How to Restart or Force Shut Down Your Computer
Restarting your computer is one of the most effective troubleshooting steps for a wide range of issues. It clears temporary files, resets services, and applies pending updates. A forced shutdown is a last resort for when your computer is completely unresponsive.
Graceful Restart (Preferred)
- Save all open work.
- Click the Start menu, click the Power icon, and select Restart.
- Wait for the computer to fully shut down and start again. Do not interrupt this process.
Important: Restart vs. Shut Down
On modern Windows systems, Shut down uses a feature called Fast Startup that saves a snapshot of your system state. This means a shutdown does not fully clear everything. Restart performs a full reset. When troubleshooting, always use Restart.
Force Shut Down (Unresponsive Computer)
Use this only when the computer is completely frozen and does not respond to any input:
- Try Ctrl + Alt + Delete first. If this screen appears, click the power icon in the bottom-right corner and select Restart.
- If nothing responds, press and hold the physical power button on your computer for 10 seconds until the screen goes black and the machine powers off.
- Wait 10 seconds, then press the power button to turn it back on.
After a Force Shutdown
Your computer may run a disk check on startup. Let it complete. Do not interrupt it. If your computer frequently becomes unresponsive, submit a ticket so CMO IT Services can investigate the underlying cause.
Need help? Submit a ticket and a CMO IT Services technician will assist you.
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