To close GarageBand on your Mac, all you need to do is hit Command Q or go to the File tab from the main menu and select Quit GarageBand from the available options. Be sure to save your projects before closing to keep all the progress you’ve made on your song.
My name is Donovan, and I’ve been writing and recording music for most of my adult life. I’ve used GarageBand heavily over the years and know how to control nearly all of the tools and features of the app.
This post will show you how to close GarageBand on your Mac. I’ll walk you through the easy process of closing the app when you are done working with it and provide you with a few important things to keep in mind before you quit.
Let’s get after it.
Contents
Key Takeaways
- You can close GarageBand on your Mac like you close most other apps – by pressing Command Q.
- This works for the macOS version of GarageBand and will close the app on a MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or iMac.
- Remember to save your project before you close out of the app so you don’t lose any parts or progress.
How to Close GarageBand on Mac
Closing GarageBand on your Mac is a basic command you should know how to do. It’s not difficult and is the same as closing just about any other app you have open on your computer.
To close GarageBand on your Mac, follow these steps:
1. With your GarageBand project open, hit Command Q.
2. If your project is not already saved, you’ll see an alert that says, “Do you want to save the changes made to the document “Your Song Name”?” Click Save to keep all your progress in the current session.
3. You can also close GarageBand by moving your cursor over the File tab in the main menu and selecting Quit GarageBand. You’ll see the same prompt for saving the project if you close this way.
I almost always use the shortcut of Command Q to close GarageBand, but you can choose whichever way you like, and they both reach the same result.
These steps will close GarageBand on any type of Mac you have because the macOS version of the app is the same on all Mac computers.
How to Force Quit GarageBand on Mac
Sometimes the GarageBand app can become unresponsive, and you won’t be able to close it using the shortcut mentioned above. This can happen for a number of reasons, and it can be frustrating if you don’t know what to do about it.
Knowing how to force quit on your Mac can help you close GarageBand or any other app when it becomes unresponsive and is another thing that everyone should know how to do.
Follow these steps to force quit on your Mac.
1. Press the Command, Option, and Esc keys at the same time if GarageBand (or any other app) is unresponsive and you can’t close it the normal way.
2. The Force Quit Applications window will appear. Select the app from this list that you want to close.
3. Click Force Quit. You’ll see a warning message asking if you are sure you want to force quit the application. If you are sure, click Force Quit to force the app to close.
You will lose any unsaved data when you force quit an app, but sometimes it’s your only option if you are working with an unresponsive app.
How to Exit GarageBand Without Saving
You would rarely want to exit or close GarageBand without saving, but it can happen. Sometimes you might not like the recent work you’ve done on the project, and if you close without saving, it will revert to a previous version of the project.
To exit GarageBand without saving, follow these steps.
1. Press Command Q when you are in GarageBand.
2. When the window pops up asking Do you want to save the changes made to the document “Your Song”?, click Don’t Save.
3. This will exit GarageBand without saving the track in its current state. Remember that you’ll lose any progress or work you’ve made on the track since the last time it’s been saved.
Final Thoughts
Closing GarageBand on your Mac is super simple, and you only need to hit Command Q. Remember that this applies to GarageBand on any Mac computer and that it’s the same way you quit most apps.
You can also Force Quit GarageBand if it becomes unresponsive, which will exit from the app if it’s frozen. But you’ll lose any unsaved progress if you do this. So remember to save your projects often, just in case you encounter a glitch or other issue.
Have you ever lost parts of a song because you closed GarageBand without saving? Let me know in the comments below.
