How to Use Taskkill to Close a Frozen App

(Command Prompt)

MORPC Staff Quick Guide (Windows)

If an application is frozen and will not close normally, you can use the taskkill command to end it from the Command Prompt.

Before you start

• Save your work first if possible — ending a task can cause unsaved work to be lost.
• Use taskkill only when an app is not responding and you cannot close it normally.

Step-by-step: Selectively end a process

1) Open Command Prompt

Click Start, type cmd, then press Enter.

2) List running processes (find the process name)

In Command Prompt, type:

tasklist

3) End the process by name (recommended)

Use this format:

taskkill /im processname.exe

    Example: taskkill /im ms-teams.exe

4) Force close if it will not end

Add /f (force):

taskkill /f /im processname.exe

    Example: taskkill /f /im winword.exe

6) Confirm it closed

Run tasklist again and confirm the process no longer appears.

Quick reference (common apps)

• Microsoft Teams: ms-teams.exe
• Word: winword.exe
• Excel: excel.exe
• Outlook: outlook.exe
• Edge: msedge.exe
• Chrome: chrome.exe

When to contact IT

• The process immediately reopens after being closed.
• You receive “Access is denied” after running the command.
• Your computer becomes slow/unresponsive again right away.
• You are unsure which process is safe to close.