How to see every app that is running on your Mac

The Dock's dots, the app switcher, Force Quit and Activity Monitor each show a different list. Which one to use, and where apps without a Dock icon hide.

Guide · Updated 22 October 2026

What is the quickest way to see open apps?

Press and hold ⌘ Tab. The app switcher lists every open app with a Dock icon, in the order you used them. While holding ⌘, press Q on a selected app to quit it.

How do I see open apps in the Dock?

Open apps have a dot under their icon. If you see no dots, turn on Show indicators for open applications in System Settings, Desktop & Dock. To show only running apps in the Dock, see this Terminal setting.

Which apps run without a Dock icon?

Menu bar apps, such as cloud storage, VPNs and utilities, show only an icon at the top right of the screen. They do not appear in ⌘ Tab. Click each icon for a Quit option. On a MacBook with a notch some can be hidden: see menu bar icons and the notch.

How do I see everything, including background processes?

Open Activity Monitor. It lists every process, from apps to parts of macOS. Most entries are the system's own and should be left alone. See Activity Monitor, the Mac's Task Manager.

How do I quit several apps at once?

Press ⌥ ⌘ Esc, select several apps with ⌘ click, and click Force Quit, or quit them one by one from ⌘ Tab. See quit all apps.

Why apps keep running when their windows close: close a window versus quit an app.

Checked on 22 October 2026 on a MacBook Air (M1) running macOS 27.0.1: Show indicators for open applications was read from Desktop & Dock.

Questions

How do I see all open apps on a Mac?

Press and hold Command Tab, or look for dots under icons in the Dock.

How do I see apps running in the background on Mac?

Check the icons at the top right of the menu bar, and open Activity Monitor for everything else.

How do I quit an app from the app switcher?

Hold Command, Tab to the app, and press Q.

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