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How to close all open apps except a few with one click

Use KeyRoutines' Close app step with Which set to every open app except these, and list the apps to keep. Put an Ask Yes or No step before it, and start it from a Hotkey trigger, so you confirm before anything closes.

Steps

  1. 1

    Add a Hotkey trigger

    Pick a chord such as Ctrl+Alt+Q, or use Run manually to start it from the tray.

  2. 2

    Ask first

    Add Ask Yes or No, "Close every app?", and a Stop routine step for when you answer No.

  3. 3

    Close the rest

    Add Close app, set Which to every open app except these, list the apps to keep and set Force after to 30 seconds.

Tips

  • Apps showing a "Save changes?" dialog are left alone and reported, so you don't lose work.
  • Windows' own processes and KeyRoutines itself are never closed.

Questions

Does it close apps that hide in the tray?
Yes. Apps such as Discord, Slack and Spotify that only hide when their window closes are ended after the polite request.
Is it the same as End task?
No. Close app first asks each app to close normally and only ends it after Force after, if you set one.

Blocks this routine uses

Trigger · HotkeysFree

Hotkey

Hotkey starts a routine when you press a keyboard shortcut or mouse button. It's the most common way to run a routine, from a single app launcher key to a whole streaming setup on one combination.

Step · NotificationsFree

Ask Yes or No

Ask Yes or No asks a simple question and waits for an answer. It's the safety catch before steps you don't always want, like closing apps or shutting down.

Step · AppsFree

Close app

Close app shuts down the programs you pick, or every open app except the ones you want to keep. People put it at the end of a work session, before a game, or anywhere a cluttered taskbar gets in the way.

Step · Flow and routinesFree

Stop routine

Stop routine ends the current run right there. You choose how it should be recorded and can add a short message, which makes the run history easy to read later.

More how-to guides

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