Troubleshooting a Windows 11 or 10 PC Stuck on the Restart Screen
So, here’s the scenario – you switch on your PC ready to get stuck into work or binge some streaming, and suddenly it just hangs on that “Restarting” screen. This can happen after an update, maybe after a blue or black error screen, or sometimes out of the blue — one minute it’s working fine, the next, it won’t move. It’s seriously annoying, especially if you’re on a deadline or just want to get on with your day. The good news is, it’s not uncommon, and there are a few things you can try to get your system up and running again. Of course, no guarantee until you find the fix that works for you, but it’s worth a shot.
Unplug External USB Devices
The first thing I always check — sometimes external devices cause more issues than they’re worth. If you’ve got printers, external hard drives, webcams, controllers, or even USB sticks plugged in, unplug them. These devices can interfere with the boot process, especially older keyboards or mice that might be trying to initialise in a quirky way. So, disconnect everything, wait a few seconds, then try restarting. More often than not, this simple step clears the glitch and allows Windows to finish booting. If not, no worries — move on to the next approach.
Force Restart Your PC
If your PC is completely frozen and won’t shut down normally, a forced shutdown might be necessary. It’s a bit rough — hold down the power button until the machine turns off, then press it again to start fresh. I’ve done this dozens of times. It’s not the nicest way, but it can break whatever deadlock Windows is stuck in. After restarting, observe what happens — sometimes, this quick and dirty restart sorts out the issue that’s preventing Windows from completing its restart cycle.
Using Keyboard Commands to Restart
If you prefer using the keyboard over mouse clicks, try Alt + F4 when your desktop is active — sometimes it prompts the shutdown options. Or press Win + X to open the quick access menu, then arrow down to Shut Down or Sign Out > Restart. If these options are unresponsive, a force shutdown is your last resort. Ctrl + Alt + Del often brings up options like “Sign Out” or “Task Manager”, but if Windows is unresponsive, you’ll need to hold the power button anyway.
Use Command Prompt to Restart Windows
This approach has delivered more consistent results, especially when the GUI won’t cooperate. To do this, boot into *Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt* from Windows Recovery. If you can’t get into Windows normally, you might need to trigger WinRE by turning the PC off and on three times during startup, or boot from a recovery drive. Once you’re there, you’ll see a black screen with text.
Type this command:
shutdown -rand press Enter. This will trigger an immediate restart. For a quick restart that forces any open apps to close, add parameters like /f and /t 0:
shutdown -r /f /t 0This forces Windows to close all apps and reboot immediately. It’s not ideal if you’re working on something important, but in my experience, it’s one of the quickest ways to break free from a stuck restart when the normal options aren’t working.
Close Unresponsive Applications
Sometimes, Windows gets stuck because a program has frozen — or a background process is stuck. Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc and check the processes. End any that seem unresponsive or are using excessive resources. Doing this can free enough system resources for Windows to finish shutting down or restarting. If not, boot into Safe Mode to manually close those stubborn apps without interference. This approach often works wonders for resolving deadlock scenarios.
Update Your BIOS
This might sound a bit intimidating, but updating the BIOS can sometimes fix tricky restart issues, especially after hardware upgrades or Windows updates. BIOS bugs can cause all sorts of startup problems, including getting stuck on the restart screen. I’ve seen this on both Intel and AMD systems.
If you decide to give it a go, visit your motherboard manufacturer’s website for the latest BIOS firmware. They usually provide tools like Q-Flash (for ASUS) or Live BIOS utilities (for MSI, Gigabyte) that let you update BIOS directly from the BIOS itself. Download the correct file, follow the instructions carefully, and don’t interrupt the process — doing so can brick your motherboard. Ensure your power supply is stable and avoid turning off the PC during the update. Sometimes, you’ll need a couple of attempts to get it right, as new BIOS versions aren’t always perfect on release.
Uninstall Recent Updates
If your PC started acting up just after a Windows update, it’s worth trying to remove that update. Some updates can cause conflicts or bugs that interfere with normal restart sequences. To uninstall recent updates, go into the Advanced Startup options (hold Shift and click Restart or turn the PC off and on three times to trigger recovery mode). Then navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Uninstall Updates.
Select the latest quality or feature update to remove. If you can’t access recovery mode, try going through Windows Settings > Windows Update > Update History > Uninstall Updates. Keep in mind, some critical updates cannot be uninstalled or may be resistant to removal, especially if they’re deeply integrated into the system.
Perform a System Restore
If your PC was working fine before and suddenly got stuck, restoring it to a previous point can do the trick. This affects system files and settings, but leaves your personal files intact — so it’s a relatively quick fix. To do this, boot into Recovery mode, then go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > System Restore.
Choose a restore point from a time when things were running smoothly, and follow the prompts. I’ve found this method useful multiple times—especially if recent updates or driver changes caused instability. It’s worth a try before going for a more drastic solution like a complete reinstall.
Honestly, troubleshooting Windows boot problems can feel like piecing together a puzzle — lots of tries and patience needed. But trying these methods, from disconnecting external devices to BIOS updates and system restores, usually helps you find the fix. Just remember to back up your important stuff first, as some fixes carry risks. It’s a bit of a hassle, but hanging in there and working through it beats losing all your data or throwing the system out the window.
Hope this helps — it took me ages to finally sort it out myself. Hopefully, this saves someone else a frustrating weekend of fiddling around.