How to Restart Windows 10

Опубликовал Admin

17-08-2017, 13:25

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Restarting/rebooting Windows 10 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 multiple different methods of restarting Windows 10.

Before you start: Save any unsaved work in open apps. Performing a restart will close open apps, and any unsaved work since your last save opportunity will be discarded and most likely lost.

Using the Start Menu

Launch the Start menu. Click the Start button located at the bottom-left of the screen.
- Alternatively, press the ⊞ Win keyboard key.
Click the power icon. A context menu that provides multiple different power options will appear.
- The icon is right above the Start button. It appears as circle with a vertical line towards the top of it.
Click Restart. Your device will turn off and power back on.

Using the Power User Menu

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.
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.
Click Restart. Pressing the R keyboard key will perform the same action as clicking Restart.

Using the "Shut Down Windows" Dialog Box

Navigate to the desktop. Press ⊞ Win+D simultaneously. There are other different ways of doing this:
- Close all open apps. Use the ✕ button.
- Clicking the very bottom-right of the screen, on the taskbar.
Open the "Shut Down Windows" dialog box. Press Alt+F4 together.
- Pressing the keys together while an app is displayed will cause the window to close.
Click the dropdown menu. It's right below the "What do you want the computer do do?" line of text.
Choose the Restart option.
Confirm the restart. Press OK or hit ↵ Enter.

Using Ctrl + Alt + Del

Access the Windows Security Screen. Press the Ctrl+Alt+Del keys together. A blue screen containing many different links and icons should appear.
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 circle with a vertical line towards the top of it.
Click Restart. Your device will turn off and power back on.

Using the Command Prompt

Open the Command Prompt. Press ⊞ Win+X and choose Command Prompt. You can also use the C key.
- You can also press ⊞ Win+R, type cmd, and hit ↵ Enter or click OK.
Enter shutdown/r. If wanted, you can substitute the slash / with a hyphen -.
- Abort the shutdown by using shutdown /a
Hit the ↵ Enter key. This will submit the command.
Dismiss the notification. You'll get a notification telling you that you'll be signed out in less than a minute. Click Close to dismiss it.

Tips

To restart from the sign-in screen, click the Powericon (bottom-right) and choose Restart.
You can restart in Safe Mode by going to "Start > Settings > Update & security > Recovery > Advanced start-up > Restart now".
If the computer is frozen, you'll need to do a hardware 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:
- 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.
The Command Prompt commands can also be run via the Run (⊞ Win+R) dialog box.