KB Parallels: Force restart a frozen Windows virtual machine

Force restart a frozen Windows virtual machine

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Applies to:
- Parallels Desktop for Mac Standard Edition
- Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition
Last Review: Mar 17, 2020
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Symptoms

Windows is frozen and not working, however Parallels Desktop application and macOS work properly
Once I launch Windows I get black screen

Cause

Such issues also happen on a real PC, this is Windows related issue caused by hanging vital system processes or malfunctioning drivers.

Resolution

To revive Windows a simple system force restart helps on the real PC.

To force restart Windows in Parallels Desktop go to Actions on Mac menu bar > click Reset.

If you use a virtual machine in Full Screen view mode move the mouse to the top of the screen and wait for 1-2 seconds to open the Mac menu bar. To release the mouse input and access the top menu bar easier, press Ctrl + Alt shortcut.

Note: To avoid such issues in the future, we recommend disabling Windows built-in fast startup feature. If resetting Windows did not help or Actions menu is unresponsive please follow the steps from KB 6338.

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