This is a simple command-line application that waits on background until you press the ESCAPE key on your keyboard to terminate the specified process.
This is an old project, with ugly source-code, and probably I will not rewrite it using good and modern habbits.
Sometimes you need a fast, foolproof way to close a specific fullscreen application, game, or hanging process instantly without dealing with the Windows Task Manager or forcing clumsy keyboard combinations like Alt + F4.
This project was built as a lightweight background utility to solve that specific problem. It sits in the console or background and listens for a single keystroke (ESC), allowing you to force-terminate any target process—and optionally its entire child process tree—immediately. It is a simple, no-nonsense automation tool for testing environments, kiosk setups, or quick app management.
Why go through the multi-step hassle of opening Task Manager or hunting down unresponsive windows, when you can map a single background key to terminate any specified process instantly?.
EscKeyProcKill.mp4
- Microsoft Windows OS.
- Navigate to the Releases page.
- Download the latest
.ziparchive and extract its contents to your preferred directory. - Run the executable file to launch the application.
Syntax: EscKeyProcKill.exe [SWITCHES] [PROCESS NAME]
| Switch | Description |
|---|---|
/Recursive |
Terminates all running occurrences of the target process. If omitted, only the first occurrence found will be killed. |
/KillChilds |
Terminates the specified target process along with any child processes spawned by it. |
/? |
Displays the application help and usage syntax. |
| Command | Action Performed |
|---|---|
EscKeyProcKill.exe "notepad.exe" |
Terminates only the first occurrence found of notepad.exe. |
EscKeyProcKill.exe /Recursive "notepad.exe" |
Terminates all running occurrences of notepad.exe. |
EscKeyProcKill.exe /KillChilds "notepad.exe" |
Terminates the first occurrence of notepad.exe and all of its children. |
EscKeyProcKill.exe /Recursive /KillChilds "notepad.exe" |
Terminates every occurrence of notepad.exe along with all of their children. |
Explore the complete list of changes, bug fixes, and improvements across different releases by clicking here.
Your contribution is highly appreciated!. If you have any ideas, suggestions, or encounter issues, feel free to open an issue by clicking here.
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This software and its associated repository are provided strictly on an "as is" basis, without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. This includes, but is not limited to, any implied warranties of merchantability, reliability, or fitness for a particular purpose.
The authors and copyright holders assume no liability for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages—including data loss or system errors—arising from the use, misuse, or inability to use this software. You are solely responsible for determining the appropriateness of using this tool and assume all associated risks.
Furthermore, this project operates entirely independently. The utilization of any third-party libraries or components within this software does not imply any affiliation with, or endorsement or approval by, their respective original authors.
This project is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. See the License file for details.
