All Windows users know the classic way to shut down a system. There are options: Shut down, Restart and Suspend computer.
In case of some emergency situations if the computer or some application is frozen there is also the option CTRL+ALT+DEL which is very useful.
CTRL+ALT+DEL opens a blue screen with a menu that has the options: Lock, Switch User, Exit, and Task Manager. In Windows 10, there is also a Change password option access which is not present in Windows 11.
What not many people know about is the hidden “Emergency Restart” option that is in plain sight on the CTRL+ALT+DEL screen. To access the Emergency Restart dialog, you should click on button mode while at the same time you should press the CTRL key. Just clicking the power button will bring up sleep, shutdown, and restart options.
Here's what the Emergency Restart menu looks like. The dialog box warns “Click OK to reboot immediately. Any unsaved data will be lost. Use only as a last resort”:
Microsoft has had this emergency restart option since the beginning of Windows, namely Windows NT 3.1 in 1993. Of course, the appearance it has evolved and become more modern with each operating system the company releases.
Watch the video below that shows the different Windows emergency restart menus.
