Can you use Control-Alt-Delete on a Mac? Here is the answer
Much to Microsoft’s embarrassment, the most famous Windows shortcut is the one you use when everything goes wrong: Control-Alt-Delete. But what about if you’re using a Mac? Is there a similar shortcut you can use to close unresponsive applications and log out of your computer? This is what we will cover in this guide. We’ll […]
Much to Microsoft’s embarrassment, the most famous Windows shortcut is the one you use when everything goes wrong: Control-Alt-Delete. But what about if you’re using a Mac? Is there a similar shortcut you can use to close unresponsive applications and log out of your computer?
This is what we will cover in this guide. We’ll show you all the ways you can force quit apps on a Mac, switch to another user, open Apple’s equivalent of Task Manager, and more. Whether you’ve just moved from Windows to macOS or want to learn a few more tips, our guide should be able to help you.
What does Control-Alt-Del do?
In Windows, the Control-Alt-Delete shortcut is most often associated with opening Task Manager, which is used to monitor system usage and close unresponsive applications. However, the Control-Alt-Delete shortcut actually presents you with four different options:
- Lock your PC
- Change user
- Sign out
- Open Task Manager
In macOS, there is no single shortcut to perform all of these tasks at once. There are some shortcuts you can use to bring up one or two of these features in macOS, but the features are a little more separated than in Windows. Below we will see how to access each of them in macOS.
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how to close unresponsive apps on macOS
Normally, you close an app in macOS by pressing Command-Q when it’s in the foreground, or by right-clicking its icon in the Dock and selecting To leave. However, sometimes an app crashes or won’t close when you ask it to. At times like this, you have to force him to stop.
Step 1: The good news is that macOS has a shortcut that lets you quickly close unresponsive apps. Just press Command-Option-Esc to display the Force Quit Applications menu. As the name suggests, this lets you choose from a list of open apps and then force close them by selecting the icon Force quit button.
2nd step: Perhaps the closest comparison to Windows Task Manager in macOS is launching the Activity Monitor app. Like Task Manager, this shows all your open applications and processes, as well as how much system resources each one is using. You can select an app from the list and then choose the app Stop button at the top (it looks like an X inside an octagon) to close it.
Step 3: There are other ways to close unresponsive apps. The first is to right-click (or Ctrl-click) the application icon in the Dock and hold down. Option button on your keyboard, then choose Force quit (this option is simply titled To leave if you don’t hold it Option key).
Step 4: Alternatively, you can select the apple logo in the upper left corner of your screen, choose the Force quit option, select an app from the list, and then choose Force quit.
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how to lock your Mac
The Control-Alt-Delete shortcut allows Windows users to quickly lock their PC. This keeps you logged in but requires you to enter your password (or use biometric authentication) to unlock your PC again.
Step 1: On macOS, the easiest way to lock your Mac is to select the apple logothen choose Locked screen.
2nd step: If you have a compatible Magic Keyboard, you may have a Locked screen (usually in the upper right corner), which you can tap to lock your Mac.
Step 3: Alternatively, you can do the same thing if your MacBook or Magic Keyboard has a Touch ID button: just press it to lock your Mac (pressing and holding it for a few seconds will turn off your computer).
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Step 4: There’s another way to quickly lock your Mac’s screen and get a little more useful functionality while you’re at it: Hot Corners. This macOS feature lets you move your mouse to any corner of your Mac screen to quickly perform actions like show your desktop, start a screensaver, lock your screen, and more.
Step 5: To enable Hot Corners, simply open the System Settings app and go to Desk & Dock > Hot Corners.
Step 6: Choose the context menu of a corner and choose Locked screen from the list.
Step 7: You can hold down a modifier key (like Control Or Option) so that the Hot Corner is only activated if this button is held down. When you are finished, select Do.
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how to change user or log out
The final aspect of the Windows Control-Alt-Delete shortcut concerns managing user accounts, with commands for switching users and logging out. There are no shortcuts for these in macOS, but you can still access them quite easily.
Step 1: Disconnecting is simple: just select the apple logo and choose Sign out [username].
2nd step: To switch users, lock your Mac using one of the options described above, then select another user account on the lock screen and log in (you may need to hover mouse over your user icon before the other user icons on your Mac appear).
Step 3: There is, however, a quicker way to switch users. Open the System Settings app and go to Control center in the left sidebar, then scroll down to Fast user switching section.
Step 4: Here, next to Show in menu bartake First and last name, Account nameOr Icon in the drop-down menu.
Step 5: This will place either your name or an icon in the menu bar – select it, then choose a user to access your Mac’s lock screen with the selected user’s password field already open.
Although macOS doesn’t have an all-in-one feature like the Control-Alt-Delete shortcut in Windows, accessing similar features is quite simple. Follow the steps above and you will know how to close unresponsive apps, lock your screen, and switch users on your Mac.
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