually, but executes it without you having to open and type it yourself. Instead, you can force-close app windows much easier with a shortcut that automatically closes any frozen apps. However, it's clumsy to open the command line window every time a program stops responding, and typing the command every time you want to kill an app isn't efficient. Typically, you would enter this command at the Command Prompt to kill a specific process. To force close a program without the Task Manager, you can use the taskkill command. How to Force Close Apps Using a Desktop Shortcut

Close open window