The easiest way to force restart a Mac is to use the Power button. Apart from this, you can also use keyboard shortcuts, Apple menu, and Terminal commands to shut down an unresponsive or frozen Mac. Each method offers a way to handle different situations, whether you want to try a safe shutdown first or need to force your Mac to power off immediately.
NOTE
1. Force Restart Using Power Button
Time needed: 2 minutes
Every Mac has a power button. On a MacBook, the power button is located at the top-right of the keyboard and may also serve as a Touch ID sensor. On an iMac, you’ll find the power button behind the screen in the bottom-left corner (or bottom-right when viewed from the back). For a Mac mini, there’s a small circular button on the back of the device.
- Press and hold the Power button for about 10 seconds until the screen goes black.
- Wait a few seconds, then press the Power button again to turn it back on.
2. Use a Keyboard Shortcut
You can also shut down your Mac using two keyboard shortcuts. One tries to close apps safely, and the other forces an immediate shutdown. We recommend trying the safe method first to avoid losing unsaved work.
- Press Control + Option + Command + Power. Don’t hold the power button for too long.
- This will attempt to close all apps and shut down the Mac safely.
If the above shortcut doesn’t work, you’ll need to force your Mac to shut down.
- Press and hold Control + Command + Power. Hold the keys until the screen goes blank and your Mac restarts.
- This forces the Mac to shut down without closing apps.
3. Using Apple Menu
If your Mac is responsive, you can use the Apple Menu to shut it down safely.
- Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner.
- From the list of options, select Shut Down.
4. Force Restart an App
If only a specific app is frozen rather than the entire operating system, you can try to force quit the app.
- On your Mac’s built-in keyboard, press Command + Option + Esc.
- This will open the Force Quit Applications window.
- Select the unresponsive app and click Force Quit.
If this doesn’t work, here are other ways to force quit an app on a Mac.
5. Using Terminal
If your Mac is still responsive and you can open the Terminal app, you can shut it down using a simple command.
- Press Command + Space to open Spotlight Search.
- Start typing Terminal. When it appears, hit Return.
- You can also find Terminal under Applications > Utilities.
- Enter the following command and hit Return:
% sudo shutdown -r now
How Do I Force Shutdown My MacBook With the Keyboard?
You can force shut down your MacBook using a keyboard shortcut if it’s unresponsive and not responding to normal shutdown methods. Since this method immediately powers off your Mac without saving your work, we recommend using it only when necessary.
- Press and hold Control + Command + Power (or Touch ID button).
- Keep holding the keys for a few seconds.
- Your MacBook will shut down forcefully.
- After a few seconds, press the Power button again to restart.
How Do I Force Quit an Unresponsive Mac?
The easiest way to force quit an unresponsive Mac is to press and hold the Power key until the screen goes black. If your Mac’s screen was already black when you began the force shutdown, keep holding the power button until you see the Apple logo.
How To Force Shut Down a MacBook Pro Without a Power Button?
If your MacBook Pro doesn’t have a visible power button, it’s likely built into the Touch ID button at the top-right corner of the keyboard. Even though it may look like just a fingerprint sensor, it still works as the power button.
To force shutdown your MacBook Pro, simply press and hold the Power button for about 10 seconds until the screen goes black.
In case the power button isn’t working, you can press and hold Control + Command + Power/Touch ID button for a few seconds.