Windows Program Closer

A PowerShell-based script for closing specific Windows programs with various options and configurations.

Features

• Multiple execution methods: PowerShell script with batch file wrapper
• Flexible program specification: Command line parameters or configuration file
• Wildcard support: Use * and ? patterns to match multiple processes
• Graceful and force close options: Try graceful shutdown first, force if needed
• Logging: All actions are logged with timestamps
• Preview mode: See what would be closed without actually closing
• Verbose output: Detailed information about the closing process

Files

• close-programs.ps1 - Main PowerShell script with enhanced error handling
• close-programs.bat - Batch file wrapper for easier execution
• program-list.txt - Configuration file with programs to close
• close-programs.log - Log file (created automatically)

Usage

Using the Batch File (Recommended)

# Close programs from configuration file
close-programs.bat

# Close specific programs
close-programs.bat notepad chrome firefox

# Force close with verbose output
close-programs.bat -f -v notepad

# Preview what would be closed
close-programs.bat -w

# Use custom configuration file
close-programs.bat -c my-programs.txt

Using PowerShell Directly

# Close programs from configuration file
.\close-programs.ps1

# Close specific programs
.\close-programs.ps1 -ProcessNames "notepad", "chrome", "firefox"

# Force close programs
.\close-programs.ps1 -ProcessNames "notepad" -Force

# Preview mode
.\close-programs.ps1 -WhatIf

# Verbose output
.\close-programs.ps1 -Verbose

# Custom configuration file
.\close-programs.ps1 -ConfigFile "custom-list.txt"

Command Line Options

Batch File Options

• -f, --force - Force close programs without graceful shutdown
• -v, --verbose - Enable verbose output
• -w, --whatif - Show what would be closed without actually closing
• -c, --config - Specify custom configuration file
• -h, --help - Show help message

PowerShell Parameters

• -ProcessNames - Array of process names to close
• -ConfigFile - Path to configuration file (default: program-list.txt)
• -Force - Force close programs
• -Verbose - Enable verbose output
• -WhatIf - Preview mode

Configuration File

Edit program-list.txt to specify which programs should be closed by default:

# Lines starting with # are comments
# List one program name per line (without .exe extension)

notepad
chrome
firefox
calculator

# Wildcard patterns are supported:
*chrome*    # Matches all Chrome-related processes
notepad*    # Matches notepad and notepad++
*office*    # Matches all Office applications
java*       # Matches all Java processes

Wildcard Patterns

The script supports PowerShell wildcard patterns:

• * - Matches any number of characters
• ? - Matches a single character
• *chrome* - Matches any process containing "chrome"
• notepad* - Matches processes starting with "notepad"
• *update* - Matches any process containing "update"

Examples

Close Common Programs

close-programs.bat notepad chrome firefox discord

Close All Chrome-Related Processes

close-programs.bat "*chrome*"

Close All Processes Starting with "java"

close-programs.bat "java*"

Force Close All Programs from Config

close-programs.bat -f

Preview Mode (Safe Testing)

close-programs.bat -w

Verbose Logging

close-programs.bat -v notepad

Safety Features

1. Graceful Close First: The script tries to close programs gracefully before forcing
2. Process Verification: Checks if processes exist before attempting to close
3. Error Handling: Proper error handling and logging
4. Preview Mode: Test what would be closed with -w or -WhatIf
5. Logging: All actions are logged to close-programs.log

Requirements

• Windows with PowerShell (Windows 7/Server 2008 R2 or later)
• PowerShell execution policy allowing script execution

Setting Up PowerShell Execution Policy

If you get execution policy errors, run this command as Administrator:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "Access is denied" / "Exception calling Kill"

   • Run Command Prompt or PowerShell as Administrator
   • Some processes (services, system processes) require elevated permissions
   • Check the Troubleshooting section below for detailed solutions

2. "Execution of scripts is disabled"

   • Run the batch file instead: close-programs.bat
   • Or set PowerShell execution policy (see above)

3. "Process not found"

   • Make sure the process name is correct (without .exe)
   • Use Task Manager to verify the exact process name

4. Process won't close gracefully

   • Use force mode: close-programs.bat -f
   • Some processes may need to be closed from their system tray first

Log File

Check close-programs.log for detailed information about script execution, including:

• Which programs were found and closed
• Any errors encountered
• Timestamps for all actions

Customization

Adding More Programs

Edit program-list.txt and add program names (one per line, without .exe extension):

# My custom programs
myapp
anotherapp

Creating Custom Scripts

You can create specialized scripts for different scenarios:

# Gaming session cleanup
close-programs.bat steam discord obs64

# Work day cleanup  
close-programs.bat chrome slack teams outlook

# Development cleanup
close-programs.bat code devenv notepad++

License

This project is released under the MIT License. Feel free to modify and distribute as needed.

---

Troubleshooting Guide

Common "Access Denied" Scenarios and Solutions

1. Standard User vs Administrator

Problem: Process requires administrator privileges to close

[ERROR] Access denied terminating 'ProcessName' (Owner: SYSTEM\User). Try running as Administrator.

Solutions:

• Right-click Command Prompt → "Run as Administrator", then run close-programs.bat
• Right-click PowerShell → "Run as Administrator"
• Use: powershell -Command "Start-Process PowerShell -ArgumentList '-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File close-programs.ps1' -Verb RunAs"

2. System Services

Problem: Trying to close a Windows service process

[WARNING] Skipping process 'ProcessName' (PID: 1234): Windows service: ServiceName

Solutions:

• Stop the service first: net stop ServiceName or Stop-Service ServiceName
• Use Services.msc to stop the service manually
• Some services cannot be stopped (critical system services)

3. Protected Processes

Problem: Process is protected by Windows

[ERROR] Access denied closing 'ProcessName' (Owner: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM). Process may be protected.

Solutions:

• These are usually system processes that shouldn't be closed
• Remove from your program list if it's a system process
• Use Task Manager as Administrator if absolutely necessary

4. Process Already Closed

Problem: Process exits before we can close it

[INFO] Process 'ProcessName' (PID: 1234) has already exited

Solution: This is normal behavior, no action needed

Safe Testing Approaches

Preview Mode First

Always test with preview mode before actual closing:

# Safe preview
close-programs.bat -w

# After confirming, run normally
close-programs.bat

Check Process Ownership

Use Task Manager to see process details:

1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc)
2. Go to "Details" tab
3. Right-click columns → Add "User name"
4. Check which user owns the process

Program-Specific Solutions

Common Programs That May Need Admin Rights:

• System utilities: Task Manager, Registry Editor
• Security software: Antivirus, Windows Defender
• Hardware utilities: Graphics drivers, system monitoring tools
• Services: Background services, system daemons

MouseWithoutBorders Specific:

MouseWithoutBorders may run with elevated privileges. Options:

1. Exit from system tray first
2. Run script as Administrator
3. Stop the service: net stop "Mouse without Borders"

Alternative Closing Methods

1. Using TASKKILL Command

# Graceful close
taskkill /IM ProcessName.exe

# Force close
taskkill /F /IM ProcessName.exe

# Close by PID
taskkill /F /PID 1234

2. Using WMIC

# Get process info
wmic process where name="ProcessName.exe" get ProcessId,CommandLine

# Terminate process
wmic process where name="ProcessName.exe" delete

3. Using PowerShell Stop-Process

# Graceful stop
Stop-Process -Name "ProcessName"

# Force stop
Stop-Process -Name "ProcessName" -Force

# Stop by ID
Stop-Process -Id 1234 -Force

Configuration Best Practices

Safe Program List

Focus on user applications rather than system processes:

# Safe to close (user applications)
notepad
chrome
firefox
vlc
spotify
discord

# Avoid system processes
# svchost
# winlogon  
# csrss

Testing New Programs

When adding new programs to your list:

1. Add one at a time
2. Test with -w (preview mode) first
3. Check if it requires admin rights
4. Verify it closes properly

Emergency Recovery

If you accidentally close critical processes:

1. Restart Windows - safest option
2. Start Task Manager: Ctrl+Shift+Esc
3. Run new process: File → Run new task → explorer.exe
4. System Restore: If system becomes unstable

Getting Help

Check the Log File

Always check close-programs.log for detailed error information:

type close-programs.log | findstr ERROR

Process Information Commands

# List all processes
Get-Process | Sort-Object Name

# Get specific process details
Get-Process ProcessName | Select-Object *

# Check if running as admin
([Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal][Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()).IsInRole([Security.Principal.WindowsBuiltInRole]::Administrator)