Quitting all apps on your Mac is a simple way to clear distractions, free up memory, and keep your system running smoothly.
It’s especially helpful before a presentation, an online meeting, starting a new project, or ending your workday. It’s also useful when recording, streaming, or sharing your screen. Closing everything helps you focus, reset, and prepare your Mac for what’s next. It’s like a digital deep breath.
But macOS doesn’t include a built-in way to quit all apps at once. You can close them one by one, but that quickly becomes a chore if you have a lot open.
Below you’ll find four simple ways to quit all apps on your Mac. Some use built-in shortcuts, others rely on a lightweight app. Each method is easy to follow, with pros, cons, and screenshots included.
1. Quit All Apps With One Click
The easiest method is using a tiny menu bar utility called Quit All Apps. Once installed, it adds a single icon to your menu bar. Clicking it will quit all open apps in one go.
It will also prompt you to save any unsaved work before quitting, so it’s safe to use even with open documents.
Click the power icon in the menu bar to instantly quit all apps.
Pros:
👍 One-click solution
👍 Asks before quitting unsaved changes
👍 Easy to install
Cons:
👎 Requires app installation (from Mac App Store)
2. Quit All Apps With a Keyboard Shortcut
If you prefer speed, the app Quit All Apps also supports a global keyboard shortcut: Control + Option + Command + Q (⌃ ⌥ ⌘ Q).
Pressing that combo will immediately quit all running apps. Like the menu icon, it will check for unsaved work and ask you to save it.
Press Control + Option + Command + Q to quit all apps using the keyboard.
Pros:
👍 Lightning fast
👍 No need for custom automation workflows
👍 Can be disabled if it conflicts with other shortcuts
Cons:
👎 Requires app installation (from Mac App Store)
3. Manually Quit Apps Using Command + Tab and Command + Q
If you don’t want to install anything, you can quit each app manually using this built-in method. Even though it doesn’t provide bulk quitting, it’s still pretty fast and completely safe.
Step 1: Start by holding Command and press Tab once to open the app switcher.
Press Command + Tab to show all open apps.
Step 2: While still holding Command, tap Tab to cycle through the open apps. When the app you want to quit is selected, press Q (while still holding Command). Repeat this for each app you want to close.
While holding Command, press Q to quit the selected app.
Pros:
👍 No apps or customizations needed
👍 Lets you skip apps you want to keep open
Cons:
👎 Slower than one-click or shortcut options
👎 Doesn’t close Finder windows (use Command + W for that)
4. Force Quit All Apps
If your Mac is lagging or apps have frozen, you can force quit several at once to quickly regain control. Just be aware that force quitting doesn’t give apps a chance to save, so any unsaved changes will likely be lost.
Step 1: Click the Apple menu and choose Force Quit... (or use the keyboard shortcut Command + Option + Esc).
Click the Apple menu and select “Force Quit…” to open the list of running apps.
Step 2: In the Force Quit window, press Command + A to select all running apps , then click Force Quit.
Press Command + A and click “Force Quit” to force all apps to quit. Make sure to save everything first.
Pros:
👍 No apps or scripts needed
👍 Let’s you bulk quit all apps
👍 Even quits frozen apps
Cons:
👎 Unsaved changes will be lost
👎 Requires multiple steps
That’s all for today!
While macOS doesn’t make it easy to quit all apps at once, you now have four solid options, from the built-in force quit to a slick one-click utility. For most users, installing Quit All Apps offers the cleanest and fastest experience, but all methods above will get the job done.
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