How to restart any MacBook (Pro, Air & M-Series)

If you notice performance issues with your MacBook (such as lagging, freezing, app crashes, or overheating), try restarting it before taking it to a specialist.

This guide shows three quick restart methods: keyboard shortcut, force restart, and terminal command. You'll also learn essential preparation steps and post-restart optimization tips.

Key solutions: How to restart your Mac quickly

Short on time? This table gives you the fastest ways to restart your MacBook based on your situation — from normal restarts to emergency fixes.

Situation	Best solution
Mac is working normally	Click Apple logo (top-left) → Restart → confirm
Mac is slow or lagging	Press Control + Command + Power (Touch ID)
Mac is frozen/unresponsive	Force restart: Hold Power button (Touch ID) for ~10 seconds → press again to turn on
Need restart without mouse	Press Control + F2 → navigate to Apple menu → Restart
Power button not working	Open Terminal → type sudo shutdown -r now → Enter password
Mac has many apps open	Quit apps manually or use a tool like QuitAll

What to do before restarting MacBook

Before you restart your MacBook, there's some housekeeping to do.

Save and back up important files

Nobody wants to lose important content. Time Machine backs up entire Mac systems by default, which uses considerable storage space.

For backing up just essential files, Get Backup Pro offers a more efficient solution. The app uses incremental and compressed backup methods to create archives that take up to 60% less space for optimal storage. 

Disconnect external drives and peripherals

If you have external storage drives, printers, or other USB/Thunderbolt devices connected, safely eject and disconnect them. This prevents interruptions during the restart process.

Check for software updates

Download any available software updates before restarting. This reduces performance problems and encourages regular operation after restart. Check for updates in System Settings > General > Software Update.

Quit all running apps

Anything running in the background will interfere with the reboot and might cause unwanted issues. For example, if you leave apps open, your MacBook may automatically reopen them once it's finished restarting. It can stress your computer's system and drain the battery.

If you have loads of apps open and need a speedy and easy solution to close them all with a single click (including the ones running in the background), try QuitAll. Beforehand, the app will double-check whether you want to save any work, so you needn't worry about losing any important stuff. QuitAll also enables you to force quit stubborn frozen apps by simply switching from Quit to the Force quit option.

How to restart a MacBook Pro from the Apple menu

Quick answer: Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and choose Restart. That's it — read on for the full, step-by-step version and extra tips.

1. Save your work and quit running apps (Command + Q, or QuitAll).
2. Disconnect external drives and peripherals.
3. Open the Apple menu (Apple logo in the upper left corner of your screen) and click Restart.
4. In the dialog, untick "Reopen windows..." for a clean slate, then hit Restart.
5. Wait for macOS to reload, then sign back in.

A pop-up will come up on the screen, asking if you're sure you want to restart your MacBook Pro. If any apps are left open, you'll be asked to reopen windows when logging back in. You can deselect this option by clicking the checkbox if you'd like to re-enter the system with a fresh screen. Click the Restart button to initiate the action. 

Once the reboot is finished, you'll be asked to log back into your desktop (if you have a password).

How to restart a MacBook using the keyboard shortcut

Note: This method forces an immediate restart without a dialog or save prompts.

Press Control + Command + Power (or Touch ID) and keep holding until the screen goes black — your Mac will restart automatically.

1. Hold Control + Command + Power/Touch ID.
2. When the shutdown dialog appears, untick "Reopen windows..." if you want a clean start.
3. Click Restart (or keep holding the keys to force the reboot).
4. Give macOS a moment, then log back in.

This method works perfectly when your Mac responds slowly to mouse clicks.

Wait a few seconds or minutes for your MacBook to restart its system completely. Once it's finished, you'll be able to sign back into your desktop, depending on your security settings. 

How to force restart your MacBook

When your Mac becomes completely unresponsive and won't respond to normal restart methods, you'll need to perform a forced restart (also known as a hard restart).

For most modern MacBooks (including Apple silicon models):

1. Press and hold the Power button (or Touch ID) for about 10 seconds until the screen goes blank.
2. Release and press it again to turn on.

You may lose unsaved data. 

On Intel-based Macs:

1. Press and hold the Command + Control + Power button (or the Eject or Touch ID button) for roughly 10 seconds. 
2. Wait until the screen goes blank, and release the keys.
3. Press the Power button to start your Mac back up.

After a forced reboot, you may lose unsaved data. But it's the fastest (and sometimes the only) way to bring your Mac to life.

How to restart Mac using Terminal 

If you're comfortable using a terminal (or if your MacBook's power button isn't working), you can restart your computer using command-line instructions.

1. Open Terminal (press Command + Space and type "terminal").
2. Type the command to restart Mac: sudo shutdown -r now. You can either schedule the restart for later by typing + followed by the number of minutes, for example, sudo shutdown -r +10, or type now (as in theexample above) if you want an instant restart. 
3. Press Enter.
4. Enter your admin password (you won't see any letters on the screen as you type it) and press Enter.

After you've entered your password, your Mac will power down. After a short moment, you can sign back in.

Tip: You can make terminal operations much easier by using Core Shell. This SSH client offers a more user-friendly interface and enhances your remote connections with one-click login and automatic reconnect.

How to restart your Mac using the Drain the Battery method 

Note: The drain-battery method described below applies only to some older MacBooks that do not use lithium-ion batteries. For modern MacBooks, especially Apple silicon models (M1 through M5 and newer), this method is not recommended. Modern MacBooks manage battery health automatically through macOS features (System Settings > Battery) Avoid routinely draining your MacBook to zero percent, as this can stress a lithium-ion battery.

The drain-battery trick involves draining your Mac's battery to 0% and allowing it to recharge all the way up to 100%. This basically recalibrates the battery, leading to better future performance. Here's how to use this method: 

1. Unplug your Mac if it's connected to a charger. 
2. Completely drain your Mac. You have two options here. The first and quickest is to continue with normal use until the battery dies. The second is to leave it stationary until it drains the power naturally.
3. Check your Mac's battery percentage by hovering your mouse over the battery symbol in the top right corner or clicking on it directly. Once it reaches 0%, your Mac will begin a complete shutdown. 
4. Let your MacBook rest for a few minutes to ensure it's completely out of power. 
5. Reconnect your charger and press the Power button on your keyboard.

It might take a moment for your computer to generate enough power before starting back up, especially when using extensions like a second monitor or Bluetooth keyboard. 

4 steps to boost your Mac performance after a restart

You can easily boost your MacBook's performance, avoid future problems, and steer away from having to restart it by properly looking after your computer's system. Check out these helpful maintenance tips that will keep bothersome glitches at bay.

#1 Close unnecessary apps

…Or tabs

Browsers can significantly impact MacBook performance. Safari's memory usage starts around 3 GB and sometimes climbs to 15 GB throughout the day. The same can happen to Chrome and other browsers.

Extra tabs drive those numbers even higher. Too many background apps consume unnecessary power, leading to slow performance, freezing, and lagging.

If you notice you aren't using some open apps, make sure to close them. You can easily do this by simply clicking and holding open the app's icon until a drop-down menu appears, then selecting Quit to close the app properly. To quit multiple apps at once, try QuitAll.

#2 Regularly check for updates

System and app updates can drastically improve your MacBook's speed and overall performance. They often include improvements for outdated software and fixes for bugs, which help keep your Mac running smoothly. Open the App Store and click the Updates tab to identify upcoming updates.

Also, check for macOS updates by going to System Settings > General > Software Update. If there is any, you can click Update Now. You can also opt for automatic system updates by ticking Automatically keep my Mac up to date.

#3 Declutter and clear caches

Decluttering your MacBook and clearing cached data will free up storage on your computer, improve your system's speed, and prevent unexpected crashes. 

Clearing cached data is relatively quick and easy. Head to your primary web browser settings and click Clear Cache. However, total decluttering can be more time-consuming as it involves manually fishing through what you do and don't, such as folders, downloads, apps, files, and so forth.

Specialized cleaners are better and more efficient at this job. I recommend CleanMyMac, a smart and effortless Mac care app. It finds junk files in all corners of the laptop and clears the cache of all browsers in one go. In fact, it's the only tool you need to keep your Mac clean and organized. Here's how much clutter CleanMyMac found after just a few days of using Mac.

#4 Monitor CPU usage

Your MacBook's Central Processing Unit (CPU) is like the brain in your computer, as it performs all the main operations. When the tasks it has to perform become too complex or too many, the computer can have problems: it freezes, slows down, etc.

To prevent these problems, you should monitor the CPU. Your Mac has an Activity Monitor – a built-in tool for monitoring the CPU. However, it only displays and stops active processes but does not provide in-depth information about the system overloads or their causes. 

If you want to manage your Mac's CPU better, consider App Tamer. This utility monitors your CPU all day around and lets you slow down or stop specific background apps. To keep you in the loop, it provides notifications that identify apps that are draining your CPU.

iStat Menus is another tool for monitoring your Mac. It helps you monitor the processes you need, such as CPU, memory, network and disk usage statistics, etc. You can set "norms" for the use of various resources and get notified when your Mac reaches them (see the screenshot below). This way, you can adjust the load on your computer in time.

Now you know how to restart your MacBook like a pro

Restarting your MacBook should fix common performance issues like freezing or lagging. However, it's important to take preventative measures, such as decluttering and installing updates, to keep your computer running smoothly. 

Using helpful apps, such as CleanMyMac, App Tamer, and iStat Menus, will make it much easier to keep tabs on any problems that can cause your MacBook glitches.

For more helpful apps just like these, check out Setapp. This is a one-stop platform that houses dozens of powerful apps designed to help you get the most out of your Mac. Claim your 7-day free trial today!

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