A frozen Mac leaves you staring at an app that won't close or a screen that ignores every click. The power button lets you shut it down and start it again, while the options below handle freezes where part of the system still responds. Here, “force reset” means restarting your Mac, not erasing it.
Force restart with the power button
Use this method when your Mac won't restart normally. It works on Apple silicon and Intel Macs, but a forced shutdown puts unsaved work at risk.
Hold your Mac's physical power button for up to 10 seconds, until it turns off. On a Mac laptop with Touch ID, use the built-in Touch ID button.
Release the button once the Mac is off.
Press and release the power button again to turn your Mac on.
Try the keyboard shortcut without Touch ID
On a built-in keyboard without Touch ID, press Control–Command–Power together to force a restart. The Mac restarts without asking you to save documents, putting unsaved changes at risk.
Apple limits this shortcut to built-in keyboards without Touch ID. Don't substitute a Touch ID button, including the one on an external Magic Keyboard.
If the shortcut fails, use the physical power-button procedure above to shut down your Mac and turn it back on.
Restart normally when menus still respond
If the menus still work, choose Apple menu > Restart before forcing a shutdown. This performs an ordinary restart.
Deselect Reopen windows when logging back in if you don't want your windows to reopen after you sign in.
For a shutdown instead, choose Apple menu > Shut Down.
Once shutdown finishes, press the power button to turn your Mac back on.
Close a frozen app first
If only one app is stuck, force quit it first, keeping in mind that unsaved work in that app is at risk.
Press Option–Command–Esc to open the Force Quit window.
Select the unresponsive app.
Click Force Quit.
If you still need to restart, choose Apple menu > Restart.
Relaunch Finder when it gets stuck
For a Finder-only freeze, the unresponsive component is Finder itself.
Press Option–Command–Esc to open the Force Quit window.
Select Finder.
Click Relaunch. This restarts Finder only, without restarting the entire Mac.
Stop a stuck process in Activity Monitor
If Activity Monitor still opens, use it to stop an unresponsive app or process; force quitting puts unsaved work at risk.
- 1.Open Activity Monitor.
- 2.Under Process Name, select the app or process to stop. Unresponsive processes show (Not Responding).
- 3.Click the Stop button.
- 4.Choose Force Quit. For a process owned by another user, enter administrator credentials if prompted.
- 5.If a restart is still needed, choose Apple menu > Restart. If the Mac no longer responds, use the physical power-button procedure above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skip the restart confirmation dialog?
Yes. Hold Option while choosing Apple menu > Restart. This bypasses the confirmation dialog. It remains an ordinary restart and requires a responding interface.
Can I force quit an app from the Dock?
Yes, when the Dock responds. Control-click the unresponsive app's Dock icon, then choose Force Quit.
Should I reset SMC or NVRAM to restart a frozen Mac?
SMC and NVRAM resets are separate troubleshooting procedures, not force-restart methods. Manual SMC procedures apply to relevant Intel hardware; Apple silicon resets SMC automatically. The NVRAM reset key sequence does not apply to Apple silicon.
Can Terminal restart a completely frozen Mac?
No. A Terminal restart requires a working shell and operating system. On a responding system, an account with permission to use sudo can run sudo shutdown -r now in Terminal. It cannot overcome a complete system lockup.