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These instructions apply to both traditional desktop programs and the full-screen apps introduced with Windows 8, but their close controls differ: desktop programs use the familiar window controls, while full-screen apps may have no visible X until you move the pointer to the top edge.
Close the app you are using
Use the keyboard
Click the app, or switch to it, so it is active. Press Alt+F4. Microsoft describes the shortcut as: “Alt + F4 | Close the active item, or exit the active app.” See Microsoft’s Windows keyboard shortcuts.
Alt+F4 closes the active item. In a desktop program, that may mean closing a window or document; in a Windows 8 full-screen app, it exits the active app.
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Use the X on a desktop program
For an ordinary windowed desktop program, click the X in the window’s upper-right corner. This is the standard window close control; you do not need the full-screen app gesture.
Close a full-screen app with a mouse
Windows 8
- Move the pointer to the top edge of the screen until the app’s title bar appears.
- Click the X if a close button is shown. Otherwise, press and hold at the top edge, then drag the app all the way to the bottom of the screen.
- Release only after the app has moved off the screen.
A partial drag may reveal the app bar or change focus without closing the app. Continue the drag to the bottom edge.
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On mouse-driven systems, Windows 8.1 Update added an X (Close) button in the upper-right corner of apps. Click it to close the app like a normal window. If that button is not present or the app does not respond, use the top-to-bottom drag or keyboard method.
Close a full-screen app on a touchscreen
- Touch the app’s top edge and press and hold.
- Drag down continuously toward the bottom edge.
- Keep dragging until the app leaves the screen, then lift your finger.
Dragging only partway is not enough: continue to the bottom to complete the close gesture.
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Close an app that is not currently visible
Open the app switcher from the left edge of the screen, find the app’s thumbnail, then drag that thumbnail to the bottom. This is useful when you have switched to another app and cannot see the one you want to close. You can also press Windows logo key+Tab to cycle through Windows 8 apps, then close the active app with Alt+F4.
Switching between apps is not the same as closing them. Likewise, minimizing a desktop window hides it but does not exit the program.
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Force-close an app that will not respond
Use Task Manager only when the normal close methods fail, such as when an app is frozen. Ending an app in Task Manager stops it rather than closing it through its usual controls.
- Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
- Choose Task Manager.
- Select the unresponsive app and choose the option to end it.
Check the app name before ending it so you do not stop a different program. Task Manager is the fallback for a misbehaving app, not the first choice when its normal close button or shortcut works.
Quick Recap
Which method should you use?
| Method | Input | App state | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alt+F4 | Keyboard | App is active | Closes the active item or exits the active app |
| Click X or drag from top to bottom | Mouse | Full-screen app is visible | Closes the app |
| Drag from top to bottom | Touch | Full-screen app is visible | Closes the app |
| Drag app thumbnail to bottom | Mouse or touch | App appears in the app switcher | Closes the app |
| End the app in Task Manager | Keyboard and on-screen controls | App is frozen or will not close normally | Stops the unresponsive app |
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