Knowing how to restart a computer on Windows 10 when it encounters a critical error will ensure that you do not damage the power source of your computer or motherboard. Whenever your computer’s operating system crashes, freezes, or displays a blue error screen, you will need to know how to reboot a computer in order to regain control over your computer. Sometimes, you won’t be able to move the mouse or keyboard to properly shut down the computer through Windows 10. Instead, you will need to know how to restart a computer manually. In this article, we will see a few methods on how to restart a computer.
To force a computer to restart, press and hold the power button for 5 seconds until the computer turns off, wait at least about 30 seconds before turning ON the system then press the power button to start the computer
How To Restart A Computer From The Start Menu
The standard and normal way to restart a computer on Windows 10 is by using the start menu on Windows.
Follow the steps below to restart a computer using from start menu on Windows 10:
- Click on the Start icon on the left end of the taskbar.
- Click on Power
- Click on Restart
After clicking on the restart button, your computer will restart it no program is blocking it.
Note: If some program is busy, Windows 10 will ask you if you want to “Force Restart”, confirm to restart your computer.
How To Restart A Computer Using A Shortcut
You can restart a computer on Windows 10 using a simple shortcut from your desktop. See below how to restart a computer using a shortcut.
- On your desktop, press Alt+F4.
- Select “Restart” from the list of options
- Click on OK to restart the computer.
This is how you restart a computer using a simple and handy shortcut.
How To Restart A Computer Manually When It’s Not Responding
Sometimes, your computer stops responding. whenever Windows 10 freezes, crashes or shows a blue screen of death, you won’t be able to move your mouse or use your keyboard to restart the computer. In such cases, you will need to know how to restart a computer manually using the power button of your computer.
- Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds until the computer turns off. The computer screen will turn black and may display a message indicating that it is not receiving a signal. You will also hear the computer’s fan and the power will turn off.
- Wait at least about 30 seconds before turning ON the system. (This will prevent your power supply, motherboard, and other critical hardware from being damaged from turning ON and OFF too quickly.
- Press the power button to start the computer.
This is how to restart a computer when Windows 10 is frozen and stops responding. You have no other choice than forcing your computer to shut down and turn it on again.
Please note that you have to be very cautious before using this method and only use it when you have no other choice. When your operating system is frozen it is advised to wait for a few minutes. Sometimes your system is just overloaded by high memory and processor consuming software and it just needs a few moments before unfreezing and starting to work normally again.
Forcefully restarting a computer can damage your system. So don’t use restart your computer using this method when it’s not necessary. Always restart your computer using the start menu when you can.
If your computer crashes and you can’t boot to Windows 10 anymore, see how to start Windows 10 in safe mode while booting.
