How to Shut Down Windows 10

When you can't shut down Windows the usual way, several alternative methods exist for turning off your system. To completely shut down Windows 10, you must restart your PC, but there are several ways to restart or reboot Windows. Here's what you should know.

Shut Down Windows 10 From the Start Menu

The easiest way to shut down your PC is from the Windows 10 Start menu.

1. Select the Start menu.

2. Select the Power icon.

3. Select Shut down from the pop-up menu.

Turn Off Windows 10 From the Power User Menu

The Power User Menu contains several advanced options, one of which is to shut down your computer.

1. Right-click the Start menu.

   You can also use the keyboard shortcut Win+X to open the Power User Menu. If you go this route, you can continue to use the keyboard to turn off the PC by pressing u twice.

2. Select Shut down or sign out.

3. Select Shut down in the new menu that appears.

Use the Sign-In Screen to Shut Down Windows 10

You can shut down your PC from the login screen that appears when you switch users in Windows 10. Select the Power icon in the bottom-right of the screen, then select Shut down from the pop-up menu.

Press a Keyboard Shortcut to Shut Down Windows 10

Another option for turning off Windows 10 is to use the Ctrl+Alt+Del shortcut to enter the Windows Security options.

1. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del on your keyboard shortcut to open the Windows Security menu.

2. Select the Power icon in the bottom-right corner.

3. Select Shut down from the pop-up menu.

   If you're using a tablet, hold down the Windows button and press the power button to bring up the Windows Security menu.

Press Alt+F4 to Turn Off Windows 10

The option to shut down your computer using the Alt key is a holdover from previous versions of Windows.

1. Select or tap an empty space on your desktop to make sure nothing is selected, then press Alt+F4.

   Really, make sure nothing else is in focus. If your web browser, for example, or email program are in focus (i.e., open and in front of everything else), then that will shut down instead of Windows.

2. Select Shut down from the drop-down menu.

3. Select OK to confirm you want to shut your system down.

Shut Down Using the Shutdown Command

It's also possible to shut down Windows 10 from the command line, via the shutdown command.

1. Right-click the Start menu.

2. Select Windows PowerShell.

3. Type the following command, then press Enter:
   

   shutdown /s
   

   If you change your mind after entering that command, you can cancel the command by entering shutdown /a. To restart instead, enter shutdown /r.

Press the Physical Power Button

Depending on how your computer is configured, pressing the physical power button on your computer will shut it down. It's easy: Press the power button once. Holding it down works, too, but that's only recommended if you can't shut down Windows 10 the normal way because doing so doesn't give the OS enough time to properly shut off.