How to quit an app when you close its window on a Mac
Closing a window on a Mac closes the window, not the app. To quit the app as well, you either quit it separately or let something do that for you.
Why closing the window isn’t enough
On a Mac, an app and its windows are separate things. When you close the last window, the app stays open with no windows, ready for you to start something new. You can tell because its name is still in the menu bar at the top of the screen, and its Dock icon still has a small dot under it.
A few apps, such as System Settings, quit when their window closes. Most don’t.
The quickest ways to quit an app
- Press ⌘Q while the app is in front. This is the fastest way, and you can use it instead of closing the window.
- Use the menu: click the app’s name in the menu bar, next to the Apple menu, and choose Quit.
- Use the Dock: right-click the app’s icon (or Control-click it) and choose Quit.
- Use the app switcher: hold ⌘, press Tab until the app is highlighted, then press Q. This quits apps that are behind other windows without bringing them forward.
Force Quit (⌥⌘Esc) is only for apps that have stopped responding. It skips the app’s save prompt, so unsaved work can be lost.
Is there a setting to change this?
No. macOS has no setting that makes closing the last window quit the app. The setting in System Settings → Desktop & Dock called “Close windows when quitting an application” does something different: it decides whether an app reopens its old windows next time you open it.
Make it automatic with Exeunt
Exeunt is a small menu bar app that does one thing: when you close an app’s last window, it quits the app. You keep closing windows the way you already do, with the red button or ⌘W.
- Your work is safe. Exeunt never closes a window and never force-quits. It asks the app to quit the same way ⌘Q does, so an app with unsaved changes shows its usual save dialog.
- You choose the exceptions. Mail, Messages and music apps are useful with no window open. Add them to the never-quit list with one click from the menu bar.
- System apps are protected. Finder, the Dock, System Settings, Control Centre and Notification Centre are never quit.
It runs on macOS 13 or later, on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. Free for 14 days with no account, then a one-time $5.
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Questions
Is it bad to leave apps open on a Mac?
Usually not. macOS manages memory well. But apps you are not using still use some memory, can keep working in the background, and crowd the Dock and the app switcher.
What is the keyboard shortcut to quit an app on a Mac?
Command-Q quits the app in front. Command-W only closes the current window.
Can I make a Mac quit apps when the last window closes?
Not with a built-in setting. A utility such as Exeunt does it: close the last window and the app quits, with your never-quit list and the app's own save prompt respected.