Restart is a system process that power cycles your device and reboots it. Users may need to restart their device to perform system updates, refresh processes, carry out driver updates, and refresh a frozen PC.
With the huge interface overhaul brought by Windows 11, users may feel unfamiliar while navigating the new operating system. Important functions like shutdown and restart options may be difficult to find and execute. And for this, we have listed methods by which users can restart their devices.
How to Restart on Windows 11
Restarting your device is a fairly straightforward process. Fortunately, Windows provides users with multiple ways to restart their devices. The easiest method to restart your device is to simply press the restart button and wait until the system boots back.
However, the location and availability of the restart button are different for every device and model. Users will need to refer to the product manual or the manufacturer’s site for additional details.
Other methods by which users can restart devices running Windows 11 are listed below in detail.
From Power Menu
The easiest method to restart your device is from the power menu. This option is located in the Start menu of your device. To restart your device from the Power menu
- Press the Windows key or click on the Start button
- Navigate to the Power menu
- Click on Restart to proceed
Right Click Start Menu
Another method to restart your device is through the Power user task menu. This menu lets users restart their devices without the need for launching the Start menu. To restart from the Power user menu
- Right-click on the Start menu
- Hover on Shut down or sign out option
- On the next menu, select Restart to proceed
From Run Commands
Run is a single-line command interface that besides launching applications, can also be used to execute system commands and actions. This includes shutting down or restarting your device as well. To restart Windows from Run
- Press the Windows key + R to open Run
- Type
shutdown /r
and press the Enter key - The device will now restart in a short while
Using a Command Terminal
The command interface interprets text and syntaxes entered by the user to carry out processes in the system. It can be used to emulate the graphical user interface actions to shutdown or restart the device. To restart the device, users can execute the command from both Command Prompt and Windows PowerShell. To do this
- Press the Windows key + R to open Run
- Type
cmd
orpowershell
and press Enter to launch the desired terminal - On the console, type
shutdown /r
to immediately restart your device - To perform a delayed restart, type
shutdown /r /t <time in seconds>
[eg: shutdown /r /t 120]
Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts can also be used to directly launch the power menu if the mouse or the user interface is not working properly. There are multiple methods by which the user can enter the power menu by using a keyboard. To restart from keyboard shortcuts
- Navigate to the desktop and press the Alt key + F4 together to open the Shutdown Windows menu
- Click on the drop-down menu and select Restart to restart your device
- Your device will now begin to restart immediately
Another method to restart the device from a keyboard shortcut is to launch the security options menu and restart the device from there
- Navigate to the desktop and press the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys together
- On the panel, press the power icon located in the bottom right corner
- From the menu, click on Restart to restart your device
From Login Screen
Users can restart their device from the login screen when they perform a cold boot or lock their device. To restart from the login screen
- If you are logged in, log off or press the Windows key + L to lock the device
- Press any key to open the password/PIN input field
- On the bottom right, click on the power icon
- Select Restart from the menu to perform a restart on your device
Scheduled Restart from Task Scheduler
Task scheduler is a component on Windows OS that can perform a task automatically after a set period of time. The task needs to be defined by the user. With the help of a task scheduler, users can perform an automatic restart process on their devices after a set period of time. To do this
- Open Run and type
taskschd.msc
to open the task scheduler - On the left panel, select and right-click on the Task Scheduler Library and select New Folder
- Give the folder an appropriate name and click on OK
- Select the folder and click Create basic task from the right pane
- Give the task a name and description
- On the Trigger section, select a schedule and click on Next
- Specify the time when you want to reboot your device and click on Next
- On action, choose Start a program and click on Next
- On Program/script, type
shutdown /r
and click on Next - Click Yes on the prompt and select Finish to complete the process
Desktop Shortcut
You can create an executable desktop shortcut that can be launched quickly to perform a system reboot. To do this
- Navigate to the desktop and right-click on an empty space
- Click on New and select Shortcut
- On the type the location of the item section, type
shutdown /r
and click on Next - Type a name for the shortcut and click on Finish
[eg:restart.exe
] - Double-click on the shortcut to initiate a system reboot