A reset input is used to reset a microcontroller externally. Resetting puts the microcontroller into a known state such that the program execution starts from address 0 of the program memory. An external reset action is usually achieved by connecting a push-button switch to the reset input. When the switch is pressed, the microcontroller is reset.

Interrupts are an important concept in microcontrollers. An interrupt causes the microcontroller to respond to external and internal (e.g., a timer) events very quickly. When an interrupt occurs, the microcontroller leaves its normal flow of program execution and jumps to a special part of the program known as the interrupt service routine (ISR). The program code inside the ISR is executed, and upon return from the ISR the program resumes its normal flow of execution.

The ISR starts from a fixed address of the program memory sometimes known as the interrupt vector address. Some microcontrollers with multi-interrupt features have just one interrupt vector address, while others have unique interrupt vector addresses, one for each interrupt source. Interrupts can be nested such that a new interrupt can suspend the execution of another interrupt. Another important feature of multi-interrupt capability is that different interrupt sources can be assigned different levels of priority. For example, the PIC18F series of microcontrollers has both low-priority and high-priority interrupt levels.

Brown-out detectors, which are common in many microcontrollers, reset the microcontroller if the supply voltage falls below a nominal value. These safety features can be employed to prevent unpredictable operation at low voltages, especially to protect the contents of EEPROM-type memories.