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Stop or cancel the current task

Press Esc to stop or cancel the current operation, such as closing a dialog box, canceling a drag-and-drop, or exiting full-screen mode.

Esc

When to use it

Use Esc when you want to abort a running task, dismiss a pop-up, or return to the previous state without committing changes.

Pro tip

In many applications, pressing Esc twice can force-close a stuck dialog or exit a full-screen video.

Esc F1 F2 F3 F4
F5 F6 F7 F8
F9 F10 F11 F12
PrtSc Scroll Pause
` ~ 1 ! 2 @ 3 # 4 $ 5 % 6 ^ 7 & 8 * 9 ( 0 ) - _ = +
Ins Home PgUp
Tab Q W E R T Y U I O P [ { ] } \ |
Del End PgDn
Caps A S D F G H J K L ; : ' " Enter
Shift Z X C V B N M , < . > / ? Shift
Ctrl Win Alt Space Fn Alt Ctrl

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