How to shut down Windows 11

Although Windows 11 inherits most of the familiar design from previous versions, a lot of things are changing, including the power options to shut down or restart the computer.

In the past, you would open the Start menu and use the power menu from the bottom-left corner. However, since Windows 11 includes a new Start menu with a center alignment, it can be confusing to perform simple tasks, such as turning off or rebooting the system.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to find the power options to turn off a computer running Windows 11.

• Shut down Windows 11
• Shut down Windows 11 from Start button
• Shut down Windows 11 with shortcut
• Shut down Windows 11 from Lock screen
• Shut down Windows 11 with Command Prompt
• Shut down Windows 11 with PowerShell

Shut down Windows 11

To shut down or restart a device running Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Start on Windows 11.

2. Click the Power button in the bottom-right corner.

3. Select the Shut down option to turn off Windows 11.

   

4. Select the Restart option to turn off and on Windows 11.

Shut down Windows 11 from Start button

To shutdown Windows 11 from the Start button, use these steps:

1. Righ-click the Start button.

2. Select the Shut down or sign out submenu.

3. Select the Shut down option to turn off the PC.

   

4. Select the Restart option to reboot the PC.

5. Select the Sign out option to log off the Windows 11 account.

Shut down Windows 11 with shortcut

Alternatively, you can use the legacy control to select the power option. Here’s how:

1. Use the Alt + F4 keyboard shortcut.

2. Use the drop-down menu and select one of the options, including Switch user, Sign out, Shut down, or Restart.

   

3. Click the OK button.

Shut down Windows 11 from Lock screen

If you are on the Lock screen, you can also power off Windows 11. Here’s how:

1. Click the Power button from the bottom-right corner.

2. Select the Shut down option to turn off Windows 11.

   

3. Select the Restart option to turn off Windows 11.

Once you complete the steps, the computer will either power down or reboot according to the option you selected.

Shut down Windows 11 with Command Prompt

To shut down a Windows 11 computer from Command Prompt, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

3. Type the following command to shutdown Windows 11 and press Enter:

   shutdown -s -t 00

   

4. Type the following command to restart your computer and press Enter:

   shutdown -r -t 00

After you complete the steps, the computer will shut down immediately. If you specify a number other than zero in the command, then Windows 11 will wait that number of seconds before shutting down.

Shut down Windows 11 with PowerShell

To turn off a computer running Windows 11 with a PowerShell command, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

3. Type the following command to shutdown Windows 11 and press Enter:

   Stop-Computer

   

4. Type the following command to restart your computer and press Enter:

   Restart-Computer

Once you complete the steps, the device will halt immediately.