xkill(1)

NAME

   xkill - kill a client by its X resource

SYNOPSIS

   xkill  [-display  displayname] [-id resource] [-button number] [-frame]
   [-all] [-version]

DESCRIPTION

   Xkill is a utility for forcing the X server  to  close  connections  to
   clients.   This  program  is very dangerous, but is useful for aborting
   programs that have displayed undesired windows on a user's screen.   If
   no  resource identifier is given with -id, xkill will display a special
   cursor as a prompt for the user to select a window to be killed.  If  a
   pointer button is pressed over a non-root window, the server will close
   its connection to the client that created the window.

OPTIONS

   -display displayname
           This option specifies the name of the X server to contact.

   -id resource
           This option specifies the X identifier for the  resource  whose
           creator  is  to be aborted.  If no resource is specified, xkill
           will display a special cursor with which you  should  select  a
           window to be kill.

   -button number
           This  option specifies the number of pointer button that should
           be used in selecting a window to kill.  If the  word  "any"  is
           specified,  any button on the pointer may be used.  By default,
           the first button in the  pointer  map  (which  is  usually  the
           leftmost button) is used.

   -all    This  option  indicates that all clients with top-level windows
           on the screen should be killed.  Xkill will ask you  to  select
           the  root  window with each of the currently defined buttons to
           give you several chances to  abort.   Use  of  this  option  is
           highly discouraged.

   -frame  This  option  indicates  that  xkill should ignore the standard
           conventions for finding top-level  client  windows  (which  are
           typically  nested  inside  a window manager window), and simply
           believe that you want to kill direct children of the root.

   -version
           This option makes xkill print  its  version  and  exit  without
           killing anything.

CAVEATS

   This  command  does not provide any warranty that the application whose
   connection to the X server is closed will abort nicely, or  even  abort
   at  all.  All  this  command  does  is to close the connection to the X
   server.  Many  existing  applications  do  indeed  abort   when   their
   connection to the X server is closed, but some can choose to continue.

XDEFAULTS

   Button  Specifies a specific pointer button number or the word "any" to
           use when selecting windows.

SEE ALSO

   X(7), xwininfo(1), XKillClient(3), XGetPointerMapping(3), KillClient in
   the X Protocol Specification

AUTHOR

   Jim Fulton, MIT X Consortium
   Dana Chee, Bellcore

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Free and Open Source Software