How to Restart Windows 11 (2024)

Restarting Windows is an effective troubleshooting technique known to fix a majority of trivial bugs and errors. There are various ways you can restart Windows, but most people just know a few. And with Windows 11 seeing a complete revamp of interface, you might be left with even fewer options.

Most people stick to the same method of restarting Windows, but it’s not the right approach. Knowing the various ways helps ensure that you can restart the system quickly and effectively, no matter its state. But before we walk you through the various methods, let’s understand the difference between ‘Reboot’ and ‘Restart’.

The terms reboot and restart are often mistaken to be synonymous. While reboot refers to reloading the OS, restart means restarting (stop and start) all processes of the OS.

Now, let’s see the various ways you can restart Windows 11.

1. Restart from the Start Menu

To restart Windows 11, click on the ‘Start’ icon in the Taskbar or press the WINDOWS key to launch the Start menu.

Next, click on the ‘Power’ button at the bottom-right of the Start menu and select ‘Restart’ from the list of options that appear.

2. Restart from Quick Access (Windows + X) Menu

You can also restart the system through the Quick Access menu, also referred to as the Power User menu, on Windows 11.

To restart Windows 11 via the Quick Access menu, right-click on the ‘Start’ icon in the Taskbar or press WINDOWS + X to launch the Quick Access menu.

Next, hover the cursor over ‘Shut down or sign out’, and select ‘Restart’ from the list of options that appear.

3. Restart Windows 11 with a Keyboard Shortcut

To restart Windows 11 via a keyboard shortcut, move to the Desktop, press ALT + F4 to launch the ‘Shut Down Windows’ box, and click on the drop-down menu to view the available options.

Next, select ‘Restart’ from the list of options.

Finally, click on ‘OK’ to restart the system.

4. Restart from Command Prompt

You can also restart the system by executing a simple command in the Command Prompt.

To restart Windows 11 via Command Prompt, search for ‘Windows Terminal’ in the ‘Search’ menu, and click on the relevant search result to launch the app.

If you haven’t set ‘Command Prompt’ as the default profile in ‘Terminal’ settings, the Windows Powershell tab will open by default. To open Command Prompt, click on the downward-facing arrow at the top and select ‘Command Prompt’ from the list options. Alternatively, you can press CTRL + SHIFT + 2 to launch the Command Prompt tab.

In Command Prompt, type or paste the following command and press ENTER to execute it.

shutdown /r

Windows 11 will restart in a short while.

5. Restart from Run Tool

The same command that you run in Command Prompt can be used the restart Windows through the Command Prompt.

To restart Windows 11 via the Run command, press WINDOWS + R to launch Run, type or paste the following command in the text field, and either press ENTER or click on ‘OK’ at the bottom to execute it.

shutdown /r

6. Restart using PowerShell

You can also restart Windows 11 by executing a simple shell command in Windows PowerShell.

To restart Windows 11 via PowerShell, search for ‘Windows Terminal’ in the ‘Search’ menu, and click on the relevant search result to launch the app.

In the Windows PowerShell tab that opens by default, type or paste the following shell command and press ENTER to execute it.

Restart-Computer

The shell command restarts the system quicker when compared to the Command Prompt method.

7. Restart from CTRL + ALT + DEL Menu

To restart Windows 11, press CTRL + ALT + DEL, and then click on the ‘Power’ icon at the bottom-right corner.

Next, select ‘Restart’ from the list of options that appear.

The Windows will now restart.

8. Restart from Sign in/Lock Screen

You can also restart Windows 11 from the sign-in/lock screen. The sign-in screen is the one that appears when you turn on the computer and mentions your username at the center along with the picture (if you have added any).

To restart Windows 11 from the sign-in/lock screen, click on the ‘Power’ icon at the bottom-right corner.

Next, select ‘Restart’ from the list of options that appear.

9. Restart using a Batch File

You can also restart Windows 11 by creating a batch (.bat) file. A batch file is used to run a series of commands. You can simply enter the commands in a text file and convert it to a batch file.

To restart Windows 11 with a batch file, right-click anywhere on the desktop, hover the cursor over ‘New’, and select ‘Text Document’.

Next, enter the following command in the text file, and then click on the ‘File’ menu at the top. The last two digits decide the time of restart. For the below command, the system will restart right away. In case you want to restart it after 30 seconds, replace ’00’ with ’30’ in the following command.

shutdown.exe /r /t 00

Now, click on ‘Save As’ in the drop-down menu. Alternatively, you can press CTRL + SHIFT + S to change its name and format.

Now, change the file name to ‘Restart.bat’ and then click on ‘Save’ at the bottom. You can use any other name for the file as well.

Now, double-click on the batch file you just created to restart the system.

The system will restart right away when the above command is run.

These are all the ways you can restart Windows 11. Choose the one that makes restarting the quickest in that particular situation. For instance, if you are on the sign-in screen, you can restart from right there and not sign in to Windows.