How to Shut Down or Restart a Mac

You can shut down or restart your Mac at any time.

Shut down

On your Mac, choose Apple menu > Shut Down.

When your Mac restarts, it will automatically reopen any windows that you had open.

If you don’t want this to happen, de-select “Reopen windows when logging back in.”

You’ll know your Mac is completely shut down when you see a black screen.

Before you close the lid on your MacBook (laptop), wait for the Mac to completely shut down first. If you don’t, it may inadvertently put the Mac to ‘sleep’ while it’s shutting down, which means it may not shut down properly. This will make it start up slower when you turn it back on next time.

Do I need to shut down my Mac to disconnect cables?

You do not need to shut down a Mac to connect or disconnect your cables, like USB-C, Thunderbolt, HDMI or Ethernet cables. However you may need to shut down your Mac for certain peripheral devices, so always check the manufacture’s instructions.

How do I force a shut down on a Mac?

If your Mac becomes unresponsive, you can force a shut down.
Press and hold the power button for several seconds until your Mac shuts down.
By doing this, you will lose any unsaved changes in open documents, so be mindful.

Restart

On your Mac, choose Apple menu > Restart.

When your Mac restarts, it will automatically reopen any windows that you had open.

If you don’t want this to happen, de-select “Reopen windows when logging back in.”