Fastest Way To Close All Programs and Windows Using Alt + F4 Keys

UPDATE in May 2019: There is a much better way to close all running programs quickly and easily. On Windows 10/11, open the Alt + Tab screen, use arrow keys or tab keys to select/focus the program that you would like to close, and then hit the Delete key.  Don’t release the Alt key to continue using the Alt + Tab screen. Refer to our 2 ways to close programs from Alt + Tab screen guide for step-by-step directions.

What’s the fastest way to close running apps and open windows in Windows? Moving the mouse over the caption buttons and clicking on the Close button is the traditional way of closing running programs and File Explorer windows in the Windows operating system.

Users who are a little more familiar with Windows and keyboard shortcuts prefer using the Alt + F4 hotkey to close apps and windows.

If you’re like most Windows users, you probably have tens of programs and windows running on the taskbar, and manually close these programs and windows before shutting down your PC. While enabling hibernation mode and using the same instead of shutting down can save a considerable amount of time and irritation every day, not all users use this handy feature for reasons best known to them.

Users who always shut down their PCs might want to know the fastest way to close all running apps and programs so that they can quickly close all programs and shut down Windows.

As you likely know, there are a couple of free utilities out there to help you close all running programs at once with a click or two, but the truth is you can quickly close all running programs and windows without the help of third-party utilities.

Not all users know the power of Alt + F4 hotkey. One can use this hotkey to quickly close all running programs and windows. While this hotkey can’t be used to close all programs at once, you can certainly close programs and windows in a few seconds for sure. Note that this method works great on Windows 7, Windows 10, and Windows 11 versions. I haven’t tried this on Windows XP but should work fine on that as well.

Closing all programs and windows using the Alt + F4 shortcut

Follow the given below instructions to quickly close all running programs and windows.

Step 1: Simply press the Alt + Tab key once if all programs and windows are in the minimized state.

Step 2: Next, start pressing Alt + F4 hotkey to start running apps and windows until you see the Shut Down Windows dialog.

Step 3: If all programs and windows have been closed, you can press the Enter key when you see the Shut Down dialog to commence shutting down Windows.

Step 4: If the Shut Down dialog appears even before closing all open windows and programs, simply press the Alt + Tab key once to select an open window or program and then start pressing Alt + F4 hotkey again to kill the remaining programs and windows.

Once all windows and programs are closed, you’ll see the Shut Down Windows dialog. Simply press the Enter key to shut down your PC. Hope this tip helps you quickly close all windows and programs. Good luck!