Although restarting your Surface Pro may sound like a basic task, performing a restart properly and knowing the different methods can help you fix multiple performance bugs, apply updates properly, and keep your device in tiptop shape. No matter if you are on a Surface Laptop 3, Surface Laptop 4, Surface Laptop 5, or Surface Laptop Studio, this guide covers every way you can restart your device efficiently.
The Importance of Restarting Your Surface Pro
A restart of your Surface Pro clears up temporary data and refreshes system processes. By doing these seemingly small things, you can drastically improve performance and stability!
Some of the major advantages of rebooting are:
- Refreshes system memory and halts backdrop apps.
- Clears cache and minuscule glitches
- Finish installing system updates
- Resolve software freezing and lagging
- Fix USB, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi hardware connectivity issues.
Make sure your device is rebooted regularly to keep it running smoothly and to avoid sluggishness for the long haul.
Methods to Restart Surface Pro
Here are some of the best methods to start a surface Pro
Method 1: Reboot from the Start Menu
This is the simplest and most user-friendly method to restart a Surface Pro for the average day-to-day user.
Steps:
- Click the Windows icon in the bottom-left of your screen.
- Select the Power button.
- On the options, select Restart.
Why use this method?
- Best when system is at full throttle
- Safe and reliable
- Before rebooting, do ensure that you save your work in order to avoid loss of data.
Method 2: Restart with the Keyboard Shortcuts
Users whose trackpad or touchscreen isn’t working can still restart your laptop using your keyboard.
Steps:
- Simultaneously press Ctrl + Alt + Delete.
- A blue screen indicating various options should appear.
- In the lower-right corner, click the Power icon.
- Select Restart.
Why use this Method?
- Useful when the mouse or touchscreen does not respond
- Quick and simple, shortcut based solution
- Does not need access to the desktop interface
This is a very helpful method if occasionally your Surface Laptop is frozen but it still responds to keyboard input.
Method 3: Hard Reboot (Force Restart)
If your Surface pro goes unresponsive, or the screen freezes, you’re often left with no choice but to hard reboot the device.
Steps:
- Resetting hardware · Shut down the system. Press and hold the Power button for 10–15 seconds.
- The screen will turn black.
- Release and wait a few seconds.
- Press the Power button once more to reboot the pro.
When to use this method:
- Pro freezes and not responding on any inputs
- Blue or black screen issues
- Touchscreen completely dead
Precautions:
- You are using this method which could lead to loss of unsaved data
- Only use when other methods do not succeed
- Force restarts are useful in emergencies, but they skip the normal shutdown process.
Method 4: Restart Via Command Prompt or Run
For speed and automation, tech-savvy users, IT professionals like to utilize command-line tools.
- Using Command Prompt:
- Run cmd as administrator
Type the following command:
- shutdown /r /t 0
- Press Enter.
- Using Run Dialog:
- The Run dialog can be launched by pressing Windows + R.
- Type: shutdown /r /t 0
- Hit Enter.
Benefits:
- Finish HTML in your code editor
- Restarts remotely (if configured to do so)
- Can be integrated into scripts for IT workflows
- This method does an immediate restart without a timer.
Method 5: Restart After Windows Updates
However, Windows update frequently needs to restart for the installation to end. If you do not restart, the updates may not properly be applied, resulting in security vulnerabilities or performance issues.
How to restart after updates:
- Open the Start menu and select Settings.
- Click Windows Update in the left sidebar.
- If a restart is required, you’ll also get a Restart now button.
- [Restart now] to get the updates applied.
Why this matters:
- Completes installation of Windows patches and drivers
- Keeps your device safe from threats
- Improves Hardware And Software Performance
- Not restarting after updates can cause conflicts in the system or crashes.
Method 6: Restart from your Lock Screen
From the lock screen, where you haven’t logged in yet, you can restart the Surface Pro.
Steps:
- On the lock screen, click the Power icon in the bottom-right corner.
- Select Restart from the menu.
- This comes in handy when multiple users log into the same device or when you want to troubleshoot something before login.
What to Do if Your Surface Pro Won’t Restart
If it goes out of order for some reason, your Surface Pro may not restart, even with all the ordinary burst-blockers. Here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Remove all external devices — USB drives, headphones, and external monitors.
- If low on battery, charge the device — it might not reboot.
- Try Safe Mode — While clicking Restart, hold the Shift key in order to boot into recovery options.
- Update drivers and firmware — old drivers can prevent And shutdown process from completing.
- Try Microsoft’s Surface Diagnostic Toolkit – available on the official support site.
If all else fails, you can either call Microsoft Support or head to a certified service center for help.
FAQs – Restarting Surface Pro
How often do I need to restart my Surface Pro?
From time to time, restart your Surface Pro, and especially if you use sleep mode which is constantly saving work, it’s good to restart every few days. This frees up memory and enhances performance.
Will restarting delete any files or documents?
No, it will not delete your files on restart. But any work that you haven’t saved up till that point may be lost, so be sure to save your progress before restarting.
What is the difference between Shutdown and Restart?
- Shut Down Completely powers down the computer.
- Restart powers it off, then powers it back on.
- Update is better if the system is freed from temporary problems.
My Surface Keeps Restarting, What do I do?
This may be due to a Windows update, driver conflict, or hardware issue. Boot and use Safe Mode update or roll back the drivers/changes you made recently.
Final Thoughts
You must be aware of how to restart your Surface Pro properly, which is crucial for daily use, specifically for situations like freezing or lagging or updates that need to be installed. From the Start menu and keyboard shortcuts to command-line tools and force reboots, there are now multiple ways you can restart your Surface Pro with confidence.
Restarting is a simple but powerful gesture. It resets your laptop to a day one state, which can avoid many future issues. Restarting your device regularly should become a habit — do it the right way, depending on your situation.