The Three Ways to Restart Your Mac
A restart clears your Mac's memory, closes all open programs, and often fixes freezing, slow performance, or apps that won't respond. You have three options: a standard restart that saves your work, a force restart when your Mac is completely frozen, and a shutdown followed by a manual power-on.
The standard restart is what you'll use most of the time. It gives your Mac a chance to close programs properly and save any unsaved work before shutting down. A force restart is for emergencies—when your cursor won't move, nothing responds to clicks, or your Mac is completely unresponsive. A full shutdown and manual restart is the most thorough option and takes the longest.
Key Takeaways
- A standard restart through the Apple menu closes programs properly and takes two to five minutes total.
- A force restart using Command-Control-Power works when your Mac is completely frozen and won't respond to anything.
- On newer Macs with Apple silicon chips, press and hold the power button for ten seconds to force restart; on Intel Macs, use the keyboard shortcut Command-Control-Power.
- Always wait at least 30 seconds after shutdown before pressing the power button again to may support a clean restart.
- If your Mac restarts repeatedly or won't start at all after a restart attempt, you may need to use Recovery Mode or contact Apple Support.
Standard Restart Through the Apple Menu
Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen, then select Restart from the dropdown. A dialog box will appear asking if you want to reopen windows when your Mac restarts—you can check that box if you want your programs and documents to open automatically after the restart.
Your Mac will close all open programs and shut down. This usually takes 30 seconds to two minutes. Then it will power back on automatically. Wait for the login screen to appear, enter your password if prompted, and your Mac will finish starting up. The entire process typically takes three to five minutes from start to finish.
This method is safest because it gives your Mac time to close programs properly and save any unsaved work. If you have unsaved documents, your Mac will prompt you to save them before restarting. Do not force the shutdown during this process—let it complete on its own.
Force Restart When Your Mac Is Frozen
If your Mac is completely unresponsive—the cursor won't move, you can't click anything, and nothing happens when you type—use a force restart. On Apple silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, and newer), press and hold the power button for ten seconds until the screen goes black and you see the startup options menu. Release the button, then click the power icon and select Restart.
On Intel-based Macs, press and hold Command-Control-Power at the same time. Hold all three keys for about five seconds. Your Mac will restart when ready without showing any dialog. You will not get a chance to save unsaved work with this method, so use it only when your Mac is completely frozen.
After a force restart, your Mac will shut down and power back on. The startup process takes two to four minutes. When you log back in, your programs will be closed and any unsaved work will be lost. This is normal and expected—the trade-off for unfreezing your Mac.
Full Shutdown and Manual Power-On
For the most thorough restart, shut down your Mac completely, wait, and then power it on manually. Click the Apple menu and select Shut Down. Your Mac will close all programs and turn off completely. The screen will go black and stay black.
Wait at least 30 seconds—this gives your Mac's hardware time to fully power down. Then press the power button to turn it back on. You will see the Apple logo appear on the screen, followed by the login screen. This method takes the longest (five to ten minutes total) but is the most complete reset of your Mac's system.
Use this method if your Mac has been running for weeks without a restart, if you're experiencing persistent problems that a standard restart didn't fix, or if you're troubleshooting a specific issue. The longer wait time between shutdown and power-on helps clear residual power from the system.
What to Do If Your Mac Won't Restart
If your Mac restarts repeatedly without stopping, or if it won't start up at all after you attempt a restart, hold down Command-R while the Mac is starting up. This boots your Mac into Recovery Mode, a special startup environment where you can run diagnostics and repair tools.
In Recovery Mode, you can run Disk Utility to check your hard drive for errors, reinstall macOS, or restore from a Time Machine backup. If you're not sure what to do in Recovery Mode, restart your Mac normally and contact Apple Support or visit an Apple Store. Do not attempt to repair your Mac's drive yourself unless you're confident in what you're doing.
If your Mac won't start up at all—no Apple logo, no sound, nothing—make sure it's plugged in and the battery has charge. Wait five minutes, then try pressing the power button again. If it still won't start, it may have a hardware problem that requires professional service.
Restarting When You're Stuck in an App
If a single program is frozen but the rest of your Mac works normally, you don't need to restart your whole computer. Press Command-Option-Escape to open the Force Quit Applications window. Click the frozen program in the list, then click Force Quit. The program will close when ready, and you can reopen it or continue working in other programs.
This is much faster than restarting your entire Mac and lets you keep your other work open. Use this method when only one app is unresponsive—your web browser, a document editor, or a game. If multiple programs are frozen or your entire Mac is unresponsive, use the force restart method instead.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Do not unplug your Mac or hold down the power button during a standard restart—let the shutdown process complete on its own. Interrupting a normal shutdown can damage your hard drive or corrupt files. The only time you should force a shutdown is when your Mac is completely frozen and won't respond to anything.
Do not restart your Mac repeatedly in quick succession hoping it will fix a problem. If a single restart doesn't solve the issue, wait a few minutes and try once more. If the problem persists after two restarts, the issue is likely something other than a temporary software glitch, and you should look into other troubleshooting steps or contact support.
Do not ignore the dialog that asks if you want to reopen windows after a restart. If you're restarting to fix a problem, unchecking that box prevents your Mac from reopening the same programs and files that may have caused the issue in the first place.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a restart take?
A standard restart takes three to five minutes from the moment you click Restart until your Mac is fully logged in and ready to use. If your restart takes longer than ten minutes, your Mac may be having a problem. Force restart or shut down and wait 30 seconds before powering on again.
Will restarting delete my files?
No. A restart closes your programs and clears your computer's memory, but it does not delete any files on your hard drive. Any documents you saved before restarting will still be there when your Mac starts back up. Unsaved work in open programs will be lost.
What's the difference between restart and shutdown?
A restart shuts down your Mac and then powers it back on automatically. A shutdown turns your Mac off completely and leaves it off until you manually press the power button. Both clear your Mac's memory, but a restart gets you back to work faster.
Can I restart my Mac while it's updating?
No. If your Mac is installing a software update, let it finish before restarting. Interrupting an update can cause serious problems. If an update seems stuck, wait at least 30 minutes before assuming it's frozen. If it's still stuck after that, contact Apple Support.
Should I restart my Mac regularly?
Restarting once a week or whenever you notice your Mac is slow or unresponsive is a good practice. Regular restarts clear memory and close background processes that can accumulate over time. You don't need to restart every day unless you're experiencing problems.