The shortcut to kill a process in the Mac terminal is by using the “kill” command. This command allows you to terminate a running process by specifying its process ID (PID). Here are the steps to do it:
1. Open the terminal: You can do this by either searching for “Terminal” in the Spotlight search or navigating to the Applications folder > Utilities > Terminal.
2. Identify the process: To kill a process, you need to know its process ID (PID). You can use the “ps” command to list all the running processes. Type the following command in the terminal:
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Ps aux
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This will display a list of processes along with their PIDs, CPU usage, and other details.
3. Find the process you want to kill: Look for the process in the list that you want to terminate. Note down its PID, which is usually located in the second column.
4. Kill the process: Once you have identified the PID of the process you want to kill, use the “kill” command followed by the PID. For example, if the PID is 1234, you would type:
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Kill 1234
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This sends a termination signal to the specified process, instructing it to gracefully exit. If the process doesn’t respond or is unresponsive, you can use the “kill” command with the “-9” option to forcefully kill it. For example:
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Kill -9 1234
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The “-9” option sends a “SIGKILL” signal, which immediately terminates the process without allowing it to clean up or save any data.
5. Verify the process is terminated: You can use the “ps” command again to check if the process has been successfully terminated. If the process is no longer listed, it means it has been killed.
It’s important to note that killing a process abruptly may result in data loss or other unintended consequences. Therefore, it’s recommended to use the “kill” command judiciously and only when necessary.
The shortcut to kill a process in the Mac terminal involves using the “kill” command followed by the PID of the process. You can also forcefully kill a process using the “-9” option. However, exercise caution when terminating processes to avoid any unintended consequences.