{
    "mode": "man",
    "parameter": "xkill",
    "section": "1",
    "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/xkill/1/json",
    "generated": "2026-05-30T05:14:23Z",
    "synopsis": "xkill [-display displayname] [-id resource] [-button number] [-frame] [-all] [-version]",
    "sections": {
        "NAME": {
            "content": "xkill - kill a client by its X resource\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SYNOPSIS": {
            "content": "xkill [-display displayname] [-id resource] [-button number] [-frame] [-all] [-version]\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "DESCRIPTION": {
            "content": "Xkill is a utility for forcing the X server to close connections to clients.  This program is\nvery dangerous, but is useful for aborting programs that have displayed undesired windows  on\na  user's  screen.  If no resource identifier is given with -id, xkill will display a special\ncursor as a prompt for the user to select a window to be killed.   If  a  pointer  button  is\npressed  over a non-root window, the server will close its connection to the client that cre‐\nated the window.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "OPTIONS": {
            "content": "",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "-display",
                    "content": "This option specifies the name of the X server to contact.\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-id",
                    "content": "This option specifies the X identifier for  the  resource  whose  creator  is  to  be\naborted.  If no resource is specified, xkill will display a special cursor with which\nyou should select a window to be kill.\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-button",
                    "content": "This option specifies the number of pointer button that should be used in selecting a\nwindow  to  kill.   If  the word \"any\" is specified, any button on the pointer may be\nused.  By default, the first button in the pointer map (which is usually the leftmost\nbutton) is used.\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-all",
                    "content": "killed.  Xkill will ask you to select the root window with each of the currently  de‐\nfined  buttons  to  give  you several chances to abort.  Use of this option is highly\ndiscouraged.\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-frame",
                    "content": "top-level client windows (which are typically nested inside a window manager window),\nand simply believe that you want to kill direct children of the root.\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-version",
                    "content": "This option makes xkill print its version and exit without killing anything.\n"
                }
            ]
        },
        "CAVEATS": {
            "content": "This command does not provide any warranty that the application whose  connection  to  the  X\nserver  is  closed will abort nicely, or even abort at all. All this command does is to close\nthe connection to the X server. Many existing applications do indeed abort when their connec‐\ntion to the X server is closed, but some can choose to continue.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "XDEFAULTS": {
            "content": "Button  Specifies  a  specific  pointer button number or the word \"any\" to use when selecting\nwindows.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SEE ALSO": {
            "content": "X(7), xwininfo(1), XKillClient(3), XGetPointerMapping(3), KillClient in the X Protocol Speci‐\nfication\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "AUTHOR": {
            "content": "Jim Fulton, MIT X Consortium\nDana Chee, Bellcore\n\n\n\nX Version 11                                 xkill 1.0.5                                    XKILL(1)",
            "subsections": []
        }
    },
    "summary": "xkill - kill a client by its X resource",
    "flags": [
        {
            "flag": "",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "This option specifies the name of the X server to contact."
        },
        {
            "flag": "",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "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."
        },
        {
            "flag": "",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "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."
        },
        {
            "flag": "",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "killed. Xkill will ask you to select the root window with each of the currently de‐ fined buttons to give you several chances to abort. Use of this option is highly discouraged."
        },
        {
            "flag": "",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "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."
        },
        {
            "flag": "",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "This option makes xkill print its version and exit without killing anything."
        }
    ],
    "examples": [],
    "see_also": [
        {
            "name": "X",
            "section": "7",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/X/7/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "xwininfo",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/xwininfo/1/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "XKillClient",
            "section": "3",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/XKillClient/3/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "XGetPointerMapping",
            "section": "3",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/XGetPointerMapping/3/json"
        }
    ]
}