# How to stop a process on a port with NotchStar

> Press Stop on a Ports row, then press it again to confirm. NotchStar sends SIGTERM, a polite quit request, and never forces a process.

Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/help/stop-process-on-port-notchstar/
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Published 2026-11-04.

To stop a server on a port, open **Disk**, then **Monitor**, then **Ports**. Press **Stop** on its row. The button turns red and reads **Stop?**. Press it again to confirm. NotchStar then sends the process a SIGTERM, which is a normal request to quit.

## Steps

1. Find the row. The filter box takes a port, project or command.
2. Check the project and the command on the row so you are sure what it is.
3. Press **Stop**. Nothing is sent yet.
4. Press **Stop?** to confirm. The header shows Asked (name) to quit.

If you press a different row, or do nothing, the first press is not carried over to the new row. Confirmation belongs to one row at a time.

## What it does and does not do

- It sends SIGTERM only. It never sends SIGKILL, so a program that ignores the request keeps running.
- It signals a single process ID, the one that owns the listening port. Child processes it started may carry on, depending on the program.
- It works on your own processes. If macOS refuses, the header reads Could not stop (name).
- Process IDs of 1 and below are never signalled.

## After pressing it

The row disappears at the next refresh, which happens about every 9 seconds, if the program quit. If it is still there, it ignored the request or is slow to shut down. Wait a few seconds and look again. If it will not go, see [what NotchStar cannot stop](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-cannot-stop-process/).

For reading the row before you press, see [the Ports list columns](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-ports-list-columns/). For broader process detail, Activity Monitor is the tool, compared on [this page](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-system-stats-vs-activity-monitor/). The tab is on the [Disk feature page](https://www.notchstar.com/features/disk/).

## Quick answers.

### What is SIGTERM?

A standard request that asks a program to quit. A well behaved program saves its work and exits. Unlike SIGKILL, it can be ignored.

### Will it stop a process owned by someone else?

No. macOS only lets you signal your own processes, so the attempt fails and NotchStar says it could not stop it.

## Keep reading.

- [Disk space, duplicates, apps and cleanup](https://www.notchstar.com/features/disk/): See free space, find big folders, duplicates and app leftovers, compress media and clean caches from your Mac notch. Everything goes to the Trash.
- [What NotchStar cannot stop and why](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-cannot-stop-process/): Stop only asks your own processes to quit. It cannot stop system services, other users' processes or programs that ignore SIGTERM, and never forces.
- [What the NotchStar Ports list shows](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-ports-list-columns/): Ports lists every TCP port something is listening on, with the project folder, the command, local or network, and Open, Show and Stop buttons.
- [NotchStar System tab vs Activity Monitor](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-system-stats-vs-activity-monitor/): NotchStar gives five readings at a glance. Activity Monitor gives per process detail. What each shows, and when to open which.

## More in Ports.

- [What the NotchStar Ports list shows](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-ports-list-columns/): Ports lists every TCP port something is listening on, with the project folder, the command, local or network, and Open, Show and Stop buttons.
- [How to open a localhost port from NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/open-localhost-port-notchstar/): The arrow icon on a Ports row opens http://localhost and that port number in your default browser. It always uses http, not https.
- [How to show a port's project folder in Finder with NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/show-port-project-in-finder-notchstar/): The folder icon on a Ports row reveals the process's working directory in Finder. It is disabled when NotchStar cannot read that folder.
- [What NotchStar cannot stop and why](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-cannot-stop-process/): Stop only asks your own processes to quit. It cannot stop system services, other users' processes or programs that ignore SIGTERM, and never forces.