- The command takes a parameter -h, -r or -s to shut down, restart or sleep the Mac. The command has to be run as root so you need to use sudo. To reboot the machine immediately. Sudo shutdown -r now e.g. To shutdown the machine in 60 minutes. Sudo shutdown -h +60 From comments there are two things to be addressed.
- Force restarting a MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro is generally considered a last resort, but if the worst happens and your machine freezes up, it's the quickest way of getting things running.
Before we get our hands dirty, here’s a word of warning. If you’re wondering how to reboot a MacBook Pro, bear in mind it’s the last resort when all other methods to unfreeze your Mac had failed. Don’t try it too often as it may harm your system. No question, your Mac can handle rapid power losses and your hardware most likely won’t be hurt. What’s at risk though, is your data because each time you force reboot a Mac it affects the consistency of the file system. Now that you’ve been warned, let’s go.
Update: If you have a newer Mac with an Apple T2 Security Chip (found in many Macs released in 2018 or later), you’ll need to use a slightly different process to reset your Mac’s SMC. If you have a MacBook without a removable battery, you can reset the SMC by turning on your computer while holding a specific keyboard shortcut. By pressing certain key combinations, you can do things that normally need a mouse, trackpad, or other input device. To use a keyboard shortcut, press and hold one or more modifier keys and then press the last key of the shortcut. For example, to use Command-C (copy), press and hold the Command key, then the C key, then release both keys.
Symptoms your frozen Mac needs a force restart
- Applications are not responding
- Pointer is not responsive
- Loud fan noise
- The screen goes black
- Mac unable to restart
Can you move the cursor? If yes, try this
Before you force restart a Mac, it’s always recommended to first try a software solution.
- Go to the Apple menu
- Choose Restart
- Click Restart in the menu that appears
Two ways to force restart a Mac
The simplest method: hold down the Power button till your Mac shuts down. Press the button again to restart it.
If your Mac hangs for good and the pointer is inactive:
Hold down Control + Command while pressing the Power button.
Hold down Control + Command while pressing the Power button.
This is an alternative key combination to force restart a Mac. By the way, if you are on an iMac, the Power button is found on the back of your Mac. Voila!
Is Shut Down any different from Restart?
The difference between Shut Down and Restart is quite self-explanatory. When you perform a restart, your Mac will turn on again loading its previously active apps. As for shut down, your Mac won’t start until you press the Power button again. Interestingly, all new Macs have an automatic reboot feature built-in. So even if you sit and do nothing, your frozen Mac would eventually reboot by itself, though it takes a bit of patience.
How to force shut down a frozen Mac
If you need to force shut down a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, all you need is again to press a Power button on your Mac’s keyboard.
Press and hold Power button for 2 seconds
Choose Restart, Sleep or Shut Down in the menu that appears
Choose Restart, Sleep or Shut Down in the menu that appears
If you don’t want to reload the baggage of your previously opened apps, tick off “Reopen windows when logging back in”. We do recommend you to deselect this option when your Mac is slow in order to lighten the weight on your RAM.
If your Mac won’t shut down:
Press and hold Power button for about 6 seconds
Hold the button until the Mac shuts down.
Hold the button until the Mac shuts down.
Needless to say that when you force restart a Mac all your unsaved projects may be lost. It’s unfair, we know.
Why does my Mac keep freezing?
The obvious explanation is your Mac lacks memory. Or to put another way, there are too many active processes running on your Mac. First off, go to Activity Monitor to check your memory usage.
Go to Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor
Click the Memory tab
Click the Memory tab
Now, look into how heavily your Memory is loaded. Quit apps that eat up too much memory for no reason. While this may work as a temporary solution, it doesn’t stop your Mac from freezing up again. You can either force reboot your Mac each time or opt for a radical solution. Below are a few more ideas you can try.
More ways to fix a frozen Mac
Restart your Mac in the Diagnostics mode
Shut down your Mac and reboot while pressing D key. Within the menu that appears, launch the Apple Diagnostics tool. This will check your Mac’s drive for errors. From then, follow the prompts to finish the diagnostics.
Clean up your Mac
Remove old unused apps, system junk, and pervasive browser extensions. For this purpose, try running CleanMyMac application on your Mac.
Mac Restart Keystrokes
It’s quite effective in removing all junk from your Mac and has a number of helpful utilities, like RAM free up or app uninstaller. Download it for free here .
Reinstall your macOS
This is the most radical of all methods, that’s why it’s so effective.
- Check out how to clean install macOS Sierra
- Instructions for macOS High Sierra
- How to clean install macOS Mojave
- How to clean install macOS Catalina
- How to clean install macOS Big Sur
Hope this guide has helped you. Before you force shut down this article, feel free to share it, using the social buttons below. Cheers!
Mac keeps restarting over and over? Mac keeps restarting on its own? MacBook Pro keeps restarting at boot? No worry. After reading this article, you can not only know why your Mac keeps restarting (Part 1), how to fix the “Mac keeps restarting” issue (Part 2) but also how to avoid spontaneous restarts on your Mac (Part 3). If you have encountered the similar problem on your iPhone X, iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus in iOS 11, go to the article about how to fix iPhone X/8/8 Plus keeps restarting to learn how to solve the problem.
- Notice
- Looking for the free software to transfer photos from iPhone to computer or from computer to your iPhone? Read the article to get what you want.
Part 1: Why Mac keeps restarting
In most of the cases, the main contributor to the 'Mac/MacBook Pro keeps restarting' issue is 'kernel panic'. The 'kernel' refers to the operating system of your Mac. Why does kernel panic lead to abnormal restarts? That's because the operating system has detected an issue on your Mac and the restart must be performed to fix the issue, which is usually caused by the faulty software or a problematic hardware. How to decide whether kernel panic is occurring? Generally, a message will pop up on your Mac screen showing you 'Your Computer restarted because of a problem'. If you are in the very situation, don't hesitate to get possible solutions in Part 2.
Part 2: How to fix Mac/MacBook Pro Keeps Restarting
If your Mac or MacBook Pro keeps restarting over and over, you first need to know where the problem is. Is the software installed on your Mac the cause of the issue or the hardware on your Mac to connected to your Mac the cause of the issue? If the kernel panic is related to hardware, follow the first two tips to learn what to do. While if the problem is related to software installed on your Mac, follow the last two tips instead. (Other solutions to common Mac/iDevice problems are also covered, go to iOS & Mac Topics to find what you need if you want.)
For hardware related kernel panic:
The kernel panic could be caused by a peripheral device or a combination of peripheral devices that has been connected to your Mac or the internal RAM or third-party hardware. Thus hardware troubleshooting is inevitable to solve the 'Mac keeps restarting' issue.
Keystroke Restart Mac
Tip 1: Check the peripheral devices connected to your Mac
Step 1: Shut down your Mac and disconnect all the peripheral devices. (Keep the display, keyboard, and mouse that are from App connected only. )
Step 2: Start your Mac and use it as usual.
Step 3: Troubleshoot hardware.
- If your Mac works properly after you use it for a period of time and no kernel panic occurs, you must know that there is something wrong with the peripheral device that previously connected to your Mac. To check which peripheral device is the 'culprit', connect one peripheral device to your Mac at a time and test. If a single peripheral device doesn't cause the 'Mac keeps restarting' issue, you can try to connect two or more peripheral devices to your Mac and test.
- While if a kernel panic occurs later, it must be something wrong with the internal RAM or third-party hardware. If so, follow tip 2 to check the hardware.
Tip 2: Check the internal RAM and third-party hardware on your Mac
Step 1: Shut down your Mac.
Mac Keystroke Commands
Step 2: Remove the third-party RAM and internal hardware from your Mac. Reseat your Apple RAM if you get one. If not, reseat the RAM you have instead.
Step 3: Start your Mac and use it as usual.
Computer Keystroke Shortcuts
Step 4: Do troubleshooting.
- If the 'Mac keeps restarting' problem doesn't happen after you use your Mac for a period of time, you know that the third-party RAM or third-party internal hardware should to replaced to avoid the kernel panic.
- If your Mac keeps restarting again, you need to go to the Apple Store nearby with your Mac to seek help from Apple.
For software related kernel panic:
Tip 3: Reinstall operating system on your Mac
Step 1: Use macOS Recovery to reinstall macOS.
- Hold and press the key combination (Command + R) on your Mac keyboard immediately after you press the power button to turn on your Mac until you see the Apple logo or a spinning globe.
- Choose Reinstall macOS in the window and click Continue.
Step 2: If you have reinstalled macOS successfully, go to App Store >Updates to install all the updates on your Mac.
Step 3: Before you reinstall the third-party software, download and install all the third-party software updates.
Step 4: Do troubleshooting.
- If the kernel panic doesn't occur, you have solved the issue successfully.
- While if your Mac keeps restarting again, follow tip 4 introduced below.
Tip 4: Fix 'Mac keeps restarting' issue related to software
Step 1: Use macOS Recovery to start your Mac. (Refer to step 1 in Tip 3.)
Step 2: Use Disk Utility to back up your disk image to an external drive with enough free space.
Step 3: Wipe the internal drive via Disk Utility.
Step 4: Install OS X and start your Mac from the internal drive.
Step 5: Go to App Store >Updates to install all updates on your Mac.
Step 6: Reinstall the third-party Apps on your Mac and copy the user data from the backup you have just created.
Part 3: How to prevent Mac from restarting
Mac pro virtual machines. Unexpected restarts of Mac could be quite annoying, Thus it's necessary to learn how to prevent the problem from happening. The most effective way to avoid kernel panic is to always update your software to the latest version. You just need to go to App Store >Updates to make it. Easy, right? Hope you won't meet the 'Mac keeps restarting' issue again. For other problems like Mac running slow, Mac stuck on the login screen, Mac won't turn on and more, you can also find the fixes in the related article.