What should I do when my computer freezes?

A freeze usually means one program is monopolising a resource, not that the whole machine has failed. Killing that one process recovers everything else, including unsaved work in other applications, which a hard power-off would lose.

What you'll need

• Your computer
• Patience (optional)

Step by step

1. Wait a full minute before doing anything.A machine that is swapping heavily or finishing a large operation often recovers on its own. Acting immediately can lose work unnecessarily.
2. Try the task manager or force-quit dialog.Ctrl+Shift+Esc on Windows, Cmd+Option+Esc on Mac. If it opens, the machine is alive and only one program is stuck.
3. End the unresponsive program from there.Look for one marked 'not responding' or sitting at very high CPU. Other applications keep their unsaved work.
4. If nothing responds, check the machine is truly frozen.Does the mouse move? Does Caps Lock toggle its light? A moving cursor with a frozen screen usually means a graphics or display problem, not a dead machine.
5. Only then hold the power button for ten seconds.This is a hard power-off. Unsaved work is lost and there is a small risk of file corruption, which is why it is last.
6. After restarting, check for a pattern.Same program every time? Same task? Only when several things are open? That points straight at the cause.
7. Check the event log or console for errors around the freeze time.Windows Event Viewer or macOS Console. Repeated hardware or driver errors are informative.
8. Rule out heat and failing storage if it happens repeatedly.Frequent freezes on a machine that used to be fine often mean an overheating processor or a drive beginning to fail. Back up now rather than later.

Tips

• If freezes started right after an update or a new program, that is almost certainly the cause. Roll it back and see.
• Regular unexplained freezes on an older machine are a good reason to check your backups are current, before investigating further.
• Browsers freeze far more often than operating systems. If it is only ever the browser, treat that as the fault.

Common mistakes

• Holding the power button immediately — It loses unsaved work in every open application, when force-quitting one stuck program would have saved the rest.
• Clicking repeatedly while frozen — The clicks queue up and all execute at once when it recovers, which can do something you did not intend.
• Ignoring repeated freezes — They often signal failing storage or overheating, both of which get worse and one of which loses your data.

Questions people ask