---
title: "Start, power off, or reboot a firewall"
description: "Power off an E2E Firewall, start it again, or reboot it from its Actions menu in MyAccount, and what each does to traffic and billing."
content_type: "how-to"
product: "firewall"
platform: "MyAccount"
url: "/myaccount/firewall/how-to/start-power-off-or-reboot-a-firewall/"
topic: ["manage"]
---

# Start, power off, or reboot a firewall

<!-- cspell:ignore FortiGate -->

Power off a firewall to shut it down without deleting it, start it to bring it back, and reboot it
to restart it while it runs. All three keep the firewall's plan, addresses, VPCs, and FortiGate
settings as they are.

A powered-off firewall is still billed at its plan's rate, until you delete it. It passes traffic
again once you start it.

## Before you begin

- The firewall is unlocked. See [Lock a firewall](/myaccount/firewall/how-to/lock-a-firewall/).
- The firewall has finished any change in progress, such as **Creating**, **Reinstalling**,
  **Upgrading**, **Powering on**, or **Powering off**.
- Your role in the project can update firewalls.

Each action is available in one state:

| Action        | Available while the firewall is |
| ------------- | ------------------------------- |
| **Start**     | **Powered off**                 |
| **Power Off** | **Running**                     |
| **Reboot**    | **Running**                     |

## Power off the firewall

To upgrade the firewall's plan, power it off first.

1. In MyAccount, under **Network**, click **Firewall**.
2. On **Manage Firewall**, in the firewall's row, click **Actions**, then **Power Off**.
3. In **Power Off Firewall**, turn on
   **I understand the risk, and want to power off the Firewall : <name>.** Billing continues while
   the firewall is off, and powering off while the disk is busy can damage it.
4. Click **Power Off**.

**Status** shows **Powering off**, then **Powered off**, and **Firewall powered off successfully**
shows. Powering off usually takes about 20 seconds.

The firewall keeps its plan, its public IP and Add-on IPs, its VPCs, and every setting on its
FortiGate.

## Start the firewall

1. On **Manage Firewall**, in the firewall's row, click **Actions**, then **Start**.
2. **Start Firewall** asks **Are you sure, you want to start the Firewall : <name>?** Click
   **Start Firewall**.

**Status** shows **Powering on**, then **Running**, and **Firewall started successfully** shows.
The firewall usually reaches **Running** about 16 seconds after you start it. The FortiGate's
screen opens about 20 seconds after that. It passes traffic again, with the same settings as
before.

## Reboot the firewall

Reboot the firewall to restart it without changing its settings or its plan. A reboot is also the
fix when **Firewall Detail** still shows the old plan after an upgrade.

1. On **Manage Firewall**, in the firewall's row, click **Actions**, then **Reboot**.
2. **Reboot Firewall** asks you to turn on
   **I understand the risk, and want to reboot the Firewall: <name>.**
3. Click **Reboot**.

**Firewall reboot successfully** shows. **Status** keeps reading **Running** during the reboot.
Traffic through the firewall stops while it restarts, and the FortiGate's screen comes back in
under a minute.

## Check the firewall's status

On **Manage Firewall**, **Status** updates by itself and reads **Running** or **Powered off** once
the change finishes.

While the firewall is powered off, you can move it to a bigger plan; see
[Upgrade a firewall plan](/myaccount/firewall/how-to/upgrade-a-firewall-plan/). To stop billing,
see [Delete a firewall](/myaccount/firewall/how-to/delete-a-firewall/). For help with a
start that does not finish, see
[The firewall does not reach Running after a start](/myaccount/firewall/troubleshooting/firewall/#the-firewall-does-not-reach-running-after-a-start).