HOW-TO: Manually stop a stuck application or process on Windows

If an application is stuck and you need to kill its process manually on a Windows system, you can do this using either the Task Manager or the Command Prompt. Here are the steps for both methods:

Using Task Manager

1. Open Task Manager:
   • Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
   • Alternatively, you can press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and select “Task Manager”.
2. Find the Stuck Application:
   • In the Task Manager window, go to the “Processes” tab.
   • Look for the application that is not responding.
3. End the Task:
   • Select the application.
   • Click the “End Task” button at the bottom right corner of the Task Manager window.

Using Command Prompt

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator:
   • Press the Windows key, type cmd, right-click on “Command Prompt”, and select “Run as administrator”.
2. List Running Processes:
   • In the Command Prompt window, type tasklist and press Enter.
   • This will display a list of all running processes along with their Process IDs (PIDs).
3. Find the Process ID (PID):
   • Look through the list for the process name that corresponds to the stuck application.
   • Note the PID for the process.
4. Kill the Process:
   • Type taskkill /PID <PID> /F and press Enter.
   • Replace <PID> with the actual PID of the stuck application.
   • The /F flag forces the process to terminate.

Example

Suppose you want to kill a stuck application named “notepad.exe”:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. List running processes:
   Copy code

   tasklist

3. Find the PID for “notepad.exe” (let’s say it’s 1234).
4. Kill the process:

   r

   Copy code

   taskkill /PID 1234 /F


This should forcefully terminate the stuck application.

Additional Tips

• Be cautious when using taskkill, as terminating system processes can lead to system instability.
• If you’re unsure which process to kill, consult with a system administrator or seek further assistance.