How to Shut Down or Restart Windows 11 & 10: Every Way, Shortcut and Command

To shut down Windows 11 or 10, click Start, click the Power button, and choose Shut down, or choose Restart to restart. The fastest keyboard route is Windows + X, then U, then U again to shut down or R to restart. From a command, run shutdown /s /t 0 to shut down or shutdown /r /t 0 to restart. Here is the detail that surprises most people: "Shut down" in Windows 10 and 11 is not a full shutdown. With Fast Startup on, which it is by default, Windows saves part of itself to disk and reloads it next time. Restart is the full, clean reset. So when a guide or a support agent says "turn it off and on again", choose Restart, not Shut down. Hold Shift while clicking Shut down for a true full shutdown.

Ethan's uncle swore he shut his laptop down every night, yet a printer driver problem survived for two weeks of "turning it off and on". At Jake's shop, the first thing Jake did was click Restart. The problem vanished. Ethan's uncle was puzzled: he had shut down far more times than that. Jake explained Fast Startup: shutting down kept the same half-loaded Windows core across every boot, including the stuck driver, while Restart threw it away and started fresh. It is the single most useful thing to know about turning a Windows PC off. This page covers every way to shut down and restart, the shortcuts, the commands, what each button really does, and what to do when they do not work.

Every method below saves nothing for you: apps with unsaved work may ask you to save, and Windows waits for them, but some apps close without asking when you force a shutdown. Save your work first.

Every way to shut down or restart, at a glance

Shut down or restart from the Start menu

1. Click Start or press the Windows key.
2. Click the Power icon. On Windows 11 it is at the bottom right of Start; on Windows 10 at the bottom left.
3. Choose Shut down, Restart or Sleep (and Hibernate, if enabled).

When updates are waiting, the options change to Update and shut down and Update and restart, with a small orange dot on the Power icon. Choosing them installs the updates first; plain Shut down and Restart remain available alongside on current versions.

The account menu, reached by clicking your picture or name at the bottom left of Windows 11 Start, has the related options: Sign out, Lock, Change account settings and other users to switch to. Signing out closes your apps but leaves the PC on for someone else, which is the polite choice on a shared family PC instead of shutting it down.

Sign out, lock, sleep and hibernate: the other choices

• Lock (Windows + L): your apps stay open, the PC stays on, and a password or PIN is needed to return. Use it whenever you step away.
• Sign out: closes your apps and returns to the sign-in screen, leaving the PC on for another user.
• Switch user: lets someone else sign in while your apps stay open in the background.
• Sleep: everything stays in memory in a low-power state; resume in seconds.
• Hibernate: saves everything to disk and powers off completely; resumes where you left off, more slowly than sleep.

Our guide to sleep, hibernate and power settings explains when each one is the right choice and how to control them.

Keyboard shortcuts to shut down and restart

• Windows + X, then U, then U: shut down. Windows + X, U, R: restart. Windows + X, U, S: sleep. Windows + X, U, I: sign out.
• Alt + F4 on the desktop: press Windows + D to show the desktop, then Alt + F4. The Shut Down Windows dialog opens; choose Shut down or Restart with the arrow keys and press Enter.
• Ctrl + Alt + Delete: then Tab to the power icon at the bottom right, press Enter, and choose.
• Windows key, then Tab and arrows: open Start, Tab to the power button, Enter, and pick.

Windows + X, U, U is the one worth memorizing: four keystrokes from anywhere, no mouse, and it works even when Start is slow to open.

On keyboards without a Windows key, such as some compact or older layouts, Ctrl + Esc opens Start instead, and the arrow keys and Tab reach the power button from there. Screen reader users can use the same Windows + X route; Narrator announces each menu item as you press the letters.

Shut down and restart with the shutdown command

Open Terminal, Command Prompt or the Run box (Windows + R) and type:

In PowerShell, Stop-Computer shuts down and Restart-Computer restarts; add -Force to close apps without waiting. Use /f and -Force with care: unsaved work in open apps is lost.

The Run box (Windows + R) accepts the same commands, which is handy because it opens even when Terminal is slow to start. A shutdown command typed there runs immediately with the delay you set, so double-check whether you typed /s for shut down or /r for restart before pressing Enter.

Full shutdown vs Fast Startup: what "Shut down" really does

With Fast Startup on, which is the default on most PCs, Shut down signs you out and closes your apps, then saves the Windows core (the kernel and drivers) to the hibernation file instead of closing it. The next start reloads that saved core, which is faster than starting from scratch. That is great for speed, but it means anything wrong in the kernel or a driver survives a Shut down. A Restart always does a full shutdown and fresh start, ignoring Fast Startup.

Ways to get a true full shutdown:

• Hold Shift while clicking Shut down in the Start menu.
• Run shutdown /s /full /t 0.
• Turn off Fast Startup in Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do > Change settings that are currently unavailable, then clear Turn on fast startup. Our guide to Fast Startup walks through it.

Do a full shutdown before opening the PC case, before changing hardware, when dual-booting with Linux (which cannot safely use a drive Windows has hibernated), and when you want the next start to be truly fresh.

What happens when you click Shut down

Windows first asks every open app to close. Apps with unsaved work show their own save prompt, and Windows waits. If an app does not respond, you see a full-screen message listing apps that are preventing shutdown. Next, Windows signs you out, stops services, writes any pending settings, and, with Fast Startup on, saves the kernel and drivers to the hibernation file. Finally it tells the hardware to power off. The whole process normally takes a few seconds to half a minute; a much longer wait means something is holding it up, usually an app, an update or a stuck driver.

"This app is preventing shutdown"

When an app does not close in time, Windows shows a screen naming it, with Shut down anyway and Cancel. Choose Cancel if it is a document editor that may have unsaved work, switch back to it, save, and close it yourself. Choose Shut down anyway if it is a background app or you know nothing important is open; Windows closes it forcefully. If the same app blocks shutdown every time, update it, check its settings for a "keep running in background" option, or remove it from startup apps. If the screen names an app you do not recognize, look it up before deciding; it may be a helper from another program.

Restart or shut down: which to use when

Ethan's uncle now restarts once a week and whenever something feels off, and shuts down at night. His printer has behaved ever since.

Laptops that are only ever closed and reopened can go weeks without either a shutdown or restart, which is when odd problems such as missing Wi-Fi, slow performance or stuck printers creep in. A habit of restarting on Monday morning, or whenever something feels off, prevents most of them.

Restart is not Reset: do not mix them up

Two very different buttons have similar names. Restart turns Windows off and on again, keeping everything. Reset this PC, under Settings > System > Recovery, reinstalls Windows, removing apps and, depending on the option chosen, your files. Support instructions that say "reset your PC" sometimes mean restart; if in doubt, restart first, because it is harmless. Only use Reset this PC deliberately, after backing up, when a repair genuinely needs a fresh Windows. Similarly, the Recovery page's Restart now button next to Advanced startup restarts into recovery options rather than back to your desktop.

"Getting Windows ready, don't turn off your computer"

This message, or "Working on updates", appears when Windows installs updates during shutdown or restart. It can take from a minute to half an hour, longer on older drives. Leave the PC plugged in and let it finish; the percentage may pause for a long time at certain points, which is normal. If it has not moved at all for more than an hour, and the drive light shows no activity, holding the power button is a last resort; Windows will usually roll back the update at the next start. Our guide to an update stuck at 100% or in a restart loop covers the stubborn cases.

Does shutting down save electricity?

Yes, though less than people expect for modern PCs. A sleeping laptop uses very little power, often around a watt; a sleeping desktop a few watts; a shut-down PC still draws a tiny amount while plugged in, for the power button and network wake features. Shutting down at night saves a little more than sleeping, and switching off the power strip saves the last fraction. For most homes the difference between sleep and shut down is small enough that convenience can decide. Leaving a desktop fully on all night, with the screen off but not sleeping, is the expensive option over a year.

PC frozen: force a shutdown safely

1. First try Ctrl + Alt + Delete. If the blue screen with options appears, use the power icon at the bottom right; or open Task Manager to close the stuck app.
2. Try Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B, which restarts the graphics driver; a black or frozen screen sometimes recovers.
3. If nothing responds for a minute or two, and the drive light is not flickering, hold the power button for 5 to 10 seconds until the PC turns off.
4. Wait a few seconds, then turn it on normally.

A forced power-off is safe for the hardware, but unsaved work is lost and, rarely, files being written at that moment can be damaged. Windows checks itself at the next start. If you need to force shut down often, something is wrong; Event Viewer and our guide to a PC stuck on shutting down help find the cause.

Shut down when the Start menu will not open

If Start or the taskbar is frozen but the PC still responds, you have several ways out. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and use the power icon at the bottom right. Or press Windows + X and use the Power User menu, which sometimes works when Start does not. Or open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, choose Run new task, type shutdown /r /t 0, and press Enter. Or press Windows + D for the desktop, then Alt + F4. Restarting is the better choice here, since a frozen Start menu is a problem a fresh start usually fixes.

Fix a frozen app or desktop without restarting

Before restarting the whole PC, try the smaller fixes. A frozen app can be closed in Task Manager: select it and click End task. A frozen taskbar, desktop or File Explorer can be fixed by restarting Windows Explorer in Task Manager's Processes list, which redraws the taskbar and desktop in seconds without closing your other apps. Our guide to restarting Explorer shows how. If several apps are stuck or the whole PC is slow, then a full Restart is the right move.

If a single browser tab freezes, close just that tab, or use the browser's own task manager, Shift + Esc in Chrome and Edge, to end it. Each step down from "restart the PC" saves your other open work.

Make the physical power button shut down

1. Press Windows + R, type powercfg.cpl, and press Enter.
2. Click Choose what the power buttons do.
3. Set When I press the power button to Shut down for On battery and Plugged in.
4. Click Save changes.

Now a single short press shuts the PC down cleanly, just like the Start menu. Many laptops default to Sleep instead. Other choices are Sleep, Hibernate, Turn off the display and Do nothing. A short press always asks Windows to act; only a long hold forces power off.

On desktops, the case's power button follows the same setting. If your PC's power button seems to do nothing, it may be set to Do nothing or Turn off the display; check this page first before suspecting a hardware fault.

Create a desktop shortcut to shut down or restart

1. Right-click the desktop and choose New > Shortcut.
2. For the location, type shutdown /s /t 0 (or shutdown /r /t 0 for restart) and click Next.
3. Name it, such as Shut down, and click Finish.
4. Right-click the shortcut, choose Properties > Change Icon, and pick the power icon from the list.
5. Optionally, right-click it and choose Pin to taskbar or Pin to Start, or set a Shortcut key in its Properties, such as Ctrl + Alt + S.

Use a delay, such as /t 10, if you worry about clicking it by accident; you then have ten seconds to cancel with shutdown /a.

Shortcuts like this are also a kindness for relatives who find the Power menu confusing: a clearly named "Turn off computer" icon on the desktop, with the restart version beside it, removes a lot of guesswork. Label them in plain words and keep them in the same place.

Slide to shut down

Windows includes a full-screen "slide to shut down" panel, made for tablets but available on any PC. Press Windows + R, type SlideToShutDown, and press Enter, then drag the picture down to shut down. You can make a desktop shortcut to C:\Windows\System32\SlideToShutDown.exe. On some tablets, holding the power button opens it automatically. Our guide to slide to shut down covers both turning it on and getting rid of it.

Slide to shut down is a full shut down, the same as Start > Power > Shut down, including Fast Startup. It is handy on touch PCs and fun on a desktop, but holding the power button is not the same; only a short press or the slide panel shuts down cleanly.

Shut down from the sign-in or lock screen

At the sign-in screen, the power icon at the bottom right offers Sleep, Shut down and Restart, so anyone can turn off the PC without signing in. If the icon is missing, a policy has hidden it; our guide to the missing sign-in power button brings it back. On shared or public PCs, you may want the opposite, hiding it so visitors cannot shut down; that is the same setting set the other way.

The sign-in screen's Restart option is also the gateway to recovery: hold Shift while clicking Restart there, and the PC restarts into Advanced startup, even if you cannot sign in. That is one of the most useful tricks for a PC with a forgotten password or a broken account.

Shut down after a delay or on a schedule

For a one-off timer, run shutdown /s /t 3600 to shut down in an hour; Windows shows a notification and you can cancel with shutdown /a. For a repeating schedule, such as every night at 11 p.m., use Task Scheduler with shutdown and the arguments /s /t 60, which gives a one-minute warning. Our guide to scheduling an automatic shutdown walks through both.

A delayed shutdown also suits shared PCs, such as a family computer that should switch off at bedtime. Windows shows a notification before the shutdown so whoever is using the PC can save their work. For more control, such as stopping at a specific time on school nights only, Family Safety screen time limits handle it per child account without any scripts.

Shut down after a download or long task finishes

Many apps that run long jobs have a "shut down when finished" option: video editors and encoders, backup tools, some download managers and game launchers. Look in the app's settings or on its progress screen. When an app lacks one, estimate the time and set a timer with shutdown /s /t and the number of seconds, adding generous extra time. A safer pattern for downloads is to let the PC sleep later rather than shut down: set the sleep timer longer than the job and let Windows sleep itself when idle, which never cuts off a task that is still running.

Update and shut down, and shutting down without updating

When updates are pending, Windows offers Update and shut down. It installs the updates during shutdown, so the next start is quick. If you are in a hurry, current versions also show plain Shut down, which postpones the install. If only "Update and shut down" appears, that is usually because the update is already partly installed and must finish. Avoid holding the power button during "Working on updates"; interrupting an install can force Windows to undo it at the next start, which takes longer than letting it finish. If you need the laptop in a bag immediately, choose Sleep and let the update run later.

On laptops, Windows may also install updates during a restart only when the battery has enough charge or the charger is connected, to avoid running out of power halfway. Plug in before choosing Update and restart, and the install will go ahead without delays.

Shut down or Restart missing from the Power menu

If the Power menu shows nothing, or "There are currently no power options available", a policy has removed them. On Pro and above, open gpedit.msc, go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar, and set Remove and prevent access to the Shut Down, Restart, Sleep, and Hibernate commands to Not configured. On Home, check HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer for a NoClose value of 1 and delete it, then sign out and in. If only Sleep or Hibernate is missing, our guide to bringing back Hibernate covers the Power Options switches that control which items appear.

After changing the policy or registry value, sign out and back in, or restart using Ctrl + Alt + Delete or the shutdown command, for the Power menu options to return.

"You don't have permission to shut down this computer"

This message means a policy or user right is blocking shutdown for your account, common on work PCs and on remote sessions. On a work PC it is deliberate. On a personal PC, check the policy above, and on Pro, open secpol.msc > Local Policies > User Rights Assignment > Shut down the system and make sure Users or your account is listed. In a Remote Desktop session, shut down with shutdown /s /t 0 or from Ctrl + Alt + End, the remote equivalent of Ctrl + Alt + Delete.

Some older group policies set by tweak tools also hide shutdown for non-administrators. Signing in with an administrator account and checking the policies above quickly shows whether that is the case.

PC restarts instead of shutting down, or turns itself back on

• Automatic restart on system failure: if Windows crashes during shutdown, it restarts. Clear Automatically restart in sysdm.cpl > Advanced > Startup and Recovery to see the error instead.
• Wake on LAN or wake timers: a network packet or scheduled task can turn the PC back on. Turn off wake timers in Advanced power settings and, in Device Manager, clear Allow this device to wake the computer for network adapters.
• Fast Startup: some PCs misbehave with it and restart instead of turning off. Turn it off to test.
• Firmware settings: options such as Restore on AC power loss or USB wake can power the PC on. Check the BIOS or UEFI power settings.
• Restart apps setting: Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Automatically save my restartable apps and restart them when I sign back in reopens apps after restarting, which can look like the PC never shut down. Turn it off if you prefer a clean desktop.

Shutdown takes forever or gets stuck

If "Shutting down" sits for minutes, an app or service is refusing to close, an update is installing, or a driver is hanging. Wait up to 10 minutes during updates. Otherwise, a forced shutdown is safe enough, and the real fix is finding the culprit: Event Viewer's System log, a clean boot, and checking for pending updates usually reveal it. Our guide to a PC stuck on shutting down has the full list of fixes.

A quick check that often finds the cause: after the next normal start, open Event Viewer, go to Windows Logs > System, and look for warnings near the time of the slow shutdown. Entries mentioning a service that took too long to stop, or event ID 1074 naming a process, point at what to update or remove.

How often should you shut down or restart?

There is no harm in shutting down every night, and no harm in sleeping instead, which is faster to resume. What matters is a Restart regularly, at least once a week, because it clears memory, finishes updates and reloads drivers, which keeps Windows healthy. Laptops on Modern Standby can go many days without a restart if you only ever close the lid; a weekly restart prevents the slow, odd behavior that builds up. For desktops left on as servers, schedule a monthly restart after Patch Tuesday updates.

Watch for the small signs that a restart is overdue: the Power icon's orange dot showing pending updates, slower app launches, network drives or printers that stop responding, and Bluetooth devices that refuse to reconnect. A restart clears all of these more often than any other single step.

Before you unplug, move or open a PC

Shut down fully before unplugging a desktop, moving a PC, or opening its case: use Shift + Shut down or shutdown /s /full /t 0, wait for every light and fan to stop, then switch off the power supply or unplug it. On laptops, shut down rather than sleep before putting it in a bag for a long trip, and before removing a battery on models that allow it. For external drives, use Safely Remove Hardware or shut down before unplugging, so files being written are finished. These habits prevent the rare but real cases of corrupted files and damaged parts.

Power cuts and UPS units

A sudden power cut is like holding the power button: unsaved work is lost and files being written may be damaged. Windows usually recovers at the next start. If cuts are common where you live, a small UPS (uninterruptible power supply) keeps a desktop running for a few minutes and, connected by USB, tells Windows to shut down cleanly when its battery runs low. Laptops already have a battery for this; make sure the critical battery action in Power Options is set to Hibernate or Shut down so a dying battery never cuts the power mid-task.

After any unexpected power loss, let Windows start normally and, if it offers to check a drive, allow it. Then reopen your documents; Office and many editors recover autosaved versions from the moment before the cut.

Shut down or restart another PC

From an administrator account on the same network, shutdown /s /m \\PCNAME /t 0 shuts down another PC, and shutdown /i opens a small window to pick PCs and options. The remote PC must allow it through its firewall and user rights. For PCs you reach over Remote Desktop, the Start menu inside the session shows Disconnect and Sign out; use the shutdown command or Ctrl + Alt + End to turn the remote PC off. Our guide to remote shutdown and restart covers setup and permissions.

For family PCs you look after from a distance, Quick Assist lets you see the other person's screen and, with their permission, restart their PC for them; it reconnects you after the restart in many cases, so you can check the fix worked.

Tablets and touch screens

On tablets and 2-in-1s, tap Start, then the power icon, as on any PC. Holding the physical power button for a few seconds on some models opens slide to shut down; holding it much longer forces power off. If the touch screen is frozen, a long hold of the power button is the only option. Tablets with Modern Standby rarely need shutting down day to day; sleep is the intended state, with a restart every week or so.

Detachable 2-in-1s behave the same whether the keyboard is attached or not. With the keyboard removed, Windows + X is unavailable, so use Start's power icon, Ctrl + Alt + Delete from the on-screen keyboard, or the power button's short-press action set in Power Options.

Windows 10 differences

On Windows 10 the Power button sits at the bottom left of Start, above the Start button itself, instead of at the bottom right. Windows + X, U, U works the same, as do Alt + F4, Ctrl + Alt + Delete and every command on this page. Fast Startup behaves identically, so the Restart-versus-Shut-down advice applies just as much. Windows 10 reached end of support in October 2025, but shutting down and restarting work the same on PCs that still run it.

Windows 10 also shows the Shut down and Restart options in the sign-in screen and Ctrl + Alt + Delete screen exactly as Windows 11 does, so instructions for those screens apply unchanged.

Shut down with a script or batch file

To combine shutdown with other steps, such as closing a program, copying files or logging, create a text file with commands and save it as shutdown-pc.bat. For example, a backup copy followed by shutdown /s /t 60 /c "Backup done. Shutting down in 1 minute." The /c comment appears in the warning notification. Run the batch file by double-clicking it or from Task Scheduler. Test it first with /t 300 and cancel with shutdown /a, so a mistake does not turn the PC off while you are working.

For one-click convenience, put the batch file's shortcut on the desktop or taskbar, and give it a distinct icon so it is never confused with an ordinary shortcut. Keep a short delay in it as a safety net.

Restart and reopen your apps

shutdown /g restarts and reopens apps that have registered for it, such as some browsers and Office apps, after you sign in. Settings' Automatically save my restartable apps switch does the same for regular restarts. It is handy after updates, when you want to carry on where you left off. Browsers also have their own "continue where you left off" option, which reopens tabs whether or not Windows restarted them.

If apps reopen when you would rather start clean, turn off the Settings switch and the browser's own option. If an app keeps opening at every sign-in regardless, it is a startup app; switch it off under Settings > Apps > Startup.

For IT admins: controlling shutdown and restart

Policy. Remove and prevent access to the Shut Down, Restart, Sleep, and Hibernate commands hides them for users; Shut down the system in User Rights Assignment controls who can shut down; the shutdown option on the sign-in screen is under Security Options, Shutdown: Allow system to be shut down without having to log on.

Updates. Use Windows Update for Business or Autopatch deadlines and active hours rather than forcing users to restart manually; notifications warn users before restarts.

Scripts. shutdown /r /t 600 /c "Maintenance restart" gives users ten minutes' notice. Restart-Computer -ComputerName restarts remote machines with appropriate credentials.

Shutting down and restarting Windows: frequently asked questions

Ethan's uncle still laughs about the two weeks he spent "turning it off and on again" without ever really turning it off. Shut down and Restart look like near-twins on the Power menu, but they do different jobs. Shut down is for the end of the day, Restart is for fixing things, and a Shift-click full shutdown is for those rare moments when you want Windows completely cold. Knowing which to pick is the simplest troubleshooting skill a Windows user can have.

Revision note. Written October 2, 2026, rewriting our 2016 shutdown and restart guides into one complete Windows 11 and 10 guide. May every restart fix what it should.