How to Restart Windows 10 & 11: Five Easy Step-by-Step Methods

Restarting/rebooting Windows closes all apps, shuts down Windows, and turns it back on. Sometimes, this can be very helpful in speeding up your device (especially after heavy use) since the memory (RAM) is cleared with every restart. This article explains all the ways you can restart a Windows 10 or 11 PC, including helpful shortcuts you can use without a mouse.

Before you restart: Save any unsaved work in open apps. Rebooting your computer will close open apps, and any unsaved work since your last save will be discarded.

Rebooting a PC With the Keyboard

To restart your Windows computer with your keyboard, press Win+D to show the desktop, then press Alt+F4 to bring up the Windows shutdown menu. Choose Restart in the dropdown to restart your PC. You can also press Ctrl+Alt+Del and click the power button in the bottom-right corner to restart your PC.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Using a Keyboard Shortcut (Alt+F4)

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1
Navigate to the desktop. Press ⊞ Win+D simultaneously. There are other different ways of doing this:
- Close all open apps. Close each app individually by clicking the ✕ button in the upper-right corner of each window.
- Clicking the very bottom-right of the screen, on the taskbar.
2
Open the "Shut Down Windows" dialog box. Press Alt+F4 together.
- Using this shortcut while an app is open will only close that app window. To restart Windows with this shortcut, you must be on the desktop without open apps.
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3
Click the dropdown menu and choose the Restart option. This dropdown is below the text that says "What do you want to do?"
- If your mouse doesn't work, you can press the Tab ↹ key until the menu is selected, press ↵ Enter to expand it, then use the arrow keys to select the Restart option.
Press OK or hit ↵ Enter to reboot your Windows computer.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Using a Keyboard Shortcut (Ctrl+Alt+Del)

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This shortcut will open a blue screen containing many different links and icons. From here, you will be able to restart Windows.
2
Click the power
icon. A context menu that provides multiple different power options will appear.
- The icon is at the bottom right. It appears as a circle with a vertical line towards the top of it.
- If your mouse isn't working, use the Tab ↹ key to select the Power icon, then press ↵ Enter to expand the menu.
3
Click Restart. Your device will turn off and power back on.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- If you aren't using a mouse, use the arrow keys to select the Restart option, then press ↵ Enter to confirm.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Using the Start Menu

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1
Launch the Start menu. Click the Start
button located at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
- Alternatively, press the ⊞ Win keyboard key.
2
Click the power
icon. A context menu that provides multiple different power options will appear.
- The icon is right above the Start
  button. On Windows 11, it's across from your name. It has a circle with a vertical line towards the top of it.
Your device will turn off and power back on.^{[2]
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Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

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Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Using the Power User Menu

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1
Launch the Power User menu. Press the ⊞ Win+X keys together.
- Alternatively, right-click the Start
  button. Touchscreen device users can hold down and release.
2
Hover over/select Shut down or sign out. This option is located second from the bottom. Choosing this will prompt a submenu to appear to the right of the main context menu.
- You can also press the U keyboard key.
Pressing the R keyboard key will perform the same action as clicking Restart.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Using Command Prompt

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1
Open the Command Prompt. Press ⊞ Win+X and choose Command Prompt or Terminal (Windows 11).
- You can also press ⊞ Win+R, type cmd, and hit ↵ Enter or click OK.
2
Enter shutdown /r. Your computer will restart in about a minute. If you want your computer to restart immediately, type shutdown /r /t 0.
- Abort the shutdown by using shutdown /a.
This will submit the command.
You'll get a notification telling you that you'll be signed out in less than a minute, unless you did the immediate restart command.

Community Q&A

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Question

I tried the 3rd option but it isn't working and my laptop was still on. What can I do?

Community Answer

Try again and if it still doesn't work, try one of the other options.

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My laptop is on but the screen is blank, what should I do?

Rupert

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Try holding your power button for ten seconds or longer. This should force shut down your computer by effectively cutting its power, and will override any warnings about open programs or unsaved work.

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Question

If the PC is frozen, can you press and hold the Power button for 10 seconds to restart your PC?

Cesar James F. Suico (Good Boy)

Community Answer

Yes, that will work. If the PC is frozen, press and hold the Power button for 10 seconds to force restart your PC.

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You can restart in Safe Mode if you need to try and fix something on your computer. If you're on Windows 10, go to Settings > Update & security > Recovery > Advanced start-up > Restart now. If you're on Windows 11, go to Settings > System > Recovery > Advanced start-up > Restart now.

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To restart from the sign-in screen, click the Power icon (bottom-right) and choose Restart.

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If the computer is frozen, you'll need to do a hard reboot. You should only do this if the steps listed above didn’t work, since there's a risk of data corruption and loss, among other issues. Here's how:

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* Press and hold the power button on the computer until it turns off. This button is usually located on the side/top of your laptop, or on the front of the “tower” part of your desktop computer. * Press the power button once again to turn it back on.

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