How to Fix a Computer That Keeps Restarting (Windows 10 and 11) — 2026 Guide
Computer stuck in a restart loop? Step-by-step fixes for every cause — overheating, bad drivers, Windows Update bugs, RAM failure, power supply issues, and corrupt system files.
A computer that restarts on its own — once, randomly, or stuck in a loop that prevents Windows from loading at all — is one of the more disorienting problems a PC can develop. Unlike a slow PC or a strange error message, a restart loop leaves you with very little to work with: no time to read a stop code, no chance to save your work, and sometimes no way into Windows at all. The good news is that most random restarts are caused by software issues, and software issues are fixable without replacing hardware. This guide works through every cause in order of likelihood and gives you the specific steps to resolve each one.
First: identify the pattern
The circumstances of the restart are the most useful diagnostic information available. Before trying any fix, note what was happening when the restart occurred.
| When does it restart? | Most likely cause | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| Immediately after a Windows Update | Buggy update | Uninstall the update or System Restore |
| Under load — gaming, video, heavy tasks | Overheating or PSU | Check temperatures, clean fans |
| Randomly, with different blue screen stop codes each time | Bad RAM | Windows Memory Diagnostic |
| Randomly, with the same stop code each time | Driver or system file issue | Driver rollback, SFC scan |
| On startup — won't finish booting | Corrupt boot files or bad update | Startup Repair, System Restore |
| When plugged in / on battery change (laptops) | Power management settings or PSU | Power plan settings |
| After sitting idle | Sleep/power settings or malware | Power options, malware scan |
Step 1: Disable automatic restart to read the stop code
Windows hides the cause by restarting before you can read it
By default, Windows restarts automatically after a crash — which helpfully prevents further damage and unhelpfully prevents you from reading the blue screen stop code that identifies the cause. Disabling this gives the stop code time to appear on screen.
- Right-click the Start button and select System.
- Click Advanced system settings on the right.
- Under the Startup and Recovery section, click Settings.
- Uncheck Automatically restart under System failure.
- Click OK.
The next time your PC crashes, the stop code will remain on screen. Write it down or photograph it — it tells you exactly which fix to apply. If you already know the stop code, cross-reference it with the causes table above and jump to the relevant section.
Step 2: Check for a Windows Update that triggered the problem
Remove the update and wait for Microsoft's fix
Problematic Windows updates are a real and documented cause of restart loops — Microsoft's January 2026 update KB5073455 caused affected Windows 11 machines to restart instead of shutting down, triggered by a conflict with System Guard Secure Launch. If your restarts started immediately after Windows updated, the update is the most likely culprit and the easiest fix.
- Go to Settings > Windows Update > Update history.
- Click Uninstall updates.
- Find the most recent cumulative update and click Uninstall.
- Restart and monitor for recurrence.
If Windows will not load at all, use System Restore from the recovery environment: interrupt the boot process three times (hold the power button during startup), then select Advanced Options > Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > System Restore and choose a restore point dated before the updates began.
Go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options and pause updates for 1–2 weeks. This prevents Windows from immediately reinstalling the same update while you wait for Microsoft to release a patched version. Check Windows Latest or the Microsoft Release Health dashboard to confirm when the fixed version is available.
Step 3: Boot into Safe Mode to isolate the cause
If restarts stop in Safe Mode, the cause is software — not hardware
Safe Mode loads Windows with only essential drivers and services, stripping out third-party software, startup applications, and non-essential drivers. If your PC stops restarting in Safe Mode, the cause is definitely software — a driver, a startup application, or a system configuration issue — and you can narrow it down from there. If restarts continue in Safe Mode, hardware becomes the more likely cause.
If Windows still loads normally: Go to Settings > System > Recovery > Advanced startup > Restart now. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart, then press 4 or F4 for Safe Mode.
If Windows will not load: Hold the power button to interrupt startup three times. On the third attempt Windows enters the Automatic Repair screen. Select Advanced Options > Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart, then press 4 or F4.
Restarts stop in Safe Mode
- Faulty or outdated driver
- Third-party software conflict
- Malware
- Corrupted system files
- Power management settings
Restarts continue in Safe Mode
- Failing RAM
- Overheating hardware
- Failing hard drive or SSD
- Faulty power supply unit
- Failing motherboard
Step 4: Update or roll back drivers
Graphics, network, and storage drivers cause the majority of driver-related restarts
A driver that conflicts with Windows or writes to the wrong memory address can cause an immediate system crash and restart. If restarts stop in Safe Mode (which loads only essential drivers), a third-party driver is the most likely culprit.
- Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.
- Look for any device marked with a yellow exclamation mark — these have driver issues. Focus first on Display adapters, Network adapters, and Storage controllers.
- Right-click the device and select Update driver > Search automatically.
- If restarts started after a recent driver update: right-click the device, select Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver to restore the previous version.
For GPU drivers specifically — NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel — always download the latest version directly from the manufacturer's website rather than relying on Windows Update, which occasionally installs older versions.
Step 5: Run SFC and DISM to repair system files
Corrupted system files destabilise Windows and cause crashes
Run these two commands in sequence from an Administrator Command Prompt (search for cmd, right-click, select Run as administrator):
Wait for this to complete (10–20 minutes). If it finds and repairs files, restart and test. If it reports that it found issues it could not repair, run DISM next:
DISM downloads replacement files from Windows Update — ensure you are connected to the internet. After it completes, run sfc /scannow again to catch anything newly fixable.
Step 6: Check for overheating
Heat is the most common hardware-related cause of random restarts
When CPU or GPU temperatures exceed safe limits, Windows shuts down immediately to prevent permanent damage. This shutdown looks identical to any other restart from the user's perspective, but is the PC performing an emergency self-preservation manoeuvre rather than experiencing a software fault — which is why it keeps happening without any error message.
Download HWMonitor or Core Temp (both free) to monitor temperatures in real time. Run the PC under typical load and watch the readings. Safe operating ranges: CPU under 90°C under full load; GPU under 85°C. Sustained temperatures above these thresholds during normal tasks indicate a thermal problem.
Fixes for overheating:
- Clean dust from fans and vents — compressed air, not a vacuum. Blocked airflow is the most common cause of overheating on PCs more than 2–3 years old.
- Ensure all fans are spinning — a failed case fan or CPU fan produces immediate thermal issues. Listen for unusual sounds and watch the fan blades through HWMonitor's fan speed readings.
- Check thermal paste — on PCs more than 4–5 years old, the thermal paste between the CPU and heatsink can dry out and lose effectiveness. Replacing it is a low-cost fix that can drop CPU temperatures by 15–20°C, but it requires opening the case and removing the CPU cooler.
- Improve airflow — ensure the PC is not enclosed in a cabinet with no ventilation, and that intake and exhaust vents are unobstructed.
Step 7: Test RAM
Faulty RAM produces random crashes with inconsistent error codes
RAM failures produce some of the least predictable crash patterns — the stop code changes each time because corrupted memory contents end up in different places on every boot. If your PC has been restarting with different blue screen codes each time, or crashes during memory-intensive tasks, run the Windows Memory Diagnostic.
Press Win + R, type mdsched.exe, and select Restart now and check for problems. The diagnostic runs before Windows loads and reports errors on the next boot. If errors are found, remove one RAM stick at a time and retest after each removal to identify the faulty module. Faulty RAM needs to be replaced — there is no software fix for a physically failed memory cell.
Step 8: Check the hard drive or SSD
A failing drive produces crashes when Windows tries to read corrupted data
Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:
Type Y when prompted and restart. The check runs before Windows loads and can take 20 minutes to several hours. If it reports bad sectors or cannot complete, the drive is failing. Back up your data immediately — a drive that is failing will continue to fail — and replace the drive before data loss occurs.
Step 9: Check power settings (especially on laptops)
Aggressive power settings can cause restarts during resource-intensive tasks
On laptops, Windows may restart during heavy tasks because power management settings are throttling the CPU or GPU, causing instability. Search for Power plan in the Start menu and switch to High performance when plugged in. Additionally, check that Fast Startup is not contributing to issues: go to Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do and temporarily disable Turn on fast startup — some restart loops are caused by corrupted hibernation files that Fast Startup loads on every boot.
Step 10: Scan for malware
Malware can cause restarts by corrupting system files or interfering with drivers
Some malware actively causes instability — either by corrupting Windows components, interfering with drivers, or consuming resources to the point of system failure. Search for Windows Security, go to Virus & threat protection, click Scan options, and select Full scan. Run this from Safe Mode with Networking if the PC is too unstable to complete a scan in normal mode — Safe Mode prevents most malware from loading alongside Windows, making it easier for the scan to detect and remove threats.
Step 11: Reset Windows (last resort for software causes)
A clean reinstall eliminates every software cause simultaneously
If Safe Mode testing confirmed a software cause and none of the above fixes have resolved the restart loop, a Windows Reset is the definitive software fix. Go to Settings > System > Recovery > Reset this PC and choose Keep my files — this removes all applications and settings but preserves your personal documents, photos, and downloads. The process takes 1–2 hours and produces a clean Windows installation without the accumulated software issues causing the restarts.
The Keep my files option preserves personal data, but back up anything critical to an external drive or cloud before proceeding — edge cases exist where the reset process encounters drive errors and the Keep my files guarantee does not hold. Five minutes of backup before a reset has saved more than a few afternoons of panic.
When to suspect the power supply unit (PSU)
The power supply is the component most likely to cause random restarts that do not fit any of the patterns above. A PSU that cannot deliver stable voltage — whether because it is failing, undersized for the hardware, or has a developing fault — causes the system to restart without warning and without a consistent stop code. PSU-related restarts often worsen over time and eventually progress to the PC refusing to power on at all.
Random restarts with no consistent cause found after thorough software diagnosis. PC occasionally refuses to power on. Restarts accompanied by a burning smell or unusual noise from the case. Blue screen stop codes pointing to hardware rather than software. PC restarts only under high load (when PSU demand is highest). If you suspect the PSU, this is hardware-level diagnosis that warrants professional inspection — opening a PSU yourself is not recommended.
If you have worked through this guide and are still experiencing restarts, or if the cause appears to be hardware — RAM, PSU, or drive — our remote computer support team can walk through the remaining diagnostic steps with you in a session. For customers in New Jersey, New York, California, Texas, and Florida, we offer remote diagnosis and repair across all five states. Our maintenance support plan also includes proactive hardware health monitoring so driver issues, disk health, and temperature anomalies are caught before they develop into restart loops.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my computer keep restarting by itself?
The most common causes are overheating, a buggy Windows Update, a faulty device driver, corrupted system files, failing RAM, a failing power supply, or malware. The pattern of when restarts occur is the most useful clue: restarts under load suggest overheating or PSU; restarts after a specific update point to the update; random restarts with varying stop codes often indicate RAM; restarts that stop in Safe Mode confirm a software cause.
How do I stop my computer from automatically restarting after a crash?
Right-click the Start button, select System, then Advanced system settings, then Settings under Startup and Recovery. Uncheck Automatically restart under System failure. The next crash will display the stop code on screen rather than restarting, giving you the information needed to identify the cause.
How do I fix a computer stuck in a restart loop that won't boot?
Force-interrupt the startup process three times by holding the power button as Windows begins to load. On the third attempt, Windows enters the Automatic Repair screen. Select Advanced Options > Troubleshoot > Advanced Options to access Startup Repair, System Restore, Safe Mode via Startup Settings, or Command Prompt. System Restore to a point before the problem began typically resolves update-related boot loops immediately.
Can overheating cause a computer to keep restarting?
Yes — overheating is one of the most common causes. When CPU or GPU temperatures exceed safe thresholds, Windows shuts the system down to prevent permanent damage. Signs: the PC feels hot after restarting, fans were running loudly before restart, restarts happen under load but not during light use. Download HWMonitor to check temperatures — CPU should stay under 90°C under full load.
How do I know if my RAM is causing my computer to restart?
Bad RAM is likely when restarts occur with different blue screen stop codes each time, or when crashes happen during memory-intensive tasks. Test by pressing Win + R, typing mdsched.exe, and selecting Restart now and check for problems. If errors are found, remove one RAM stick at a time and retest to identify the faulty module — which then needs to be replaced.
Still stuck in a restart loop?
Our remote computer support team can connect to your PC, review Event Viewer logs and crash dumps, and diagnose the exact cause — even when the standard fixes have not worked. Most cases are resolved in a single session.
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