Restarting fixes a variety of problems. It’s true! You might have heard the adage, When in doubt, restart or if you’ve ever called for computer support you’ve likely been asked Have you tried restarting yet? I know I ask my clients this question almost daily. If you’re having a problem with a device, please restart it. This is true for computers, iPhones, printers, wireless routers, as well as other devices. When you’re having a problem, restart any or all of your associated devices. Restarting almost never causes problems and it commonly fixes them. Restarting can also be used as a way to prevent problems.
Restarting, rebooting and power cycling are all synonymous.
iPhones and iPad don’t actually have a restart command. Instead, one needs to turn off the device and then turn it on. I’ve learned that many iPhone and iPad owners don’t actually know how to turn off their device. They think that pressing the button on top of the iPhone, which puts the device to sleep, is actually turning it off. Read this tip to learn how to turn off your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch
As an example, a client of mine lost the ability to send or receive email on her iPhone. I turned off the iPhone and then turned it on. Email started working immediately. My client was then chagrined to admit that she hadn’t been able to use email on her iPhone for the past 3 months!
The reasons why restarting a computer can be beneficial are many. Restarting clears volatile memory (aka RAM), deletes temp files, and performs various tests. If the computer’s operating system detects problems, additional diagnostic text are performed. So if your computer is acting strange, restart it. If some feature, like printing, worked yesterday then suddenly didn’t work today, maybe a restart will fix the problem. Restart your printer while you’re at it. If your printer is a wireless printer then you could restart your wireless router as well.
If your Mac is sluggish, restart it. Restarting devices can even be good preventive maintenance. I recommend weekly restarts of your Mac. Restarting can fix a myriad of glitches, but if the problem persists after a restart then it’s time to reach out for help.