If your Surface stops responding, or hangs, use the following methods to force a shutdown, and then restart.
Be aware, though, that whenever possible, you should shut down your Surface in the normal manner: Select Start > Power > Shut down or press and hold the power button until the Slide to shut down your PC screen appears (about 4 seconds), and then slide down.
Find your Surface:
Select a Surface to find specific instructions for your model:
Video: Force a shutdown and restart your Surface
Note: This video is available in English only.
Surface Pro
Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2, Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 4
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Press and hold the power button until the screen turns off (about 10 seconds), then release the power button.
Note: On some Surface models, the screen may immediately turn off when you press the power button. If this happens, continue to hold for the full 10 seconds and then release.
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Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on. You should see the Surface logo.
If that doesn't work, use this two-button shutdown process to make sure your Surface turns off completely:
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Press and hold the power button on your Surface until the screen turns off (about 30 seconds), then release it.
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Press and hold the volume-up button and the power button at the same time until the screen turns off (about 15 seconds), then release both.
The screen may flash the Surface logo, but continue holding the buttons down for at least 15 seconds. -
After you release the buttons, wait 10 seconds.
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Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on. You should see the Surface logo.
Surface Pro (5th Gen), Surface Pro 6, Surface Pro 7, Surface Pro X
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Press and hold the power button until the screen turns off (about 10 seconds), then release the power button.
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Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on. You should see the Microsoft logo.
If that doesn't work, here's how to make sure your Surface turns off completely:
Press and hold down the power button until your Surface restarts and you see the Windows logo screen (about 20 seconds), then release the power button.
Surface Laptop
Surface Laptop (1st Gen), Surface Laptop 2, Surface Laptop 3, Surface Laptop Go
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Press and hold the power button until the screen turns off (about 10 seconds), then release the power button.
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Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on. You should see the Microsoft logo.
If that doesn't work, here's how to make sure your Surface turns off completely:
Press and hold down the power button until your Surface restarts and you see the Windows logo screen (this about 20 seconds), then release the power button.
Surface Book
Surface Book
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Press and hold the power button until the screen turns off (about 10 seconds), then release the power button.
Note: On some Surface models, the screen may immediately turn off when you press the power button. If this happens, continue to hold for the full 10 seconds and then release.
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Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on. You should see the Surface logo.
If that doesn't work, use this two-button shutdown process to make sure your Surface turns off completely:
-
Press and hold the power button on your Surface until the screen turns off (about 30 seconds), then release it.
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Press and hold the volume-up button and the power button at the same time until the screen turns off (about 15 seconds), then release both.
The screen may flash the Surface logo, but continue holding the buttons down for at least 15 seconds. -
After you release the buttons, wait 10 seconds.
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Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on. You should see the Surface logo.
Surface Book 2, Surface Book 3
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Press and hold the power button until the screen turns off (about 10 seconds), then release the power button.
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Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on. You should see the Microsoft logo.
If that doesn't work, here's how to make sure your Surface turns off completely:
Press and hold down the power button until your Surface restarts and you see the Windows logo screen (about 20 seconds), then release the power button.
Surface Go
Surface Go, Surface Go 2, Surface Go with LTE Advanced, Surface Go 2 with LTE Advanced
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Press and hold the power button until the screen turns off (about 10 seconds), then release the power button.
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Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on. You should see the Microsoft logo.
If that doesn't work, here's how to make sure your Surface turns off completely:
Press and hold down the power button until your Surface restarts and you see the Windows logo screen (about 20 seconds), then release the power button.
Surface Studio
Surface Studio (1st Gen), Surface Studio 2
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Press and hold the power button until the screen turns off (about 10 seconds), then release the power button.
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Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on. You should see the Microsoft logo.
If that doesn't work, here's how to make sure your Surface turns off completely:
Press and hold down the power button until your Surface restarts and you see the Windows logo screen (about 20 seconds), then release the power button.
Surface
Surface RT, Surface 3, Surface 2
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Press and hold the power button until the screen turns off (about 10 seconds), then release the power button.
Note: On some Surface models, the screen may immediately turn off when you press the power button. If this happens, continue to hold for the full 10 seconds and then release.
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Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on. You should see the Surface logo.
Related topics
Important:
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If you've tried the troubleshooting methods in this article and still can't resolve the problem, you might opt to submit a service request to Microsoft. This is particularly true if your Surface is new and has never worked correctly right out of the box.