How to Restart a Windows Computer (Manually or on a Schedule)

Updated

You can restart Windows in three ways: the Start menu (or Ctrl+Alt+Del screen) for a normal manual restart, the shutdown /r command when you want a one-line trigger or a timed delay, and Task Scheduler or a power utility such as the one at rtmenu.com when you need the restart to happen automatically on a schedule. All three assume you can sign in to Windows and that you save open work first — a restart closes every running app without asking again.

Restart manually from the Start menu

  1. Save your open documents and close apps that hold unsaved data.
  2. Open the Start menu.
  3. Click the Power icon.
  4. Choose Restart.

The screen goes dark, Windows shuts down services and drivers, then boots again to the sign-in screen. This is the method to use when Windows is responsive and you just want a clean reboot.

If the Start menu is unresponsive, press Ctrl+Alt+Del. The security screen that appears has a power icon in the bottom-right corner with the same Restart option, and it works even when the taskbar or Start menu is frozen.

Before you restart

  • Save files in every open application. Windows does not prompt each app individually during a restart.
  • Note anything you were doing in a browser or editor that does not auto-restore.
  • If a long-running job is in progress (a render, a download, a backup), let it finish or pause it first.

Restart from the command line

The shutdown command gives you a restart you can type, script, or delay.

Open Command Prompt (search "cmd" in the Start menu) or the Run dialog (Win+R) and enter:

shutdown /r /t 0
  • /r tells Windows to restart rather than shut down.
  • /t 0 sets the delay to zero seconds. Change it to /t 60 to restart after one minute.

To cancel a pending restart before the timer expires:

shutdown /a

The /a switch aborts the shutdown or restart. This is the recovery step when you scheduled a restart and changed your mind.

What to expect: with /t 0 the machine restarts almost immediately, so run it only after saving. With a delay, Windows shows a notification counting down, and /a stops it.

Schedule an automatic restart

Two built-in routes cover most scheduled-restart needs.

Task Scheduler

  1. Open Task Scheduler from the Start menu.
  2. Choose Create Basic Task and give it a name such as "Scheduled restart".
  3. Set the trigger — for example Daily at a fixed time, or Weekly on chosen days.
  4. For the action, choose Start a program and enter shutdown as the program, with /r /t 60 in the arguments field.
  5. Finish the wizard, then open the task's properties and tick Run whether user is logged on or not if the restart must fire even when nobody is signed in.

The 60-second delay gives anyone at the machine a chance to save and, if needed, run shutdown /a.

A power utility

The site behind this article, rtmenu.com, describes a Windows power utility that can "Schedule Auto Shutdown, Log Off, Restart, Hibernate and other computer control features," and also create desktop shortcuts for actions like shutting down the computer or logging off the current user. That is the alternative when you would rather pick a restart time from a small tray tool than build a task by hand.

The same site lists an IP Address Utility that "displays IP Address as visible to the outside world (external ip address) in a customizable window." That is a separate function from restarting — useful if you want to confirm your public IP after a reboot changes your connection, not a restart tool itself.

The site mentions registration and free upgrades in its description. It does not state a price or whether any feature works without registering, so treat the free/paid boundary as unconfirmed and check the site directly if that matters to you.

Restart vs. shut down vs. hibernate

Action What it does When to use it
Restart Closes Windows, then boots again in one step Applying updates, clearing a stuck state, finishing a driver install
Shut down Closes Windows and powers off You are done for the day
Hibernate Saves memory to disk and powers off You want to resume your open session later

A restart is the right choice when the goal is a fresh session rather than an off machine. Hibernate preserves your open apps, so it does not give you the clean state a restart does.

If the restart hangs or fails

  • Stuck on "Restarting": wait several minutes. If nothing changes, hold the power button until the machine turns off, then power it back on.
  • Restart loops back to the sign-in screen or a recovery page: let Windows finish any pending update. Interrupting an update mid-install is a common cause of repeated restarts.
  • A scheduled restart never fires: open Task Scheduler, select the task, and check its Last Run Result. A task set to run only when the user is logged on will not fire at the sign-in screen.
  • The restart command is rejected: confirm you are running it from an account with shutdown rights. On a managed work PC, policy may block the command entirely.

Quick reference

  • Manual: Start → Power → Restart, or Ctrl+Alt+Del → power icon → Restart.
  • Command: shutdown /r /t 0 to restart now, /t 60 for a one-minute delay, shutdown /a to cancel.
  • Automatic: Task Scheduler with the shutdown program and /r arguments, or a power utility with a built-in schedule.
  • Always save open work first — a restart does not ask each app to save.