Welcome to the System Admin training tutorials section by CoreNetworkZ Tech Solutions. Today, I will explain how to fix the nonresponsive program error on Windows devices.
I understand that everyone dislikes encountering unresponsive programs in Windows 11, especially when they take a long time to respond. These applications often waste our valuable time.
I received many support requests from clients of CoreNetworkZ Tech Solutions asking for a fix to kill nonresponsive Windows programs automatically.
Samuel Collins, one client from New York City, asked, "Hello Alex, my Windows 11 laptop frequently shows alerts about programs that stopped responding. I feel them as a nuisance. Is there any quick fix to command all programs that stopped responding to close automatically?"
Samuel is a graphic designer who works from his home office. He is always busy designing graphic works for his clients in New York City.
He is not alone. I received similar support requests from a few more clients.
Fortunately, I have a registry tweak for Windows OS that allows users to terminate hung applications automatically.
To enable this, we need to activate the auto-end task feature for non-responding programs and set a timeout period for them.
Logical Reason Behind Changing the Timeout Period To Force Quit Non-Responding Apps
After reading a few questions, I found that some readers doubt how changing the timeout period will autokill a nonresponsive Windows 11 application. Let me explain it.
Setting a higher value means more time for these processes to recover. On the other hand, if the value is set lower, the applications will close automatically after exceeding the set time limit.
It is important to note that since this involves modifying the registry, it is advisable to back up your current registry settings before making any changes.
Ashish Mudgal, a senior Network Engineer at CoreNetworkZ Tech Solutions, reminded me of this point and insisted I include it in this guide.
Automatically Terminate Windows 11 Hung Programs
To enable the auto-end feature for hung programs in Windows 7 and 11, follow these steps:
Start Run
Press [Windows] + [R] to open the Run dialog box.
Open Registry Editor
Type regedit in the Run box and press Enter. It will open the Registry Editor.
Navigate to the Registry Path
Go to the following registry location:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Modify Values
Now, add the required new values at this location. If you can't find some keys, create new keys with the specified name and value. You can adjust these values based on your preference for different timeout settings.
The time frame is in milliseconds.
Let me share the new values to kill non-responding Windows apps automatically.
- "WaitToKillAppTimeout"="2000"
- “AutoEndTasks"="1"
- "HungAppTimeout"="1000"
- "LowLevelHooksTimeout"="1000
If you cannot find the keys in the list, you should create new keys ( use the value I shared ).
The time value is in Milliseconds.
Now, Windows will automatically kill the programs that take a long time to respond.
Author: Alex George
Alex George is the Chief Editor and founder of CoreNetworkZ Tech Solutions. He is a senior software developer with 20 years of experience.
You can contact him at alex.george@corenetworkz.com.
Thanks for the tip man.,but would you pleasetrell hat which type of new value should we use?
ReplyDeletewould you please tell which type of new value should we use?
ReplyDeleteTo end the not responding programs automatically, add the following values are:
ReplyDelete"WaitToKillAppTimeout"="2000"
“AutoEndTasks"="1"
"HungAppTimeout"="1000"
"LowLevelHooksTimeout"="1000
Let me try your guide. Thanks for publishing.
ReplyDeleteYahoo Messenger installed in my Windows 7 computer freeze for long and then I need to close it by task manager. will this trick work for the Yahoo messenger too?? Thanks for your advice.
ReplyDeleteAnd what do you do if its your browser and mail all the time. I have yet to find a program that doesn't suffer the same fate
ReplyDeleteI have a similar problem. Instead of killing the program, I just want the computer to wait to respond. What would the setting be to just have the computer wait?
ReplyDeleteHere's the situation: I have an older touchscreen program running in a public space. When the user rapidly touches the screen faster than the program can respond a "program x has stopped responding" window pops up. The user then is given the option to either wait (good choice) or end program (bad choice). Is there a way to either disable this popup, disable the "end program" option, or automatically choose the "wait" option?
Thanks!
@ MKilareski
ReplyDeleteIf you want the computer to wait more, you can simply increase the wait time instead reducing as given in this article.
Thanks buddy I love your trick to close non responding programs automatically.
ReplyDeleteOk my registry does not have the waittokillapptimeout thing. Would adding a new "String Value"
ReplyDeletein the desktop folder and giving it the appropriate name and setting a value do anything?