| Written by: | ThomasB2k |
Score: 60 votes: 66 Format: Article |
Force Quit Keyboard Shortcut
When you’re using Linux with the GNOME UI, don’t you hate it when you have to go into the terminal or add the force quit button to the panel just so you can exit an unresponsive program? In this very quick tutorial, I’m going to show you how you can assign the force quit command to a key, so when a program stops working, you can close it with the press of a button and a click of the mouse.
First, open up your GNOME menu and go to System > Preferences> Keyboard Shortcuts.
Second, click “Add” and a window should come up with 2 text boxes, labeled “Name” and “Command.” In Name, type “Force Quit” and in the Command box, type “xkill” and press Apply.
Scroll down to Custom Shortcuts in the Keyboard Shortcuts window and you’ll see Force Quit on the left side and Disabled on the right side. Click on Disabled once, and press a combination of keys on your keyboard. I used the Super (Windows logo) key and Escape, but you can use whatever you want, just as long as it doesn’t conflict any of your other shortcuts. Now Disabled will be changed to whatever keys you pressed.
Close out of the Keyboard Shortcuts window and you’re done! When ever you press your key combination, your cursor will change to crosshairs, or a skull and bones, or at least something different than just the arrow. Whatever window you click on will be forced to close, killing all of it’s processes.
If you find yourself to have accidentally pressed your force quit keys, then just right click and it’ll close out of the force quit mode.
Tags: GNOME 2
Created: 3 years ago.
Last edited: 1 year ago.
Read 11138 times.
| Comments | |||
| 8 months ago |
robertgaul03 |
i have lisa but the force quit button doesn`t work. also if i press ALT+F2, not working. why? | |
| 11 months ago |
jkotesh |
@ThomasB2k Thank you | |
| 1 year ago |
ThomasB2k |
@jkotesh, right click. | |
| 1 year ago |
jkotesh |
how to cancel the command once the combination is pressed, as this one is really useful but at times it annoys when entered the combinattion and there is nothing that i can exit,,,which irritates me, so i click on taskbar,, which comes back after restart,,, and doesn't hurt me,, |
|
| 1 year ago |
IslandWolf |
Useful tool, easy to follow directions. Well done! | |
| 1 year ago |
aspir8or |
Thanks. I had previously added hotkeys to the "Switch to workplace" options (8 workplaces) but I didn't know about xkill. Nice keyboard alternative to the "Force quit" button you can add to the panel. | |
| 1 year ago |
sdim |
Great tool. Many thanks. | |
| 1 year ago |
Labby |
Awesome! Thanks for that. | |
| 1 year ago |
blueXrider |
Nice, can be handy | |
| 1 year ago |
ivy_s |
Very good. Thanks you |
|
| 1 year ago |
sayan_acharjee |
Good one!! | |
| 2 years ago |
noztox |
thanks, alternative click right in panel -> click add to panel -> search & click "force quit" -> click add & close | |
| 2 years ago |
farmer |
A lot better than having to reboot. | |
| 2 years ago |
Tonya |
Many thanks! | |
| 2 years ago |
ianxl |
A useful tip. - Thank you! 8~) | |
| 2 years ago |
pnash1 |
very handy | |
| 2 years ago |
jerryclement |
Thanks, user from Ubuntu. | |
| 2 years ago |
itonggant |
thanks... | |
| 2 years ago |
distrohopper |
ctrl + alt + esc should also work in KDE | |
| 2 years ago |
hezy |
xkill has a default keyboard shortcut in mint xfce: ctrl + alt + esc | |
| 2 years ago |
SeventhReign |
I've been using gnome-do/Alt-F2 + xkill to do this for forever, but I like this way alot better. | |
| 2 years ago |
ddavid123 |
Back in days when I used Mandrake 9.1, I used this feature. But in the last 4-5 years, it has disappeared! Thanks for the tutorial! | |
| 2 years ago |
chamfay |
thanks | |
| 2 years ago |
TheBigGeeUK |
Nice tutorial. Thanks for that! | |
| 2 years ago |
ThomasB2k |
You cancel it by right clicking, like it says in the last line of the tutorial. | |
| 2 years ago |
DragonTrainer |
The only problem I see with this is the fact that when you press the combination, you can't cancel the command. You must to click in something to kill it; if you press ESC or the combination again, the system still asks for something to kill. That doesnt means that this is bad or useless; I've already added it to the shortcuts (in my case with Super+K) in case of emergency. |
|
| 2 years ago |
ThomasB2k |
Yes, but why even take up space on the panel with a force quit button? |
|
| 2 years ago |
hunterm |
You don't have to go into the terminal to add a force quit button to the panel. ;) Good tip. | |
| 2 years ago |
Joeasaurus |
Nice, Thanks. | |
| 2 years ago |
ThomasB2k |
I'm happy to help :) | |
| 2 years ago |
thx1138 |
Excellent. Thank you. | |
| 2 years ago |
choneycutt5000 |
I've been using Gnome for a couple of years now and it never occurred to me that I could do this. Great tip, thanks. | |
| 2 years ago |
Aurimas_St |
Because I'm new to linux - this tutorial was helpful. Thank you. | |
Other tutorials from ThomasB2k
No other tutorials.
Ideas
Tutorials
Hardware
Software
Countries
Users
Moderation
Chat room
ISO Images