If you’re like most people, you probably use apps on your Windows 10 computer. But there are a few things you can do to stop using an app and start using a more traditional desktop application.

  1. Disable the app’s background process: This is the process that runs when the app is not in use and does not need to be started by the user. To disable this process, open the task manager and click on the arrow next to the app’s name. Then select “Disable background processes.”
  2. Disable Aero: Aero is a feature of Windows 10 that makes apps look better when they are displayed in high-resolution mode. To disable Aero, open Settings and select “Desktop & System.” Under “Desktop,” select “No” for “Aero.” Under “System,” select “Yes” for “Aero.”
  3. Disable notifications: Notifications are small icons that show up in your notification area (the top left corner of your screen) whenever something important has happened or is about to happen with an app. To disable notifications, open Settings and select “Notification Center.” Under “Notification Center,” select “Never show notifications again.”

It’s not uncommon for an application to stop responding on Windows 10. When it happens, you can force the app to shut down, effectively unfreezing said application. Here’s how to force quit an app on Windows 10.

Try a Keyboard Shortcut

It’s frustrating when an app you’re using suddenly freezes. We’ve all done it—exasperatingly clicking the “X” button at least 20 times to close the frozen program. There’s a better way.

With the frozen application in focus, press Alt+F4 on your keyboard to close it. If the Windows desktop is in focus instead, you’ll see a “Shut Down Windows” prompt instead.

This won’t always work—some frozen applications just won’t respond.

Force Quit Using Task Manager

As the name implies, Task Manager is a tool that shows which apps are currently running (as well as other information like resource usage and process stats) and allows you to manage them appropriately.

To open Task Manager, you can press Ctrl+Shift+Esc on your keyboard or right-click the Windows task bar and select “Task Manager” from the menu.

With Task Manager open, select the task you want to force quit, and then select “End Task.”

If you don’t see the name of the app in the list here, click “More Details” and find it in the list on the Processes tab.

The frozen program will now close.

RELATED: Windows Task Manager: The Complete Guide

Force Quit an App Using Command Prompt

You can find and force quit tasks from the Command Prompt. Open Command Prompt by typing “cmd” in the Windows search bar, and then selecting the “Command Prompt” app from the search results.

In Command Prompt, type tasklist and press “Enter.” Once executed, Command Prompt will display a list of currently running programs, services, and tasks.

The list can admittedly be a bit overwhelming, so just remember to append .exe to the end of the program name. Once you’re ready to force quit the program, execute this command:

So, if I wanted to force quit Notepad, I’d run this command:

A success message will be returned, letting you know you’ve successfully force quit the problematic application.

Of course, you can always reboot or shut down your PC to close an app that’s really stuck.

RELATED: 10 Ways to Open the Command Prompt in Windows 10