One of the most handy shortcuts in Windows is the Alt + Ctrl + Del hotkey, which lists a menu of different options. The good news is, this shortcut is also present in Mac, albeit it functions a little differently.
What is Alt Control Delete on a Mac?
The Alt + Ctrl + Del shortcut key in Mac is Command + Option + Esc key. The two hotkeys share similar keys in different operating systems, but their functions vary a little.The Alt + Ctrl + Del key used to open Task Manager in previous Windows versions. However, in the newer version of Windows, this shortcut key opens a list of options, such as locking the computer, changing the password, signing out, switching users, and also opening Task Manager.On the other hand, the Command + Options + Esc key opens up the Force Quit Applications window on Mac.We usually use the Alt + Ctrl + Del Key to open Task Manager and forcibly close unresponsive applications or refresh the system if it freezes. In Mac, the Command + Options + Esc shortcut also does the same via Force Quit Applications.If you want to know how you can force quit any application or refresh the system using Command + Options + Esc hotkey, follow the steps below:While the Command + Options + Esc shortcut key doesn’t cover all the functionalities of the Alt + Ctrl + Del hotkey, it does emulate its main function. For the other list of options provided by this hotkey in newer versions of Windows, you can do the similar thing on your Mac system on the following way:
Locking the computer: Click on the Apple icon and select Lock Screen.Signing out: Click on the Apple icon and select Log Out mac.Changing password: Open Settings from dock, and go to Passwords header in the left sidebar.Switching users: Click on your name, username, or account icon (set according to you) on the right side of the menu bar.
Additionally, there is another simple way to open Force Quit Applications without using the Command + Options + Esc shortcut. You can open it from the user interface by clicking on the Apple icon and choosing Force Quit.
Task Manager Equivalent in Mac
The Force Quit Applications does emulate one of the main functions of Task Manager, but it doesn’t cover all of it. The actual equivalent of the Windows Task Manager on Mac is the Activity Monitor, which has all the same functionalities as Task Manager. To open the Activity Monitor on Mac, follow the steps below:
Troubleshooting Command + Options + Esc Shortcut Not Working Issue
If the Command + Options + Esc doesn’t work on your Mac, it could be due to issues like problematic hardware or misconfigured settings. The first thing you should do to troubleshoot this issue is to check your keyboard hardware.If some of the modifier keys like Command and Option aren’t working themselves, your shortcut keys that rely on these keys will also not work.The other reason why your Command + Options + Esc key is not working can be due to modifier keys being remapped. You could have accidentally remapped your keys or some application may have done so. If this is the case, the shortcut still works, you just need different button presses.To bring it back to default, you can try resetting your keyboard to default key mapping.
