Open Activity Monitor via Finder under Applications > Utilities to view running processes and system performance. 2. Use Command (?) Spacebar, type "Activity Monitor", then press Enter for the fastest access. 3. Press Command (?) Option Esc to quickly force quit a frozen app by selecting it and clicking Force Quit. 4. Once open, sort processes by CPU, memory, or other metrics, and safely end unresponsive apps by clicking the X button and confirming—only terminate tasks you recognize. Adding Activity Monitor to the Dock ensures quicker access in the future, making it the Mac equivalent of Windows Task Manager for managing system performance and unresponsive applications effectively.

Unlike Windows, Mac doesn’t have a "Task Manager," but it has a built-in tool called Activity Monitor that serves the same purpose—letting you see running processes, check system performance, and force quit unresponsive apps.

Here’s how to open and use it:

1. Open Activity Monitor from Applications

The most straightforward way is to manually open Activity Monitor:

• Click the Finder icon in the Dock.
• In the menu bar, click Go > Applications.
• Open the Utilities folder.
• Double-click Activity Monitor.

It will show you all running processes, CPU, memory, energy, disk, and network usage.

2. Use Spotlight Search (Fastest Method)

This is the quickest way—similar to pressing Ctrl Shift Esc on Windows:

• Press Command (?) Spacebar to open Spotlight.
• Type "Activity Monitor".
• Press Enter to launch it.

3. Force Quit an App from the Apple Menu (Quick Fix)

If an app is frozen and you just want to close it fast:

• Press Command (?) Option Esc.
• Select the unresponsive app.
• Click Force Quit.

This is like using Task Manager to end a task quickly.

4. View System Info in Activity Monitor

Once Activity Monitor is open, you can:

• See which apps are using the most CPU or Memory.
• Sort processes by clicking column headers (e.g., % CPU).
• Quit a process by selecting it and clicking the X button in the top-left.
  • Click Force Quit in the confirmation window.

?? Be careful when quitting system processes—only end tasks you recognize or that are clearly misbehaving.

You can also add Activity Monitor to your Dock or menu bar for quicker access later. Just right-click its icon in the Dock and choose Options > Keep in Dock.

Basically, Activity Monitor is your Mac’s version of Task Manager—knowing how to open it helps you manage performance and fix frozen apps fast.

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