aKill - Batch Close Windows applications, including hidden and trayed

	Overview
-	Description
-	Usage
-	Newsletter
	Download
-	Freeware Setup
	Registration
-	How To

This freeware utility for Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Server 2003, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2019, 2022 allows you to list the opened windows (applications) on your Windows machine and to kill some of them by specifing their title.

Unlike other killing utilities it works also with hidden and system windows (for example trayed applications) and you can specify only a PART of the window caption.

For example, If you've opened three Windows named Notepad - first.txt, Notepad - second.txt and Notepad - third.txt, you can close all three in once by specifying only Notepad (or only one of them by specifying second.txt)

You can also export a list of all the opened windows (or only those that matches a specified title) into a text file, so that an external application can know in advance if a specific application is on execution, so it can decide whether to kill it or not (and which is the exact title to specify).

This is possible because @KILL can work also as a command line utility, by passing it some parameters, as described below, so it can be invoked by external applications and batch files.

@KILL closes the windows by sending them a WM_CLOSE message, which should be managed by any any well behaved Windows application. Please note however that an application can prompt the user for confirmation prior to destroying a window, so there's no garantee that an application can be really closed by @KILL. You should test it for a specific application before using it in a production environment.

Usage

@KILL can be invoked with some command line parameters to be used by external applications and batch files:

AKILL.EXE -L FileName WindowTitle

-L tells akill to export a list of all the opened windows into the specified file name.

FileName can be specified with an optional path and extension.
If you don't specify it, @KILL will export the list into the aKill.txt file, in the same directory where aKill.exe is located.
If you don't specify the extension, .TXT will be added to the specified FileName.

WindowTitle is optional.
If you don't specify it, @KILL will list all the opened windows, otherwise it will list only those windows whose title contains what you've specified (case sensitive).

For example:

c:\program files\akill\akill.exe -L : Will export the list of all the opened windows into the c:\program files\akill\akill.txt file.

akill.exe -L list : Will export the same list into the list.txt file (in the current directory).

akill.exe -L "c:\My Documents\list.wnd" : Will export the same list into the c:\My Documents\list.wnd file.

akill.exe -L "c:\My Documents\list.wnd" Program: Will export only the Windows titles containing the word Program into the c:\My Documents\list.wnd file.

AKILL.EXE -K WindowTitle

The -K parameter tells @KILL to close one of more windows.

WindowTitle is mandatory and case sensitive.

It does not have necessarily to be the EXACT Window caption. It can be only a pattern. @KILL will close all the windows containing that pattern in their caption.

If no windows contains WindowTitle in their captions, nothing will be closed.

WARNING: Don't set WindowTitle too short, otherwise you risk to close the wrong windows.

For example: if you'll run akill.exe -K "a" you'll close all the windows containing the character "a" in the title, including "Program Manager", so, shutting down Windows itself (not before receiving some error messages probably)

Download

Important: we have a new code signing certificate that may cause a Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warning after the download until the new certificate gains sufficient reputation.
If so, please choose Run anyway: the file doesn't contain any malware as you can see in this VirusTotal check.

Click here to download the freeware @Kill rel. 1.3 installer program (919 Kb)
for Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Server 2003, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2019 and 2022.

Newsletter

If you want to be informed about bug fixes, improvements, new releases, and other news about @Kill, please insert your e-mail address in the following box and press the Send button.
We do not sell or give out e-mail addresses. Your e-mail address will be used for this purpose only.

Registration

Registration is NOT required to use this software. You can use it for free as long as you want, either for private purposes or in commercial organizations.

However, if you wish to register your copy, will a small one time fee, the startup dialog will not be shown when using it with the command line parameters, as described above.

Click here to register your @Kill copy.

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