PowerShell: Restart the Computer
Need to restart a machine as part of a script, after applying an update, or to force a reboot without going through the Start menu? This one-liner restarts it directly from the terminal.
Prerequisites:
- Privileges: Run as Administrator (for restarting remote machines; not required for restarting the local machine as a standard user in most cases)
- Module: Built-in, no import needed
Quick Command:
Restart-Computer -Force📦
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How It Works:
- Restart-Computer restarts the local machine.
- -Force forces applications to close and the restart to proceed immediately, rather than waiting or prompting.
- Without -Force, the restart may be delayed or blocked if applications have unsaved changes or are otherwise preventing shutdown.
Pro Tip:
To restart a remote computer instead of the local one, add -ComputerName:
Restart-Computer -ComputerName "RemotePC" -Force