Restart-Computer
Restarts the operating system on local and remote computers.
Syntax
Restart-Computer
[-WsmanAuthentication <String>]
[[-ComputerName] <String[]>]
[[-Credential]<PSCredential>]
[-Force]
[-Wait]
[-Timeout <Int32>]
[-For <WaitForServiceTypes>]
[-Delay <Int16>]
[-WhatIf]
[-Confirm]
[<CommonParameters>]
Description
This cmdlet is only available on the Windows platform.
The Restart-Computer
cmdlet restarts the operating system on the local and remote computers.
You can use the parameters of Restart-Computer
to run the restart operations, to specify the
authentication levels and alternate credentials, to limit the operations that run at the same time,
and to force an immediate restart.
Starting in Windows PowerShell 3.0, you can wait for the restart to complete before you run the next
command. Specify a waiting time-out and query interval, and wait for particular services to be
available on the restarted computer. This feature makes it practical to use Restart-Computer
in
scripts and functions.
Examples
Example 1: Restart the local computer
Restart-Computer
restarts the local computer.
Restart-Computer
Example 2: Restart multiple computers
Restart-Computer
can restart remote and local computers. The ComputerName parameter accepts an
array of computer names.
Restart-Computer -ComputerName Server01, Server02, localhost
Example 3: Get computer names from a text file
Restart-Computer
gets a list of computer names from a text file and restarts the computers. The
ComputerName parameter isn't specified. But because it's the first position parameter, it
accepts the computer names from the text file that are sent down the pipeline.
Get-Content -Path C:\Domain01.txt | Restart-Computer
Get-Content
uses the Path parameter to get a list of computer names from a text file,
Domain01.txt. The computer names are sent down the pipeline. Restart-Computer
restarts each
computer.
Example 4: Force restart of computers listed in a text file
This example forces an immediate restart of the computers listed in the Domain01.txt
file. The
computer names from the text file are stored in a variable. The Force parameter forces an
immediate restart.
$Names = Get-Content -Path C:\Domain01.txt
$Creds = Get-Credential
Restart-Computer -ComputerName $Names -Credential $Creds -Force
Get-Content
uses the Path parameter to get a list of computer names from a text file,
Domain01.txt. The computer names are stored in the variable $Names
. Get-Credential
prompts
you for a username and password and stores the values in the variable $Creds
. Restart-Computer
uses the ComputerName and Credential parameters with their variables. The Force
parameter causes an immediate restart of each computer.
Example 6: Restart a remote computer and wait for PowerShell
Restart-Computer
restarts the remote computer and then waits up to 5 minutes (300 seconds) for
PowerShell to become available on the restarted computer before it continues.
Restart-Computer -ComputerName Server01 -Wait -For PowerShell -Timeout 300 -Delay 2
Restart-Computer
uses the ComputerName parameter to specify Server01. The Wait
parameter waits for the restart to finish. The For specifies that PowerShell can run commands on
the remote computer. The Timeout parameter specifies a five-minute wait. The Delay parameter
queries the remote computer every two seconds to determine whether it's restarted.
Example 7: Restart a computer by using WsmanAuthentication
Restart-Computer
restarts the remote computer using the WsmanAuthentication mechanism.
Kerberos authentication determines whether the current user has permission to restart the remote
computer. For more information, see
AuthenticationMechanism.
Restart-Computer -ComputerName Server01 -WsmanAuthentication Kerberos
Restart-Computer
uses the ComputerName parameter to specify the remote computer, Server01.
The WsmanAuthentication parameter specifies the authentication method as Kerberos.
Parameters
-ComputerName
Specifies one computer name or a comma-separated array of computer names. Restart-Computer
accepts
ComputerName objects from the pipeline or variables.
Type the NetBIOS name, an IP address, or a fully qualified domain name of a remote computer. To
specify the local computer, type the computer name, a dot .
, or localhost.
This parameter doesn't rely on PowerShell remoting. You can use the ComputerName parameter even if your computer isn't configured to run remote commands.
If the ComputerName parameter isn't specified, Restart-Computer
restarts the local computer.
Type: | String[] |
Aliases: | CN, __SERVER, Server, IPAddress |
Position: | 0 |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | True |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-Confirm
Prompts you for confirmation before running Restart-Computer
.
Type: | SwitchParameter |
Aliases: | cf |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | False |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-Credential
Specifies a user account that has permission to do this action. The default is the current user.
Type a user name, such as User01 or Domain01\User01, or enter a PSCredential object
generated by the Get-Credential
cmdlet. If you type a user name, you're prompted to enter the
password.
Credentials are stored in a PSCredential object and the password is stored as a SecureString.
Note
For more information about SecureString data protection, see How secure is SecureString?.
Type: | PSCredential |
Position: | 1 |
Default value: | Current user |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-Delay
Specifies the frequency of queries, in seconds. PowerShell queries the service specified by the For parameter to determine whether the service is available after the computer is restarted.
This parameter is valid only together with the Wait and For parameters.
This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.
If the Delay parameter isn't specified, Restart-Computer
uses a five second delay.
Type: | Int16 |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-For
Specifies the behavior of PowerShell as it waits for the specified service or feature to become available after the computer restarts. This parameter is only valid with the Wait parameter.
The acceptable values for this parameter are:
- Default: Waits for PowerShell to restart.
- PowerShell: Can run commands in a PowerShell remote session on the computer.
- WMI: Receives a reply to a Win32_ComputerSystem query for the computer.
- WinRM: Can establish a remote session to the computer by using WS-Management.
This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.
Type: | WaitForServiceTypes |
Accepted values: | Wmi, WinRM, PowerShell |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-Force
Forces an immediate restart of the computer.
Type: | SwitchParameter |
Aliases: | f |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-Timeout
Specifies the duration of the wait, in seconds. When the timeout elapses, Restart-Computer
returns
to the command prompt, even if the computers aren't restarted.
The Timeout parameter is only valid with the Wait parameter. Timeout overrides the Wait parameter's indefinite waiting period.
This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.
Type: | Int32 |
Aliases: | TimeoutSec |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-Wait
Restart-Computer
suppresses the PowerShell prompt and blocks the pipeline until the computers have
restarted. You can use this parameter in a script to restart computers and then continue to process
when the restart is finished.
The Wait parameter waits indefinitely for the computers to restart. You can use Timeout to adjust the timing and the For and Delay parameters to wait for particular services to become available on the restarted computers.
The Wait parameter isn't valid when you're restarting the local computer. If the value of the
ComputerName parameter contains the names of remote computers and the local computer,
Restart-Computer
generates a non-terminating error for Wait on the local computer, but waits
for the remote computers to restart.
This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.
Type: | SwitchParameter |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-WhatIf
Shows what would happen if the Restart-Computer
runs. The Restart-Computer
cmdlet isn't run.
Type: | SwitchParameter |
Aliases: | wi |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | False |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-WsmanAuthentication
Specifies the mechanism that is used to authenticate the user credentials. This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.
The acceptable values for this parameter are: Basic, CredSSP, Default, Digest, Kerberos, and Negotiate.
For more information, see AuthenticationMechanism.
Warning
Credential Security Service Provider (CredSSP) authentication, in which the user credentials are passed to a remote computer to be authenticated, is designed for commands that require authentication on more than one resource, such as accessing a remote network share. This mechanism increases the security risk of the remote operation. If the remote computer is compromised, the credentials that are passed to it can be used to control the network session.
Type: | String |
Accepted values: | Basic, CredSSP, Default, Digest, Kerberos, Negotiate |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
Inputs
You can pipe a string that contains a computer name to this cmdlet.
Outputs
None
This cmdlet returns no output.
Notes
- In Windows,
Restart-Computer
uses the Win32Shutdown method of the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Win32_OperatingSystem class. This method requires the SeShutdownPrivilege privilege be enabled for the user account used to restart the machine. - On Linux and Mac OS,
Restart-Computer
uses the/sbin/shutdown
bash tool.