llms.txt
# Captain Kill Switch
> A free, cross-platform menu-bar / system-tray app that closes every running application with one click. Available for macOS, Windows, and Linux. A companion command-line tool, `cks`, does the same from the terminal.
Captain Kill Switch is a single-purpose utility: one button gracefully quits every running app, leaving critical system and session processes untouched, so you get a clean desktop in seconds. No account and no ads. It collects anonymous usage statistics and crash reports (feature-usage counts, app version, OS, language — never app names, files, or anything personal) solely to improve the product; see the Privacy page for the full disclosure. macOS builds are Apple Developer-ID signed and notarised.
## Key pages
- [Home](https://captainkillswitch.com/): overview, features, and download
- [About](https://captainkillswitch.com/about): why it exists and how it works
- [Privacy](https://captainkillswitch.com/privacy): exactly what is and isn't collected
- [Download](https://captainkillswitch.com/#download): installers for macOS, Windows, and Linux
- [FAQ](https://captainkillswitch.com/#faq): signing, SmartScreen, unsaved work, hotkey, data collection, uninstall
- [Close all Mac apps at once](https://captainkillswitch.com/mac): macOS guide + install
- [Close all Windows programs at once](https://captainkillswitch.com/windows): Windows guide + install
- [Close all Linux apps at once](https://captainkillswitch.com/linux): Linux guide + install
## Guides (how-tos, manual methods included)
- [How to close all apps on Mac at once](https://captainkillswitch.com/guides/close-all-apps-mac): Cmd-Tab+Cmd-Q loop, AppleScript, one-click
- [How to close all programs on Windows at once](https://captainkillswitch.com/guides/close-all-programs-windows): Alt+F4, Task Manager, taskkill, one-click
- [Close all apps: keyboard shortcut vs one click](https://captainkillswitch.com/guides/close-all-apps-shortcut): what the OS provides, DIY scripts, the button
- [How to hide notifications when screen sharing](https://captainkillswitch.com/guides/hide-notifications-when-screen-sharing): the 10-second pre-share ritual
- [How to hide your screen quickly (panic button)](https://captainkillswitch.com/guides/hide-screen-quickly): what it does and deliberately doesn't do
- [The Mac equivalent of Alt+F4](https://captainkillswitch.com/guides/mac-equivalent-of-alt-f4): Cmd-Q vs Cmd-W, force quit, quit-everything
- [How to close background programs and speed up your PC](https://captainkillswitch.com/guides/close-background-programs): what open apps cost, honest fixes
- [How to hide Discord messages while streaming](https://captainkillswitch.com/guides/hide-discord-messages-while-streaming): streamer pre-live checklist
- [How to turn off notifications during a presentation](https://captainkillswitch.com/guides/turn-off-notifications-during-presentation): 2-minute pre-talk checklist
## Install — desktop app
- macOS (.dmg, drag-to-install): https://captainkillswitch.github.io/downloads/latest-macos.dmg
- macOS (Homebrew): `brew install --cask --adopt captainkillswitch/tap/captain-kill-switch`
- Windows (.exe): https://captainkillswitch.github.io/downloads/latest-windows.exe
- Windows (winget — ships with Windows 11, no download and no SmartScreen prompt): `winget install CaptainKillSwitch.CaptainKillSwitch`
- Linux (.deb): https://captainkillswitch.github.io/downloads/latest-linux.deb
- Linux (signed apt repo — installs stay current via `apt upgrade`):
`curl -fsSL https://captainkillswitch.github.io/downloads/apt/cks-archive-keyring.gpg | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/cks-archive-keyring.gpg >/dev/null && echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/cks-archive-keyring.gpg] https://captainkillswitch.github.io/downloads/apt stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/captain-kill-switch.list && sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y captain-kill-switch`
- Latest-version manifest (JSON): https://captainkillswitch.github.io/downloads/latest.json
## Install — `cks` command-line tool
- macOS: `brew install captainkillswitch/tap/cks`
- Windows: `scoop install https://captainkillswitch.github.io/downloads/cli/cks.json`
- Linux/macOS: `curl -fsSL https://captainkillswitch.github.io/downloads/cli/install.sh | sh`
- Linux (apt, after adding the repo above): `sudo apt install cks`
- Usage: `cks` previews the apps that will close and asks for confirmation; `cks --dry-run` lists without killing; `cks --yes` skips the prompt; `cks --json` emits a machine-readable report.
## Facts
- Price: free
- Platforms: macOS 10.15+, Windows 10/11, Linux (Debian/Ubuntu .deb + signed apt repo; the Linux app is a webkit-free static binary)
- Auto-updates: macOS and Windows update themselves; Linux updates via the signed apt repo or one-click in-app install
- Privacy: no account, no ads; anonymous usage + crash statistics only (random install ID, never personal data) — full policy at https://captainkillswitch.com/privacy
- macOS: Developer-ID signed and notarised (opens with a normal double-click). From 0.3.3 the first sweep asks once for Automation access to Finder, so it can close Finder's open windows; that is the only permission it ever requests and the only Apple Event it sends. Declining changes nothing except that Finder windows stay open. Finding and closing apps needs no permission at all.
- How it works: asks each app to quit gracefully, waits up to ~2s (exits early when everything closed), force-closes any that remain; never touches the desktop shell, session infrastructure, or system processes — you are never logged out
- Tray behaviour (all platforms): click the tray icon to open the menu; killing is only via the "Kill All Apps" menu item
