How to add Power button to Surface or x86 tablets after Windows 8.1 Update

Avatar for Mauro Huculak
@Pureinfotech
Pureinfotech Logo
Power button for tablets in Windows 8.1 Update

As users continue to update their Surface, Surface 2, ARM- and x86 based tablets to Windows 8.1 Update, many are finding out that the Power button — the one that allows you Sleep, Shut down, and Restart the device — is just missing in the top-right corner of the Start screen on tablets.

According to Microsoft not every device will have the Power button as the feature is connected to a setting called “Power Platform Role” which is set by PC makers.

If the PC is set as “slate” the Power button after installing Windows 8.1 Update will not appear, because tablets are not meant to be off and users could easily tab the button by mistake.

In the case the device is set as “mobile device”, e.g., laptop or Ultrabook, then the Power button will appear in the Start screen.

Now like with every new feature in Windows or any other piece software, there will be customers that will want to see a specific feature on all their devices. So if your laptop has the Power button, but your tablet doesn’t, then you can use the following registry tweak to add the Power button to your Surface or any other tablet (ARM or x86).

Note: This tweak could also help if you installed Windows 8.1 Update on your laptop and the feature just didn’t appear.

Instructions

1. Go to the Start screen, do a search for regedit.exe, and open the Registry Editor.

2. Navigate the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ImmersiveShell

3. Right-click ImmersriveShell folder (or node), select New and from the menu choose Key.

4. Name the new key Launcher.

Launcher registry note Windows 8.1 Update

5. Inside the Launcher folder, right-click, select New and choose DWORD (32-bit) Value. Then name the new value Launcher_ShowPowerButtonOnStartScreen.

Show power button Start screen in Windows 8.1 Update

6. The default value for Launcher_ShowPowerButtonOnStartScreen is 0. If left with the default value Power button options after installing Windows 8.1 Update will not appear in the Start screen. If you double-click, edit the value to 1, and reboot the PC, then the Power button will appear in the Start screen.

Note: If this doesn’t work for you, simply delete the Launcher_ShowPowerButtonOnStartScreen, and recreate it.
Warning: While this method is not particularly hard to do, editing the Windows Registry can sometimes be tricky and harmful to your computer. Before making any changes be sure to backup the registry or create a restore point in Windows.

Source WinSuperSite

About the author
Avatar for Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].