How to Shut Down or Restart a Mac

What you need: A Mac.

Before you begin: Save your work and close your documents. Shut Down turns the Mac off until you turn it on again. Restart turns the Mac off and starts it again automatically.

Steps

1. Click the Apple menu (the Apple logo) in the upper-left corner of the screen.
2. Click Shut Down to turn the Mac off, or click Restart to turn it off and start it again.
3. In the confirmation window, click the button with the same name: Shut Down or Restart.
4. Wait while the Mac finishes. Keep a Mac laptop's lid open and leave the power button alone. After Shut Down, the screen goes dark and the Mac stays off. After Restart, the screen goes dark briefly before the Mac starts again.
5. If you chose Restart, wait for the sign-in screen or your desktop to appear. If the sign-in screen appears, sign in as you normally do.

Expected result: After Shut Down, the Mac has turned off and its screen is dark. After Restart, the Mac has started again and shows the sign-in screen or your desktop.