What to Do When Your Windows Computer Freezes Up

A frozen Windows computer — mouse won't move, nothing responds — is fixable. Here's what to try, in order, to get back up and running.

In this guide (5 steps):

1.Wait first — it might just be thinking
2.Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete
3.Use Task Manager to close the troublemaker
4.Restart Windows normally
5.Hard reboot as a last resort

Wait first — it might just be thinking

~16s

Before taking action, wait 60–90 seconds. Some operations — large file copies, software updates, antivirus scans — can completely freeze the interface while they process. If the spinning loading circle appears near the cursor, something is still running. Wait patiently before forcing anything.

Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete

~24s

Hold Ctrl and Alt, then press Delete. This often breaks through a freeze and brings up the Windows security screen. From there, click "Task Manager." Task Manager shows all running programs and which ones are "Not Responding" (highlighted in red). Click the frozen program and click "End Task" to close it forcefully.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: Ctrl+Alt+Del works even when the regular keyboard and mouse are frozen — it sends a direct signal to Windows that often breaks through.

Use Task Manager to close the troublemaker

~15s

In Task Manager, click the "Processes" tab. Look for any program with a high "CPU" or "Memory" percentage (in the columns). If a program shows "Not Responding," right-click it and choose "End Task." This usually unfreezes Windows within 30 seconds.

Restart Windows normally

~15s

If Task Manager isn't responding either, try pressing the Windows key. If the Start menu appears, click the power button icon and choose "Restart." A normal restart is better than a forced shutdown because Windows can finish what it's doing and save open work where possible.

Hard reboot as a last resort

~32s

If nothing else works, press and hold the physical power button on your computer for 5–10 seconds until it turns off. Wait 30 seconds, then press it again to turn it back on. This is the equivalent of pulling the plug — you will lose any unsaved work, but it always breaks the freeze.

Warning

Hard power-off should be used only when nothing else works. Regularly shutting down this way (rather than through Windows) can eventually cause file system errors. If your computer freezes frequently, it may need maintenance — see a technician or run Windows Update to install pending patches.

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Your Windows computer just stopped responding — the cursor won't move, nothing happens when you click, or the screen is stuck. This is called a system freeze, and it happens for a variety of reasons: a program crashed and is hogging all the system resources, Windows ran out of memory, a driver crashed, or the computer simply needs a restart after long uptime.

The good news: a computer freeze usually fixes itself with a restart. The bad news: if you have unsaved work open, you may lose it. This guide takes you through the steps in order of how gentle they are, starting with the least disruptive and ending with a hard power-off as the last resort.

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