Ubuntu Force Kill App

We all have the frustrating moments when an app isn’t responding, and you have to force it to close.
Most of the time the app can typically be found in the System Monitor:

System > Administration > System Monitor

At this point we can navigate to the Processes tab, find the annoying app in the list and select it. After selecting the app, you can force it close by clicking the End Process button.

What makes this even more frustrating is when you can’t find the app in the System Monitor.

This can typically happen when the process has a generic name, or just isn’t there. One of my common occurrences of this is when I’m running CITRIX, not that I’m blaming them… I take it for what its worth when I try to run a Microsoft app on linux.

Instead of flipping off the monitor or shouting those lovely four letter words, lets take control of the situation and bring this app to its end.

  1. Press Alt+F2 on your keyboard
  2. The Run Application dialog window opens, and you enter xkill in input box.
  3. Move the mouse cursor to the insulting app and left click it

Although the above directions are based on Ubuntu Lucid, they should work with little to no variation on other versions.

~ by ityndall on November 11, 2010.

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