You may encounter Windows won’t shut down issue due to various reasons. This post has listed some solutions you can use to fix it. Besides, you will learn a safe way to protect your Windows 11 system in case of any other errors.
My PC suddenly stopped turning off after I click on "Shut Down" on the Windows menu. Apps close, the screen goes dark, but my PC keeps running - for hours. The only way I can do a full power off is by depressing the power button for 5 - 10 seconds. Interestingly, the PC will "Restart" normally. Any assistance is appreciated!
- Question from Microsoft Community
You'll probably get annoyed if you find yourself in trouble with Windows 11 won't shut down issue. There are multiple causes why you come across this problem.
✦ There is still an app or window running in the background. This is the most common reason for Windows 11 not shutting down. To protect your application safety, the request for closing computer will be rejected.
✦ One of the system files may have been corrupted. A corrupted system-related file or folder is likely to cause your computer to malfunction.
✦ The power button may be broken. If you shut down your PC manually by pressing the power button, it will fail to function properly. In such a case, you could turn to other alternative ways to close your computer.
After careful investigation and analysis, this post has listed the most useful and easiest ways to help you resolve the Windows 11 shut down problem. If you have met the same issue, go through the below solutions to find the suitable one for you.
If you fail to shut down your computer by clicking on the start menu, you can switch to using the power button. Just press and hold the button for a few seconds until the PC has shut down completely. If the computer is powered off successfully in this way, it means the problem is caused by software not hardware. Thus, press the Power button again to start your PC and solve the software problems.
When the Start menu or the power button doesn't work, this option is useful to power off your machine securely. The Ctrl+alt+Delete shortcut keys allow you to shut down your Windows 11 PC in safe mode. Here's how it works:
Step 1. Press "Ctrl + Alt + Delete" at the same time.
Step 2. Click the Power symbol in the bottom right.
Step 3. Select Shutdown/Restart
Adding the /S parameter in Command Prompt enables a local machine to shut down directly and quickly. If you sign in as an administrator, you can also shut down the machine remotely. So, when you run across Windows 11 won't shut down problem, follow the steps below:
Step 1. Press "Win+S" or click search icon to open search bar. And type "CMD".
Step 2. Right-click on the Command Prompt under the Best match tab.
Step 3. Click on Run as administrator to open Command Prompt.
Step 4. Paste the command shutdown /s /f /t 0 and press "Enter" to execute the command.
In face of Windows 11 PC won’t shut down issue, Alt + f4 is another option you can use. When you are not running any programs or have minimized them to the taskbar, this hotkey is helpful. Here are the steps:
Step 1. Close or minimize all running applications in advance.
Step 2. Press "Alt + f4" together.
Step 3. The shutdown should be the default option. Press "OK" or "Enter".
Installing available updates may solve some bugs or system issues like Windows 10 won't update or Windows 11 not shutting down. Follow the below steps to check for updates:
Step 1. Press "Win + I" to open Settings and click "Windows Update".
Step 2. Select "Check for updates", then allow your PC to download and install all the pending updates.
Step 3. Finally, click "Restart now".
Before shutting down your PC, please make sure there are no running applications, especially that are on the background. The best way is to close them in Task Manager.
Step 1. Right-click on the Start icon, and then select "Task Manager".
Step 2. Under the "Processes" tab, you could see which is occupying CPU, Memory, etc.
Step 3. Right-click on them and select "End task".
Sometimes, Windows 11 won't shut down due to mismatched settings under Power options. Hence, changing power settings may be the key to this issue.
Step 1. Click "Start" on the taskbar. Type "Control" and press "Enter".
Step 2. Pick "Hardware and Sound" in the Control panel.
Step 3. Click "Choose what the power button does" under "Power Options".
Step 4. Select "Shut down" after "When I hit the Power button". Then, click "Save Changes".
Fast startup is a handy tool for Windows users. If you enable fast startup in Windows 11 or other versions, it's easy to encounter a glitch when shutting down the PC.
Step 1. Press "Win + S" to open the search bar, type "control" and hit "Enter".
Step 2. Go to "Hardware and Sound" > "Power Options" > "Choose what the power button does".
Step 4. On the next window click the link – Change settings that are currently unavailable.
Step 5. Untick the box for "Turn on fast startup (recommended)", then click "Save changes".
Windows offers built-in tools to repair all kinds of issues including Windows 11 not shutting down. In addition to fixing the issue directly, this tool will also suggest other ways that can solve this.
Step 1. Press "Win + I" keys to open the Settings window.
Step 2. Go to the right pane and move down, click "Troubleshoot".
Step 3. Then select "Other troubleshooters".
Step 4. Go to "Power" > "Run".
It will take a couple of minutes for the tool to detect the issue, follow the prompts to do.
As we mentioned in the beginning, a corrupted system file may stop you from shutting down your PC. To fix it, you can launch Command Prompt as an administrator and type the command "sfc /scannow", and then press "Enter". Windows will identify and automatically replace any corrupted system file.
It's known that any problems with computer have the possibility to cause system errors, which is easy to result in irreversible loss. Thus, making a backup of the system is vitally important. Here, I recommend you to create a Windows 11 bootable USB. It can not only be used as a backup, but also as a portable Windows 11. With it, you can restore your system if any errors happen next time or enjoy Windows 11 on any device without installation anytime and anywhere.
Since Windows built-in tools don't support the Windows 11 portable USB creation, a third-party disk manager named AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional should be your best choice.
Download the demo now to see how to create a Windows 11 portable USB in case of Windows 11 won't shut down appears again:
Step 1. Prepare a USB drive that is at least 13 GB. Plug the USB drive and make sure it is detected by your computer.
Step 2. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. Then click "Tools" > "Windows To Go Creator" on the top menu.
Step 3. Choose "Create Windows To Go for personal computer" and click "Next". If you want to boot Windows from USB on Mac, you can choose the second option.
Step 4. Select a way to create Windows To Go. Choose the second option and click "Next" to continue.
✍ Note: If you are running on other Windows versions, choose the first choice and click the folder icon to select Windows 11 ISO file manually.
Step 5. Select the USB drive as your target drive and click "Proceed".
Step 6. Read the warning carefully, and then click "Yes" to begin.
In a few minutes, you will get a Windows 11 portable USB drive.
This post has shown you ten workable ways to fix the Windows 11 won't shut down problem. You can try them one by one until one of them works for you. In case of further system errors, you can use AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional to create a Windows 11 portable USB. In addition, you can migrate OS to SSD or clone the hard drive to SSD so as to protect your data security with this software.