How to Restart a Laptop With the Keyboard in Windows 11 (7 Ways)

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You can restart a Windows 11 laptop without touching the mouse or touchpad, which is handy when the touchpad stops working, the pointer freezes, or you just prefer shortcuts. Windows 11 has several keyboard-only paths to Restart, and one of them works even when the screen seems frozen. Here are all of them, fastest first.

Quick Answer

Press Windows + X, then U, then R. Your laptop restarts immediately. Alternatively, press Windows + D to go to the desktop, press Alt + F4, choose Restart with the arrow keys, and press Enter.

Windows 11 Win+X power user menu with Shut down or sign out expanded and Restart highlighted with underlined shortcut letters
In the Windows + X menu, U opens Shut down or sign out (1) and R picks Restart (2). The underlined letters are the shortcut keys.

Save your work first. These methods close apps, and some skip the “unsaved changes” prompts. Press Ctrl + S in open apps before you restart.

Method 1: Windows + X, U, R (Fastest)

  1. Press Windows key + X to open the power user menu.
  2. Press U to open Shut down or sign out.
  3. Press R to restart. (In the same submenu, U shuts down, S sleeps, and I signs out.)

Method 2: Alt + F4 on the Desktop

  1. Press Windows + D to show the desktop. (Alt + F4 on an open app closes that app instead.)
  2. Press Alt + F4. The Shut Down Windows dialog opens.
  3. Use the Up or Down arrow to select Restart.
  4. Press Enter.

Method 3: Ctrl + Alt + Delete (Works When Apps Freeze)

  1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete. This screen appears even when an app has locked up the desktop.
  2. Press Tab repeatedly until the power icon in the bottom-right corner is selected. (A focus outline shows where you are.)
  3. Press Enter, use the arrows to choose Restart, and press Enter again.

On this screen, holding Ctrl while you click the power icon offers an Emergency restart, which restarts immediately and discards unsaved work. Use it only as a last resort.

Method 4: Start Menu With the Keyboard

  1. Press the Windows key to open Start.
  2. Press Tab until the power button in the bottom-right of Start is highlighted. The number of presses depends on your Start layout; watch for the focus outline.
  3. Press Enter, arrow to Restart, and press Enter.

Method 5: Run or Terminal Command

  1. Press Windows + R to open Run.
  2. Type shutdown /r /t 0 and press Enter.

The laptop restarts immediately. Useful variations:

  • shutdown /r /t 60 restarts in 60 seconds (cancel with shutdown /a).
  • shutdown /r /o /t 0 restarts into the Advanced startup (recovery) menu.
  • shutdown /r /f /t 0 forces apps to close without waiting.

Method 6: Restart the Graphics Driver (Screen Frozen or Black)

If the screen freezes or goes black but the laptop is still on, press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B. You’ll hear a beep and the screen flickers as Windows restarts the display driver. It’s not a full restart, but it often fixes a frozen display without losing your work.

Method 7: Hard Restart With the Power Button

If nothing responds to the keyboard, press and hold the power button for about 10 seconds until the laptop turns off. Wait a few seconds, then press it again to turn it on. This is a forced shutdown, so unsaved work is lost. Use it only when the laptop is completely frozen.

Keyboard Not Working at All?

  • Try an external USB keyboard.
  • Use the on-screen keyboard (Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard > On-Screen Keyboard) with a mouse or touchscreen.
  • If a keyboard works in the BIOS but not in Windows, a driver may be the issue after the restart; check Device Manager.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between restart and shut down?

Restart fully reloads Windows. Shut down in Windows 11 uses Fast Startup by default, which saves part of the system state, so a restart is better for fixing problems and finishing updates.

Why does my laptop show “Update and restart”?

An update is waiting. Choosing Update and restart installs it; it may take longer than a normal restart.

Is there a single-key restart?

No. Windows doesn’t include a one-key restart, but you can create a desktop shortcut to shutdown /r /t 0 and assign it a key combination in the shortcut’s Properties.

Summary

  1. Fastest: Windows + X, U, R.
  2. Classic: Windows + D, then Alt + F4, choose Restart.
  3. Frozen app: Ctrl + Alt + Delete and Tab to the power icon.
  4. Completely frozen: hold the power button for 10 seconds.

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