Use Restart-Computer to restart Windows locally or target named remote computers. Add -Force only when an immediate restart is intended; for remote scripts that must wait for a machine to return, use -Wait with a readiness condition and timeout.
Restart the local computer
Run this in PowerShell on the Windows computer you want to restart:
Restart-ComputerWith no -ComputerName parameter, the cmdlet targets the local computer. You can also identify the local target explicitly with its computer name, ., or localhost. See Microsoft’s Restart-Computer reference.
Restart one or more remote computers
On Windows, -ComputerName accepts one or more computer names, IP addresses, or fully qualified domain names. Separate multiple targets with commas:
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Restart-Computer -ComputerName Server01, Server02You can also pipe computer names from a text file. For example, if C:Domain01.txt contains one computer name per line:
Get-Content -Path C:Domain01.txt | Restart-ComputerUse names and addresses that resolve correctly in your environment. The command’s availability does not guarantee that your account, authentication method, or remote-computer configuration permits a restart.
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Choose whether to force the restart
-Force requests an immediate restart:
Restart-Computer -ComputerName Server01 -ForceBecause an immediate restart can interrupt active work, use this switch deliberately. Microsoft’s general changing computer state guidance also demonstrates a forced restart.
Wait for a remote computer to return
A remote restart command can return before the target is ready for further work. Add -Wait when the script should block until a readiness condition is met. This example waits for PowerShell availability, checks every two seconds, and stops waiting after 300 seconds:
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Restart-Computer -ComputerName Server01 -Wait -For PowerShell -Timeout 300 -Delay 2-Waitholds the pipeline while the remote computer restarts.-Forselects the readiness signal:PowerShell,WMI, orWinRM.-Timeoutsets the maximum wait in seconds.-Delaysets the interval, in seconds, between checks.
-Wait is not valid for a local restart. If a target list mixes local and remote computers, the cmdlet reports a non-terminating error for the local target while waiting for the remote targets.
Provide remote credentials and authentication when needed
For remote operations, the cmdlet offers -Credential and -WsmanAuthentication. For example, Microsoft’s reference shows Kerberos authentication in this form:
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Restart-Computer -ComputerName Server01 -WsmanAuthentication KerberosSelect credentials and an authentication method supported by your environment. Whether a particular account can restart a particular computer depends on its permissions and your organization’s remote-management configuration.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Know which syntax works on each platform
The remote-target, force, and wait controls described above are documented as Windows-only parameters. PowerShell 7.1 added Restart-Computer on Linux and macOS, but those platforms expose only -WhatIf, -Confirm, and common parameters; the cmdlet calls the native /sbin/shutdown command there. Do not assume Windows remote-restart examples apply unchanged to Linux or macOS. Microsoft’s platform and parameter documentation details these differences.
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