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