To close a running app from the Windows 11 taskbar, turn on End Task in Settings > System > Advanced, under Taskbar. Then right-click the app’s taskbar button and select End Task. It terminates the app without its normal chance to save open work, so use it when a regular close is not appropriate.

Turn on End Task

  1. Open Settings > System > Advanced.
  2. Under Taskbar, switch on End Task.

That setting adds the command to eligible taskbar menus. You do not need to enable Developer Mode, according to an updated ElevenForum tutorial.

End a running app from the taskbar

  1. Save any open work the app still lets you save.
  2. Right-click the taskbar button for the running app.
  3. Select End Task.

The command appears only while the app is running. If it is missing from a menu, the option may not be available for that app. In an April 2024 forum reply, ElevenForum administrator Brink said it was not available for all apps and seemed limited to some desktop apps.

End Task or Close window?

End Task terminates the app immediately, without its usual opportunity to save open work. Close window lets the app exit normally and gives it the usual chance to save. Choose Close window when you want a normal exit; use End Task when you need to stop a running app without going through that exit.

PCWorld reports that the taskbar menu does not offer End Task for File Explorer. For that case, use Task Manager.

Optional registry setting

ElevenForum documents a per-user alternative in Registry Editor. At HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\TaskbarDeveloperSettings, set the TaskbarEndTask DWORD to 1 to enable the option or 0 to disable it. The tutorial says this registry method does not work when Administrator protection is on.

When the feature was introduced

Microsoft release-note text reproduced by ElevenForum identified taskbar End Task in the November 14, 2023 update for Windows 11 build 22621.2715 (22H2) and build 22631.2715 (23H2). The release note listed the setting under Settings > System > For developers.