How to quickly close all running applications

Having a lot of programs running on your PC at the same time can cause problems. Not only can it suck up your system’s resources, causing massive slowdown, but it also means you have to go through the rigmarole of waiting for lots of windows to close down before powering off your system. Don’t worry though because there are a couple of quick solutions for closing all running applications in Windows.

The first and most obvious option involves using the Windows Task Manager, which you can access by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete. You simply need to click the ‘Applications’ tab, click on the first icon in the list of application then hold down Shift and drag the mouse to select all the apps. Click the ‘End now’ button to shut them all down.

An even quicker way of closing all your running apps though, is to install Close All Windows. This simple app uses no system resources because it just sends a signal to close all running programs then shuts itself down instantly. You can map a hotkey to the program, or better still add a shortcut to Close All Windows in the QuickLaunch bar. One tap of the icon and all your running apps will instantly shut down.