Program "Not Responding" or frozen: what to do

"Not Responding" means the program has stopped answering Windows. It may be busy and recover, or it may be stuck for good.

What you see(Not Responding) in the title bar; "The program is not responding. Close the program / Wait for the program to respond"

Step 1: wait a moment

If the program was saving a large file, opening a big spreadsheet, exporting a video or reaching a slow network drive, it may simply be busy. Watch the disk light or the pointer for a minute. If you choose Wait for the program to respond and it recovers, your work is intact.

Step 2: close only the stuck program

Try in this order.

1. Click the X once and choose Close the program when Windows offers it.
2. Press Alt + F4 with the frozen window selected.
3. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc for Task Manager, select the program on the Processes tab (it is marked "Not responding") and click End task.
4. If Task Manager itself will not come to the front: press Ctrl + Alt + Del and choose Task Manager from that screen.

Ending a program loses unsaved changes in that program only. Many programs, including the Office apps, keep automatic recovery copies and offer them when next opened.

Step 3: if the whole computer is frozen

1. Press Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + B to restart the graphics driver. The screen blinks.
2. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del. If that screen appears, choose the power icon › Restart.
3. Check whether it is only the keyboard or mouse: does Caps Lock still toggle its light?
4. Last resort: hold the power button for ten seconds to switch off, wait, and start again.

Why programs freeze

• Out of memory. Task Manager › Performance › Memory near 100 per cent. Close other programs and browser tabs.
• A busy or failing disk. See disk at 100%.
• The file is on a network drive, a USB stick or a cloud folder that has gone away.
• An add-in or plug-in in the program has crashed.
• The program or Windows is out of date, or its files are damaged.
• Overheating, which makes the processor slow to a crawl.

Stopping it happening again

If it is one program:

1. Update it, from its Help or About menu or the Microsoft Store.
2. Start it without add-ins. For Office apps, hold Ctrl while opening the program to start in safe mode; if it behaves, switch add-ins off one by one under File › Options › Add-ins.
3. Repair it: Settings › Apps › Installed apps › the three dots beside the program › Modify or Advanced options › Repair. Microsoft 365 offers Quick Repair and Online Repair.
4. Reinstall it if repair does not help.
5. Try another file. If only one document freezes it, that file is damaged; open an earlier version (right-click the file › Show more options › Restore previous versions, or the program's version history).

If many programs freeze:

1. Restart, and install Windows updates.
2. Free memory and disk space. See slow computer.
3. Update the graphics driver.
4. Run DISM and sfc from repair commands, and chkdsk C: /f.
5. Scan for malware.
6. Test the memory with mdsched.

Finding the culprit

Press the Windows key, type reliability and open View reliability history. Each crash and hang is listed by day with the program's name. A program that appears again and again is the one to update, repair or replace.

For Windows 11 and Windows 10. Written in November 2026. Menus move between updates; use the search box in Settings if a name differs. Back up important files before any step that resets, repairs a disk or opens the computer. This is an independent guide, not connected with Microsoft.