Close the window.
Quit the app.
TrueClose is a tiny, free menu bar app for macOS. Close an app's last window and the app quits, like on Windows. A cleaner Dock and more free RAM.
brew install --cask nhatnam7kz/tap/truecloseEverything it takes to keep the Dock clean
Quits apps with no windows
TrueClose watches window counts through Accessibility and quits an app once its last window closes.
A delay you set
Wait from 0.2 to 5 seconds before quitting, so a mis-click costs nothing.
Blacklist or whitelist
Keep music players and menu bar tools alive, or only quit the apps you pick. Each mode has its own list.
System apps are protected
Important system apps sit on the default blacklist, and TrueClose warns you before you change that.
Pause, resume, launch at login
Control it from the menu bar. Hide the icon if you like and reopen Settings with ⌥⇧A.
Native and tiny
Written in Swift and lives quietly in your menu bar. Free and open-source under the MIT license.
Why Mac apps keep running after you close the window
On macOS, the red close button only closes the window. The app stays open in the background, keeps its place in the Dock and keeps using memory until you press ⌘Q. That is the default, but many people coming from Windows expect the app to quit instead.
TrueClose is a free macOS utility that makes closing the last window quit the app. However the last window closes, TrueClose notices and quits the app after a short delay.
A SwiftQuit alternative for macOS
Used Swift Quit and want something else? TrueClose does the same job and adds a quit delay from 0.2 to 5 seconds, separate blacklist and whitelist modes, a pause switch in the menu bar, and a warning before you change protection for system apps. Apps that should keep running with no windows, such as music players and menu bar tools, just go on the blacklist.
Installed in about a minute
Recommended. Updates with brew upgrade.
brew install --cask nhatnam7kz/tap/trueclose- Download
TrueClose.pkgor.dmgfrom the Releases page. - Run the installer, or drag
TrueClose.appinto Applications. - TrueClose isn't signed with a paid Apple certificate, so clear the quarantine flag:
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/TrueClose.appGrant Accessibility access
- Open TrueClose.
- Click Open System Settings to grant permission.
- Turn on TrueClose in Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
Questions
Does closing a window quit the app on Mac?
No. By default macOS keeps the app running with no windows. TrueClose changes that: once the last window is closed, it quits the app after a short delay.
How do I make a Mac app quit when I close its window?
Install TrueClose with Homebrew (brew install --cask nhatnam7kz/tap/trueclose), grant Accessibility access, and apps quit automatically when their last window closes.
Is TrueClose a SwiftQuit alternative?
Yes. Like Swift Quit, it quits apps when their windows close, and it adds a configurable delay, blacklist and whitelist modes, and a pause switch.
Why does TrueClose need Accessibility access?
It's how macOS lets an app see how many windows another app has open.
macOS says the app can't be opened
Run xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/TrueClose.app, or right-click the app → Open → Open. Still blocked? Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway.
An app quits when it shouldn't, or won't quit
Add it to the Blacklist in Settings → Rules. You can also open a GitHub issue with the app's name.
How do I uninstall it?
Homebrew: brew uninstall --cask nhatnam7kz/tap/trueclose. Manual: quit TrueClose and delete it from Applications. To remove settings: defaults delete com.trueclose.app.