These Methods Allow You to Forcefully Close Frozen Applications in Windows.
My computer is nine years old, and even though I’ve upgraded the SSD and RAM, it still freezes occasionally. This mostly happens when I leave Age of Empires 2 running while I do chores. As soon as I return to the computer, the game sometimes stops responding, and the only solution is to hold the power button to force a shutdown. This is bad for the computer, and ideally, you should try other options first. So I searched for a solution to force-quit frozen applications, and this Reddit thread gave me some good ideas. Here’s what worked for me:
Make sure the task manager is always on top.
When you try to launch Task Manager, it may freeze behind an application running in full-screen mode. To avoid this, you can force it to always be on top of all other applications on your computer. You can open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl-Shift-Esc or by finding the app in the Start menu. After launching Task Manager, click “Settings” in the left pane and, under “Window Management,” enable the “Always on Top ” option.
Create a new desktop
If a full-screen app is frozen in Windows 11, you can use the keyboard shortcut Win+Ctrl+D to create a new desktop on your PC. This will force Windows to switch to the newly created desktop and allow you to access the Task Manager or other necessary applications. After you’ve used this tip to resolve the frozen app issue, you can press Win+Ctrl+F4 to close the new desktop. To switch between different desktops in Windows, press Win+Ctrl+→ or Win+Ctrl+← .
Use the power button to enter sleep mode.
Normally, pressing the power button shuts down the computer. Most manufacturers recommend holding the power button to force a shutdown, but this should only be used in emergencies. It’s equivalent to pulling the power cord to turn off the computer, and you risk losing data. If an application freezes, you can configure the power button to put the computer to sleep. The advantage is that waking the computer opens the lock screen, which you can use to access the Task Manager.
To set this up, open the Start menu and search for ” Control Panel .” Open “Control Panel,” and in the upper-right corner of the window, click the drop-down menu next to “View by.” Select “Large icons ” or “Small icons .” This will display all Control Panel features, including “Power Options .” In the left pane, select “Choose what the power buttons do .” Now, click the drop-down menu next to “When I press the power button” and select “Sleep .” Now you can press the power button on your computer, and it will go to sleep.
Use a convenient keyboard shortcut.
Microsoft has added a hidden keyboard shortcut to Windows that can be used when a black screen appears . Your computer may not be frozen, but an application may be stuck, or there may be a display driver issue causing the black screen. In these cases, use the keyboard shortcut Win+Ctrl+Shift+B : this will restore the desktop and prevent a forced restart of your computer.