On a Mac, clicking the red cherry button in the top left-hand corner of a window closes the window, but does not quit the application.

If you came from a PC, this seems strange. Clicking the red button should close the application.

The good news is that you don’t have to change your behavior or learn anything new… you can install a small application that forces the red cherry button to change.

That application is RedQuits by Carsten Mielke. RedQuits is freeware. If you like the software you can donate to the developer.

Setup the application as follows:

• Go to the black Apple in the top left-hand corner and choose System Preferences.
• Select Accessibility.
• Check the box Enable access for assistive devices.

• Download RedQuits.
• Click the red cherry button to close the System Preferences window.
• Double click the installer package and follow the prompts to install RedQuits on your Mac.
• Go to the Applications folder. Double click the RedQuits icon to start the program.
• You are presented with three preferences. I checked all three – Start RedQuits Automatically at Login, Quit only when 1 window is left for that app, and Activate RedQuits.
• Once these boxes are checked you can click the red cherry button to close the window.

Now, anytime you click the red cherry button it will shut the App down.

For many of you, this means that unused applications will not be running in the background, and  your Mac should work more efficiently.

If you want more information on how Mac windows work, check out this post – Quit Apps… Don’t Just Close Windows

RedQuits requires at least OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard or higher,

No Problem Mac is not associated with, receives no payment from the developers of RedQuits.

If you have questions, please use the Comments section below.