8 Ways to Restart a Windows computer, restart when it crashes or freezes

Normally when restarting Windows 11/10/8/7, you will find the Start icon in the Taskbar but that has completely changed. Now, users can restart Windows computers using many different methods, helping restore the PC to its original state.

1. How to restart Windows computer using Start menu

The easiest and most used method today is through the Start menu.
Step 1: Click the Start icon on the Taskbar or press the Win button on the keyboard.

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Step 2: Click the Power icon =>  Restart .

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2. Restart your Windows computer using Power User Menu

Power User Menu provides many quick access options to some important utilities on your PC. Not only that, it also helps you restart or power off your Windows PC.
Step 1: Right-click on the Starts icon or use the Win + X key combination on the keyboard.
Step 2: Select Shut down or sign out => Restart .

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3. Use the Restart Windows computer combination

Another effective way that many users use to restart their PC is with the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Delete. This is the best option if the Taskbar is not working properly on your PC.
Step 1: Press the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Delete on the keyboard.
Step 2: Click the power icon => select Restart .

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4. Restart Windows PC using keyboard shortcuts

Step 1: Press the key combination Alt + F4 .
Step 2: Select Restart => press OK .

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5. How to restart Windows computer using Command Prompt

Step 1: Click the search bar and type CMD .

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- Click Run as administrator .

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Step 2: Type the command " shutdown -r " and press Enter on the keyboard.

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- A message will appear as shown below, click Close . Your computer will automatically restart after 60 seconds.

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- In case you want to cancel the Restart command, type " shutdown /a " into the console.

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6. Restart Windows from the login screen

When you're at the lock screen or logged into Windows, click the power icon in the bottom right corner and select Restart .

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7. Create a shortcut to restart your Windows computer

In addition to the power button and shortcut keys, readers can create shortcuts on the Desktop to quickly restart the PC.
Step 1: Right-click anywhere on the screen => press New => select Shortcut .

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Step 2: Enter Shutdown -r -t 00 in the blank box => Next .

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- Name the shortcut =>  Finish . Click the created Shortcut to restart the computer.

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8. Use the Emergency restart feature on PC

Step 1: Press the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Delete , hold down the Ctrl key => click the Power icon .

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Step 2: The Emergency restart message displays as shown below, click OK to emergency restart the computer.

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So with Windows using the above methods, you can completely restart your computer to fix unusual problems, as well as fix small errors. In case the above solutions are not effective, you can completely switch to the method of resetting Windows 10 or resetting Windows 11 back to its original state.

Jessica Tanner

Update 18 June 2024