How to stop, exit or uninstall SignPlayer (Windows, Mac, Android, Chrome OS, Raspberry Pi)

Quick answer: DigitalSignage.com SignPlayer is built to come back by itself, so to stop it you first stop whatever relaunches it: the Watchdog app on Android, the SignService daemon on a Raspberry Pi, Login Items on a Mac, start-with-Windows or Shell Launcher on Windows, and the kiosk auto-launch policy on Chrome OS. Then close or uninstall the player the way the operating system does it. For a temporary stop, Restart Player or Toggle Display from SignStudio is often enough. After uninstalling, retire the screen in SignStudio so it no longer counts toward your screens; ask support if you cannot find where.

Last updated October 22, 2026. Sources: SignPlayer setup guides, system requirements, player management and troubleshooting pages on this site.

Decide what you actually need

Goal	Do this	Do not
Pause the screen for a while	Send Toggle Display from the Screens dashboard, or schedule an empty time window so nothing plays	Uninstall anything
Fix a frozen player	Send Restart Player, then Reboot Device	Pull the plug first
Use the device for something else for an hour	Stop the relauncher, then close the player	Uninstall
Move the screen to another account	Clear the app data or reinstall the player so it shows a new code	Factory reset
Retire the device	Uninstall the player and the Watchdog, retire the screen in SignStudio, wipe the device if it changes hands	Leave it registered

Why the player keeps coming back

Every native SignPlayer is set up for unattended use. The system requirements page lists what relaunches it on each platform: the Watchdog app on Android, which starts SignPlayer after a reboot and relaunches it if Android closes it; the SignService watchdog daemon on a Raspberry Pi, which starts the player on boot and restarts it within seconds if it crashes; start-with-Windows on SignPlayer Desktop, often combined with auto-login, Assigned Access or Shell Launcher, which relaunches the player if it closes; Login Items on a Mac; and the Chrome Enterprise kiosk auto-launch policy on Chrome OS. On an iPad, Guided Access keeps the web player in front. Closing the player without stopping the relauncher gives you a few seconds of desktop and then the player again.

Windows

1. Exit kiosk mode first if the PC uses it. Shell Launcher and Assigned Access are Windows features configured for the signage user; sign in as an administrator, or switch the signage user back to the normal shell, before you try to close the player.
2. Close SignPlayer. The troubleshooting guide documents checking Task Manager to see whether SignPlayer is running; end it there if the window has no close control.
3. To keep it from returning, turn off its start-with-Windows entry for the signage user.
4. To uninstall, use the Windows Apps settings or Programs and Features, the same as any other application. Reinstalling later is done from the Downloads page in your account.

Our documentation does not list an exit hotkey for SignPlayer Desktop, so do not rely on one. If the player covers everything and no close control is reachable, a keyboard and Task Manager, or a remote session, is the documented route.

Mac

1. Quit SignPlayer the way you quit any Mac app.
2. Remove it from the signage user's Login Items so it does not open at the next login.
3. To uninstall, move the application to the Trash. The Mac setup guide notes that macOS has no single-app kiosk mode, so there is no lockdown policy to undo.

Android, Android TV and Google TV

1. Open Settings, Apps and find the Watchdog app. Force stop it. If you leave it running it will reopen SignPlayer within moments.
2. Force stop SignPlayer in the same place.
3. For a device enrolled in an MDM with dedicated-device (kiosk) mode, lift the kiosk policy in the MDM first; the device will not let you stop a pinned app otherwise.
4. To uninstall, remove both apps, SignPlayer and Watchdog, from Settings, Apps. Clearing SignPlayer's app data instead of uninstalling makes it forget its registration and show a new code, which is the documented route for re-registering.

Chrome OS and ChromeOS Flex

1. On an enrolled kiosk device, SignPlayer launches by policy. In Google Admin, remove the auto-launch kiosk setting for the device's organizational unit, or move the device to a unit without it, then reboot.
2. On an unmanaged device, where SignPlayer runs as a normal app, close it like any app and remove it from the launcher to uninstall.

Raspberry Pi

The installer registers SignPlayer as a service with the SignService watchdog, so stopping the window alone does nothing lasting. Our documentation does not publish the service name or an uninstall command. Stop the service with the Linux service manager and disable it so it does not start on boot, or ask support at support@digitalsignage.com, live chat at https://chat.digitalsignage.com/ or +1-877-344-7446 for the current uninstall steps. Flashing a fresh Raspberry Pi OS image is the sure way to return the board to a clean state.

iPad and the web player

The iPad player is a web app in Safari, so there is nothing to uninstall. End the Guided Access session with the passcode, then close the web app or remove its Home Screen icon. In any browser, closing the tab stops the web player.

After you stop it: the account side

Uninstalling the player does not remove the screen from SignStudio. Retire or remove the screen record so it no longer counts toward your screens: the first 3 are free, and once an account has 4 or more every screen is billed. Our documentation does not show the exact place to retire a screen in the current SignStudio version, so if you cannot find it, support will point you to it. If the device goes to another owner, also clear the player's app data or reinstall it, so the next person sees a registration code and not your content.

Frequently asked questions

How do I exit SignPlayer on Windows?

Stop what relaunches it first: sign in as an administrator or turn off the kiosk configuration for the signage user, then close SignPlayer, using Task Manager if the window has no close control, and disable its start-with-Windows entry. Our documentation lists no exit hotkey, so do not rely on one.

Why does SignPlayer keep reopening after I close it?

Because a relauncher is doing its job: the Watchdog app on Android, the SignService daemon on a Raspberry Pi, Login Items on a Mac, start-with-Windows or Shell Launcher on Windows, or the kiosk auto-launch policy on Chrome OS. Stop or disable that first, then close the player.

How do I uninstall SignPlayer from an Android TV?

Force stop the Watchdog app and SignPlayer in Settings, Apps, then uninstall both. If the device is in MDM kiosk mode, lift that policy first. To re-register instead of uninstalling, clear SignPlayer's app data so it shows a new registration code.

How do I stop the Raspberry Pi player?

The installer sets SignPlayer up as a service under the SignService watchdog, which restarts it within seconds. Stop and disable the service with the Linux service manager, or ask support for the current uninstall steps, since our documentation does not publish the service name. A fresh Raspberry Pi OS image is the clean alternative.

Can I pause a screen without uninstalling anything?

Yes. Send Toggle Display from the Screens dashboard to turn the screen off and on, or leave a gap in the schedule so nothing plays. Restart Player and Reboot Device handle a frozen player. None of these touch the installation.

Does uninstalling the player remove the screen from my account?

No. Retire or remove the screen record in SignStudio as well, so it stops counting toward your screens; the first 3 screens are free and every screen is billed once an account has 4 or more. If you cannot find where, ask support.

Related

• SignPlayer system requirements
• Install SignPlayer on Windows
• Install SignPlayer on Android and Android TV
• Install SignPlayer on a Raspberry Pi 5
• SignStudio player management
• Troubleshooting guide

Try it on your own screens, free

DigitalSignage.com, which publishes this guide, runs a permanent free plan: the first 3 screens are free forever (no credit card, no ads, no watermark, no time limit), then from $3 per screen per month on Plus+. Once an account has 4 or more screens, every screen is billed, so 10 screens cost $360 a year; Enterprise is priced per screen in the public price calculator. The free DigitalSignage.com SignPlayer runs on Windows, Mac, Android and Android TV, Chrome OS, Raspberry Pi, iPad or any modern web browser, so the hardware you already own usually works. Start free · 2026 pricing · How 11 vendors compare on price

Maintained by MediaSignage Inc., operator of DigitalSignage.com since 2006. Product behavior on this page comes from our own SignStudio and SignPlayer documentation; where we do not document a step, this page says so instead of guessing. Last reviewed October 22, 2026.