How To Close All Windows On Mac

There is no single keyboard shortcut that closes every window from every app on your Mac at once, so the fastest way to close all windows mac users actually need is to target the app you're working in. You have several distinct options, closing windows, quitting apps, or hiding apps, each with a different effect on your screen and your workflow. The right choice depends on whether you want to keep the app running in the background, free up memory, or simply get a clean desktop without losing your place.

Close all Windows of the active app with a keyboard shortcut

The most direct way to clear every window from the app you're currently using is to press Command (⌘) + Option (⌥) + W. This works in nearly every standard macOS application, from Safari with multiple tabs to a text editor with several documents open. It's the fastest way to close all windows mac users can employ when they want to keep the app itself running but start fresh with no open files or tabs.

1. Click on any window of the app you want to clear so it becomes the active application.
2. Press Command (⌘) + Option (⌥) + W simultaneously.
3. All windows of that app close instantly, but the app remains open in the Dock.

This shortcut is ideal when you're done with a batch of documents but plan to keep using the same app shortly.

Quit an app to close all its Windows instantly

If you want to close all windows and completely exit the application, press Command (⌘) + Q. This quits the app entirely, which automatically closes every window associated with it. This is the best choice when you're finished with an app for good and want to free up memory or reduce clutter in the Dock.

1. Make the app active by clicking any of its windows or its Dock icon.
2. Press Command (⌘) + Q.
3. The app closes completely, and all its windows disappear.

Before quitting, be sure to save any unsaved work, macOS will prompt you if there are unsaved changes, but it's better to save manually. Quitting is more permanent than just closing windows, so use it when you're truly done with the app.

Hide all other apps to clear your screen without closing

When you want a clear screen but don't want to lose any open windows, press Command (⌘) + Option (⌥) + H. This hides every application except the one currently in focus, effectively clearing the desktop of other app windows without closing them. This is a non-destructive way to declutter your screen while keeping all your work intact and instantly accessible.

1. Click on the app you want to keep visible.
2. Press Command (⌘) + Option (⌥) + H.
3. All other apps vanish from view, but they remain running in the background.

This method is perfect for when you need to focus on one task without losing the state of other apps. To bring the hidden apps back, click their Dock icons or press Command (⌘) + Tab to cycle through them.

Minimize all Windows of an app to the Dock

To get windows out of the way without closing them, press Command (⌘) + Option (⌥) + M. This minimizes every window of the frontmost application to the right side of the Dock, where they remain accessible as small thumbnails. This is a great option when you want to clear the screen but might need those windows again in a few minutes.

1. Ensure the app you want to minimize is active.
2. Press Command (⌘) + Option (⌥) + M.
3. All of that app's windows shrink into the Dock, leaving your desktop clear.

Unlike closing windows, minimizing preserves the exact state of each window, scroll position, unsaved text, and all. Click any minimized thumbnail in the Dock to restore that window to its previous position.

Force quit an unresponsive app to close its Windows

When an application freezes and won't respond to normal close or quit commands, press Command (⌘) + Option (⌥) + Esc to force quit it. This will close all its windows by terminating the app process entirely. This is the only reliable method when an app is stuck and ignoring your input.

1. Press Command (⌘) + Option (⌥) + Esc to open the Force Quit Applications window.
2. Select the frozen application from the list.
3. Click "Force Quit" to terminate it and close all its windows.

Force quitting should be your last resort because you may lose unsaved work. Only use it when the app is completely unresponsive, if you can still close individual windows normally, use Command + W or Command + Q instead.

Use Mission Control to close Windows visually

For a visual approach, enter Mission Control to see all your open windows as thumbnails, then close all windows of a single app at once by clicking the close button on its thumbnail. This is helpful when you have many apps open and want to identify which one is cluttering your screen before closing it.

1. Enter Mission Control by pressing the F3 key or swiping up with three fingers on your trackpad.
2. Hover over the thumbnail of the app whose windows you want to close.
3. Click the close button (an "x") that appears in the top-left corner of that thumbnail.
4. All windows of that app close, and you remain in Mission Control to manage other apps.

This method gives you a bird's-eye view of everything open, making it easy to target the right app. You can also use Mission Control to drag windows into different Spaces or rearrange your workspace, but closing windows here is just as fast as using the keyboard shortcut.