Restarting Windows 10 will close all applications, shut down Windows, and then restart it. Sometimes this can improve the performance of the computer (especially after intensive work), because each time it restarts, the memory (RAM) is cleared. This article provides several different ways to restart Windows 10.
Before proceeding: be sure to save your current work in all open programs. Since restarting the computer will close all open applications, any unsaved work will be lost
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Via the Start Menu
Step 1. Open the Start menu
Click on the "Start" button
in the lower left corner of the screen
Or press the ⊞ Win key on your keyboard
Step 2. Tap on the power off icon
The context menu that appears will list several different power off options.
- This icon is located right above the Start button
-
Windowsstart and looks like a circle with a vertical line at the top.
Step 3. Tap on Restart to turn off and on the device again
Method 2 of 5: Via the Power Management Menu
Step 1. Open the power management menu
Press ⊞ Win + X on your keyboard.
- Or just right click on the Start button
-
Windowsstart … If you have a touchscreen, hold the menu down for a few seconds and then release the press.
Step 2. Move the cursor over the penultimate item in the list - Shutdown or logout
Another context menu will appear to the right of the main menu.
Or press the U key on your keyboard
Step 3. Click on Restart
You can achieve the same result by pressing R on your keyboard.
Method 3 of 5: Via the Shut Down Windows Dialog Box
Step 1. Go to your desktop
Press ⊞ Win + D at the same time. There are other ways to do this:
- close all open programs with the ✕ button;
- click on the button on the taskbar in the lower right corner of the screen.
Step 2. Open the Shut Down Windows dialog box
Press Alt + F4 at the same time.
Using this keyboard shortcut in an open program will close the program window
Step 3. Click on the drop-down menu under the line: "What should the computer do?"
Step 4. Select the Restart option
Step 5. Confirm restarting the computer by pressing OK or ↵ Enter
Method 4 of 5: Via Ctrl + alt = "Image" + Del
Step 1. Open the Windows Security Settings screen
Press Ctrl + Alt + Del at the same time. You will be taken to a blue screen with various options and icons.
Step 2. Tap on the power off icon
The context menu that appears will list several different power off options.
This icon can be found in the lower right corner of the screen. It looks like a circle with a vertical line at the top
Step 3. Tap on Restart to turn off and on the device
Method 5 of 5: Via the command line
Step 1. Run Command Prompt
Press ⊞ Win + X and select Command Prompt (or press the C key).
Or press ⊞ Win + R, type cmd and press ↵ Enter or OK
Step 2. Enter shutdown / r
Replace the forward slash / hyphen - if you like.
To abort the shutdown of the computer, use the shutdown / a command
Step 3. Press the ↵ Enter key to execute the command
Step 4. Close the notification
A notification will appear on the screen informing you that the computer will restart in less than a minute. Click Close to close it.
Advice
- To restart your computer on the welcome screen, click on the power off icon
-
Windowspower (lower right corner) and select Restart.
- To restart your computer in Safe Mode, select Start> Settings> Update & Security> Recovery> Special Boot Options> Restart Now.
- If the computer freezes, perform a hard restart. This method should only be used if none of the above methods prove to be effective, because in this case there is a risk of data corruption and loss. A hard reboot can be done as follows:
- Press and hold the power button on your computer until it turns off. This button is usually found on the side / top of your laptop or on the front of your computer case.
- Press the power button again to turn on the computer.
- Command line commands can also be run through the Run dialog box (⊞ Win + R).