Windows 11 Reset Stuck on the Manufacturer Splash Screen—Should I Power It Off?

There usually isn’t a useful progress indicator at this stage, so it’s hard to know whether the process is actually working. If the drive activity light is still blinking regularly, waiting a little longer is reasonable. If the screen and activity have been unchanged for a long time, powering it off is the practical next step, even though interrupting the reset is not ideal.

Resets can take a while and may restart several times, so it’s best not to interrupt one during the first 20–30 minutes. However, nearly two hours with no change is a good indication that it may be frozen. A forced shutdown probably won’t damage the hardware, but it can leave the Windows installation incomplete. Hold the power button until it turns off, then start it again and see whether Windows resumes or opens automatic repair. If it does not, use Windows recovery or installation media to run Startup Repair or repeat the reset.