Windows + Shift + S freezing

It can be really frustrating when your computer suddenly freezes while you are in the middle of doing something. You can find below the Keyboard Shortcuts to fix frozen computer.

Windows + Shift + S freezing

A Windows 10/11 computer can become unresponsive due to various reasons, ranging from driver and hardware related issues to corrupt registry files, malware and stuck programs.

When the computer becomes frozen and unresponsive, most users try to get out of the situation by rebooting the computer, which can lead to loss of data.

Hence, we are providing below certain keyboard shortcuts that can help fix Frozen computer, without losing your unsaved work.

1. Wait For Sometime

In certain cases, the computer can slow down considerably and even get stuck for a while, if it is busy downloading updates, trying to complete a task, end an active process and complete other background activites.

Hence, your first approach should be to give the computer sufficient time to complete its background activities.

2. Press Win + Ctrl + Shift + B

If the problem on your computer is due to stuck graphics driver, pressing Win + Ctrl + Shift + B keys can fix Frozen computer by restarting the Video Drivers on your device.

Since, this keyboard shortcut only restarts graphic drivers, the program that you had left open will remain exactly as it was and you won’t be losing your work.

1. Press Win + Ctrl + Shift + B Keys on the keyboard of your computer

2. Within a moment, the screen of your computer will go black and you will hear a beep.

After a moment, you will see the display returning back to normal and you should be able to carry on with your work.

3. Press Alt + Tab

If your computer is frozen due to a stuck process or program, pressing Alt + Tab keys can fix stuck computer by switching you from the stuck program.

4. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc

Pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys provides access the to Task Manager, which allowing you to kill or switch OFF unresponsive programs and processes.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.

2. On the Task Manager screen, right-click on the unresponsive program and click on End Task.

Windows + Shift + S freezing

Closing the unresponsive Program should unfreeze your computer.

5. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del

Another keyboard shortcut that you can try to fix frozen computer is to press Ctrl + Alt + Del keys on the keyboard of your computer.

6. Reboot Frozen Computer

If you are unable to fix frozen computer using above keyboard shortcuts, it is time to force reboot your computer.

1. Press and hold the Power Button, until the computer turns off.

2. Wait for 60 seconds and restart your computer by pressing the Power button.

3. If you are prompted to start the computer in Safe Mode or Start Windows Normally. Select, the option to Start Windows Normally.

As mentioned above, rebooting the computer will result in loss of data and you may end up losing all your unsaved work.

If the program that you were working has auto save feature, you might be able to recover your work up to the last auto save position.

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When your computer display freezes, this little-known shortcut can get you going again in seconds. It's much faster than restarting.

Hand on a blue keyboard with the Windows logo showing

Nobody wants to deal with their PC suddenly freezing while in the middle of working. Next time you need to fix a frozen computer and don't want to restart, there's a little-known shortcut that might help you recover from a common problem.

Let's look at a handy keyboard shortcut you probably don't know about, then discuss a few more quick tips for getting your frozen computer running again.

Windows offers a little-known shortcut that will restart your video drivers. If you're not familiar, video drivers are software that allows Windows to interface with the graphics hardware in your computer.

To reset your graphics drivers when your computer is frozen, press the following key combination: Win + Ctrl + Shift + B.

When you press these keys, your screen will go black for a moment, and you may hear a beep while the video driver resets. After a few seconds, your display will return. Since this only affects your graphics drivers, all your open apps remain exactly where you left them. You won't lose any saved work.

This only works on Windows 8 and newer, so Windows 7 users can't take advantage of it. However, it will work no matter what kind of video card you have. Nvidia, AMD, and even Intel integrated graphics will reset with this shortcut.

If you've suffered from this issue, it's worth updating your graphics drivers. Running an old version can lead to more frequent issues.

More Troubleshooting Tips for a Frozen Computer

Depending on the cause of the freeze, this shortcut may or may not fix your issue. If your graphics driver gets stuck, restarting it should let you continue on without having to restart your computer. But if this doesn't work, your PC is probably frozen from something more than your video card.

As a next troubleshooting step, try pressing Alt + Tab to switch to another program. If it's still stuck and you don't see the menu switcher appear, try Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager and kill any unresponsive programs. You should also know how to force-close apps without using Task Manager.

windows 10 task manager process list

Should neither of these work, give Ctrl + Alt + Del a press. This is a special key combination that only the operating system can respond to, making it an important step when checking for a frozen PC.

If your computer is frozen and Ctrl + Alt + Del isn't working after some time, you'll need to hard shutdown your computer by holding its power button for several seconds. Should that fail to work, and you're using a desktop, you can pull the power plug. While it's best to avoid doing this unless you absolutely have to, sometimes it's the only way to escape a full system freeze.

If you run into this problem regularly, see how to fix Windows 10 freezes or our guide to troubleshooting freezes on Windows 11. You may have a more serious issue if this problem keeps popping up.

Fix a Frozen Computer Now

Knowing handy shortcuts like these will make it easier to fix problems as they arise. While this won't correct all PC freezes, it should patch up anything related to your video drivers locking up. Any time that you don't have to restart from these problems is a small win.

To diagnose deeper issues, you should learn about the most common reasons that Windows becomes unresponsive.

Why does Windows shift s stop working?

Your keyboard shortcut may not be working due to a corrupt system file. However, running an SFC and DISM scan can fix the issue and get your keyboard working again. These scans help to ensure that your Windows system files haven't been corrupted.

What is window shift S?

Windows 11 Windows 10. To use the Snipping Tool when you have a mouse and a keyboard: Press Windows logo key + Shift + S. The desktop will darken while you select an area for your screenshot.

Does Windows shift s work on Windows 11?

The Win + Shift + S keyboard shortcut will be the main way to take a screenshot in Windows 11, and it will activate the snipping menu with various options for selecting what content to screenshot.