LIN UX

7 Different Ways To Kill

Unresponsive Programs in Linux
By Christian Cawley / June 23, 2017 23-06-2017 / 5 minutes

Linux soware is typically robust enough to work without causing any problems,
but from time to time, even the best apps might hang. Rather than wait for them
to crash, you can kill these unresponsive programs. In fact, there are so many ways
to kill them that you might find youre spoiled for choice!

If youre experiencing problems with an application in Linux, here are seven ways
to kill unresponsive soware.

1. Click the X in the Corner

Youve probably already tried walking away and making a hot drink. If you
returned to your PC to find that the app is still hanging, its probably had enough
time to start working again. An unresponsive app typically has grayed-out buttons,
or options that dont appear to work. You may also be unable to move the app
window around the screen.
So, what is the solution? Well, at this stage, you can try clicking the X button in the
top corner (le or right, depending on your Linux operating system). This should
stop the program dead in its tracks. You might also see a dialog box, asking you to
either Wait for the program to respond or Force Quit to end it now.

If all goes to plan, some distros will prompt you to send an error report.

Either way, the application should have stopped running. But what if it hasnt?

2. System Monitor
The next option is to open your Linux operating systems System Monitor utility,
much like the Windows Task Manager. This is typically found in the System Tools
menu, and once launched will display a list of running processes under the
Processes tab.

To close an unresponsive application here, simply select it and right-click. You

then have three options:

Stop Process this pauses the process, letting you continue it later. It wont
work in most cases.

End Process the correct way to close a process, this will safely terminate
the application, cleaning temporary files on the way.

Kill Process this is the extreme option, and should only be used if End
 Process fails.

Its best to use these in order. However, if the application is one that hangs
regularly, you might prefer to jump to the command that you know works.

3. Close Linux Apps with xkill

Another option you can employ is xkill. This is preinstalled in Ubuntu, but you can
install it via the Terminal (which you can open with CTRL + ALT + T) if necessary.
When called, xkill will enable you to close any desktop app. Install it with the
following command:

sudo apt-get install xorg-xkill

Once this is done, run xkillby simply typing

xkill

Your mouse pointer will then display a cross (or a skull), and all you need to do is
le-click on the oending application.

If its not possible to close your unresponsive app with any of these desktop-
focused methods, the solution might be the command line

4. Use the kill Command

If your app is unresponsive and the above suggestions dont work (the GUI might
be unresponsive), hit CTRL + ALT+ T to open the Terminal. (With some distros,
CTRL + ALT + F1 will open a virtual terminal you can switch back to the desktop
with CTRL + ALT + F7.)

Several command line options are available to help you to close your app. Better
still, these can be used either on your computer or by connecting over SSH from
another device.

The kill command can be used here, but first requires a process ID. You can find
this by running a command interrogating the application for its process ID:

ps aux | grep [process name]

The result will display the process ID. This can then be used as follows:

kill [process ID]

Note that you may need to append the command with sudo.

5. Use pkill and pgrep to Kill Unresponsive

Software
What if you dont know, or cannot find, the process ID? This is where the pkill
command comes in. Rather than a process ID, simply use pkill along with the
process name:

pkill [process name]

Alternatively, you can use the pgrep command to find the process ID:

pgrep [process name]

and following this, use pkill with the process ID.

pkill [process ID]

As with the kill command, this should close the process within around 5 seconds.

6. Kill All Instances with killall

No luck with kill or pkill? Its time to use the nuclear option: killall.

Fortunately, it isnt as devastating as it might be. The killall command will end all
instances of a particular program. So, rather than killing one Firefox window, the
following command will end them all:

killall firefox

All you need is the process name and the killall command (possibly with sudo if
demanded by your setup).

killall [process name]

Naturally, you should only use this command when needed. Its unsuitable for
most unresponsive program situations.

7. Create a Keyboard Shortcut

If you want to save time closing unresponsive soware perhaps you have some
regular oenders then the best option is to create a keyboard shortcut. This will
give you the immediate option to close an app, but youll need to have xkill
installed for this to work.
In Ubuntu, for example, you can open Settings > Keyboard and click on
Shortcuts. Select Custom Shortcuts, then + to create a new shortcut. Input xkill
for both Name and Command, then clickApply. This will return you to the
shortcuts list select the shortcut, then press the required keyboard combination
that you will use to call it.

Next time you need to close an app, just use the keyboard shortcut. The mouse
pointer will become an X, and you can click anywhere on the app you want to
close.

Avoid Unresponsive Software: Upgrade Your

Hardware
Are unresponsive applications regularly causing problems? You could probably
benefit from making some changes to your Linux computer.

If switching to a lightweight Linux operating system doesnt work, you might

consider some hardware upgrades. Installing additional RAM is the number one
way to give your computer more power, and might be just the thing you need to
keep those temperamental apps from becoming unresponsive in future.

So, the next time a Linux application or utility hangs and becomes unresponsive,
all you need to do is apply one of these solutions:

1 Click the X in the corner.

2 Use the System Monitor.
3 Use the xkill app.
4 Employ the kill command.
5 Close apps with pkill.
6 Use killall to close soware.
7 Create a keyboard shortcut.

Its surprising that there are so many ways to kill unresponsive Linux apps
but whats your favorite? Share it with us in the comments box.
 Christian
Cawley
905 articles

Christian Cawley is MakeUseOf's

security and Linux editor, with
extensive experience in IT desktop
and soware support. Christian is
a regular contributor to print
publications such as Linux User &
Developer, as well as a number of
specials: Raspberry Pi for
Beginners, Expert Android, The
iPad Book Vol 6, WordPress