Why Is It Taking My Laptop So Long To Restart? | Fast Fix Guide

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Long restarts usually mean updates, heavy startup items, or disk errors; trim startup apps, finish updates, and check storage health.

When a notebook hangs on “Restarting…,” it’s almost always one of a few culprits: an update finishing in the background, too many startup processes, storage trouble, or a stuck driver. This guide shows quick checks first, then deeper fixes for both Windows and macOS. Every step is practical, reversible, and safe for beginners.

Quick Wins You Can Try Right Now

  1. Wait out active updates. If you just installed OS patches or drivers, the system may be completing install tasks during reboot. Let it finish once. If every reboot crawls, move on.
  2. Disconnect extras. Unplug docks, external drives, dongles, SD cards, and printers. Peripherals can stall shutdown or startup if a driver hangs.
  3. Power cycle fully. Shut down, wait 20 seconds, then power on. Laptops sometimes need a clean power-off to clear stuck services.
  4. Free up space. Keep at least 10–15% of your system drive free. Tight space slows updates and temp-file writes during reboot.

Why A Laptop Restart Drags For Minutes (Common Causes)

1) Updates Finalizing During Reboot

Windows applies many changes during the restart phase. Large cumulative patches, driver updates, or feature upgrades can add minutes. macOS also schedules certain maintenance and security installs for restart. Long installs once in a while are normal; repeated slowness points to other issues below.

2) Too Many Startup And Background Items

Every app that launches at sign-in adds seconds. Some also spawn update helpers and services that continue running. Trimming this list can cut restart time dramatically.

3) Storage Bottlenecks Or File System Errors

On a mechanical hard drive, writing large update files or paging can crawl. Even on SSDs, a corrupt file system or bad sectors can stall shutdown or boot tasks. Running a file system check and verifying drive health helps.

4) Driver Or Kernel Extensions Misbehaving

Out-of-date audio, display, or storage drivers on Windows—or old kernel extensions on macOS—can hang the system as it closes services or reloads at startup.

5) Security Tools, Encryption, And Low Resources

Full-disk encryption, heavy antivirus scans, and low RAM can prolong restart. These are normal costs, but you can still tune scheduling and exclusions to reduce impact.

Fixes For Windows Laptops (Step-By-Step)

Trim Startup Apps

Cut anything you don’t need at sign-in. Keep sync clients, GPU tools, and vendor utilities only if you rely on them daily.

  1. Right-click the Start button → Task Manager.
  2. Open the Startup apps tab.
  3. Right-click items you don’t need and choose Disable.

Install Pending Updates Cleanly

  1. Open Settings → Windows Update and install everything pending.
  2. After the first restart completes, restart one more time and recheck.

Run System File Checker And Deployment Image Repair

Corrupt system files can hold up the shutdown/restart sequence. Run these in an elevated terminal.

Windows Terminal (Admin) → run, one by one:
sfc /scannow
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Check The Disk

Scan for file system and sector problems. The first command runs online; the second schedules a deeper scan for the next boot.

chkdsk /scan
chkdsk C: /r

Clean Boot To Isolate A Slowdown

Boot with only Microsoft services to see if a third-party item is stalling restart.

  1. Press Win+R, type msconfig, press Enter.
  2. On Services, check Hide all Microsoft services → Disable all.
  3. Open Task Manager → disable all non-system Startup items.
  4. Restart and test. Re-enable items in small batches to find the offender.

Mind Fast Startup Behavior

Fast Startup affects shutdown/power-on, not the restart command. If shutdowns are quick but restarts are slow, look at updates and startup items first. If shutdown hangs, toggling Fast Startup can help: Control Panel → Power Options → Choose what the power buttons do → Change settings, then uncheck Turn on fast startup to test.

Check Event Viewer For Clues

Windows logs slow shutdown/start phases. Look under Applications and Services Logs → Microsoft → Windows → Diagnostics-Performance → Operational. Items with “Degradation” or long durations can point to a driver or service that’s holding up the process.

Update Drivers And BIOS/UEFI

Use your laptop maker’s support app or download page to update chipset, storage, audio, graphics, and BIOS/UEFI. Old drivers often cause delays during service stop/start.

Security Scan And Exclusions

Run a quick scan with Windows Security. If you use a third-party suite, enable “scan when idle” and exclude large developer folders or VM images so scans don’t spike during shutdown.

Fixes For Mac Laptops (Step-By-Step)

Reduce Login Items And Background Items

  1. Go to System Settings → General → Login Items.
  2. Remove apps under Open at Login you don’t need.
  3. Review Allow in Background and turn off non-essentials.

Safe Mode Check

Safe Mode loads only what’s needed and clears caches. If restarts are quick here, a third-party item is likely the cause.

  1. Apple silicon: Shut down → hold power until “Loading startup options” → select your disk → hold Shift → Continue in Safe Mode.
  2. Intel: Restart and hold Shift until you see the login window.

Run First Aid In Disk Utility

Open Disk Utility, choose View → Show All Devices, then run First Aid on each volume and the physical disk. For startup disks, run First Aid from macOS Recovery.

Reset NVRAM (Intel Only) And Check Firmware Updates

If you’re on an Intel Mac, reset NVRAM with Option-Command-P-R during boot. Also keep macOS and firmware current from System Settings → General → Software Update.

Security And Storage

FileVault encryption adds some overhead at boot. That’s normal. Keep at least 10–15% free space to avoid swap thrash and update stalls.

Tuneups That Matter Across Both Platforms

Keep Enough Free Space

Target 20–30 GB free on the system drive. OS updates, temp files, and swap need breathing room during restart.

Audit Big Updaters

Cloud drive apps, game launchers, printer suites, and vendor updaters love to start with the system. Trim them to what you truly need daily.

Thermals And Power

High temperatures can slow shutdown or startup. Ensure vents are clear, run on AC for major updates, and avoid thick couch cushions that block airflow.

Copy-Paste Blocks For Faster Diagnosis

Windows: Health Checks

:: Run as Administrator (Windows Terminal)
sfc /scannow
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

:: Quick online disk check
chkdsk /scan

:: Schedule deep disk scan for next boot
chkdsk C: /r

:: Show recently failed services (optional)
wevtutil qe System /q:"*[System[(Level=2) and (TimeCreated[timediff(@SystemTime) <= 86400000])]]" /f:text /c:20

Windows: Clean Boot Prep

:: Open System Configuration
msconfig

:: Then in Task Manager → Startup: disable non-essentials

macOS: Safe Mode And Cleanup Reminders

# Safe Mode
# Apple silicon: Power → hold → Startup Options → select disk → hold Shift → Continue in Safe Mode
# Intel: Restart → hold Shift

# Disk First Aid
# Open Disk Utility → View: Show All Devices → First Aid on each volume and device

How To Tell If Storage Is The Culprit

If a restart hangs at “Restarting…” and the drive light stays active (or you hear an HDD grinding), storage is busy. On Windows, open Task Manager → Performance and check Disk during normal use; constant 100% usage from “System” or “Antimalware Service Executable” hints at indexing or scanning on a slow disk. On macOS, use Activity Monitor → Disk to spot processes with heavy read/write.

If you still use a mechanical HDD for your OS, consider migrating to an SSD. Moving the OS to an SSD is the single biggest speedup for restarts and logins.

When The Restart Delay Is “Update-Only”

Occasional long restarts immediately after patching are normal. If speed returns on subsequent boots, you’re fine. If every reboot drags, treat it as a configuration or health issue and work through the steps above.

Table: Symptoms, Likely Causes, Fast Fixes

Symptom Likely Cause Fast Fix
Only slow after Patch Tuesday Updates finalizing Let it finish once; then restart again and recheck
Always slow, heavy fan spin Startup bloat or scan at boot Trim startup items; schedule scans; keep on AC power
Hangs at “Restarting…” Stuck driver or storage error Update drivers, run SFC/DISM or First Aid, check Event Viewer
Shutdown slow, restart normal Fast Startup quirks (Windows) or disk tasks Test with Fast Startup off; check disk health
Only Safe Mode is quick Third-party service or extension Clean boot (Windows) or remove Login Items (macOS)

When Hardware Is The Bottleneck

Even a tuned system feels slow if the parts are dated. A system with 4 GB RAM and an HDD will juggle swap files during shutdown and startup. If your checks above pass but restarts remain sluggish, consider these upgrades:

  • Move to an SSD. Night-and-day difference for restarts and app launches.
  • Increase RAM. Aim for 8–16 GB for mainstream use so the OS isn’t shuffling memory to disk.
  • Replace a failing battery. Some laptops throttle under weak battery conditions, slowing OS tasks during boot.

Proof-Backed Steps (Helpful References)

On Windows, running sfc, DISM, adjusting startup apps, and disk checks are standard first moves. On Mac, Safe Mode, trimming Login Items, and Disk Utility First Aid are the cleanest starting points. You’ll find the official walkthroughs here:

  • Windows file integrity repair with System File Checker and image repair steps via DISM are documented by Microsoft.
  • Mac Safe Mode instructions and Disk Utility First Aid steps are covered by Apple’s support pages.

Still Slow? A Short Checklist

  • Run one more restart after updates complete.
  • Disconnect all USB devices and try again.
  • Trim startup items to the bare minimum.
  • Run SFC/DISM (Windows) or First Aid (macOS).
  • Update drivers or macOS apps that load at boot.
  • Check Event Viewer (Windows) for long “Degradation” entries and fix the named service/driver.
  • Test Safe Mode/Clean Boot to pinpoint a third-party culprit.
  • Plan an SSD/RAM upgrade if hardware is dated.