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Desk Panic

Close the tab. Keep the work.

Panic now

    1. 01Do not type. Do not paste a saved password. Do not confirm Face ID, Touch ID, or a passkey on that prompt.
    2. 02A real system sheet comes from iPhone or Chrome. A padlock drawn on a webpage is not that sheet.
    3. 03Do not complete a “verify you are human” or “unusual login” form you did not start yourself.
    4. 04Close that tab only — next card. If you still need the real site, type the address in a new tab.

    A government tab that was already open is still there. Leave it. Do not sign in again through the overlay.

    1. 01Desktop: Ctrl+W (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+W (Mac). Or the X on that tab.
    2. 02iPhone: tap the tab switcher (square or number in the Chrome toolbar). Swipe the bad tab away, or hold it and choose Close Tab.
    3. 03Do not swipe Chrome off the iPhone app switcher. That force-quits every tab and can wipe unsaved forms.
    4. 04Do not click Restore settings, Reset Chrome, Clear all data, Sign out of all accounts, or Delete the app.

    This page cannot close the tab for you. There is no remote kill. You do it.

    1. 01Press Shift+Esc. If nothing happens, click Chrome’s title bar (above the page) first, then Shift+Esc.
    2. 02Or: three-dot menu → More tools → Task manager.
    3. 03Select the tab you do not trust, or a process using unusual CPU. End process.
    4. 04That tab dies. Other tabs in the window stay, including unsaved government forms.

    iPhone has no Task Manager. Use Close this tab only.

    Do not kill Chrome in the OS task manager or Force Quit. That is a full crash.

    1. 01Press and hold the card or fake button. Do not lift as a tap.
    2. 02If a preview, Share sheet, or menu appears: Copy or Copy Link, then Cancel. Do not Open.
    3. 03If the hold does nothing — no menu, no preview — it is not a link. It is a tap trap. Do not tap it.
    4. 04You can lock the phone (side button) and walk away. Chrome stays. Other tabs stay. Come back, tap Chrome in the dock (do not swipe it away), then close the bad tab from the switcher.

    If the card is in Mail, Messages, or Messenger, this website cannot see it and cannot stop the tap. Don’t tap. Hold a real link if there is one. Otherwise ignore or delete the message.