5 Ways to Fix Windows 11 PC Not Shutting Down

Quick Tips

• Check if you can shut down your PC via the Shut Down Windows dialog box or by pressing and holding the power button.
• Turn off the Fast Startup feature and scan your PC for corrupt or damaged system files to see if that helps.
• Consider performing a system restore or resetting Windows if the issue persists.

Fix 1: Try Alternative Methods

If you can’t shut down your PC using the Start menu, press Alt + F4 to bring up the “Shut Down Windows” dialog box and try again. Alternatively, you can also press Ctrl + Alt + Del, click the power icon, and select Shut down from the menu.

Another thing you can do is forcefully shut down your Windows 11 PC. For that, press and hold the physical power button until it completely shuts off.

Fix 2: Turn off Fast Startup

If you’ve been using fast startup to reduce boot times on Windows 11, you might face such issues. Try turning it off to see if that fixes the issue.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog, type control, and press Enter.

Step 2: Switch the view type to large icons and select Power Options.

Step 3: Click Choose what the power buttons do on your left.

Step 4: Click the Change settings that are currently unavailable option.

Step 5: Uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended) and hit Save Changes.

Fix 3: Run SFC Scan

Corrupted system files are another reason you might have trouble shutting down your PC. To fix this, run a SFC (or System File Checker) scan on your PC.

Step 1: Right-click the Start icon and select Terminal (Admin) from the list.

Step 2: In the console, type the following command and press Enter.

SFC /scannow

Fix 4: Perform a System Restore

System Restore is a handy utility on Windows 11 that periodically backs up the entire system. You can use it to restore your system to a point when everything was working fine.

Step 1: Click the search icon on the taskbar, type create a restore point, and press Enter.

Step 2: Under the System Protection tab, click System Restore.

Step 3: Select Recommended restore and click Next.

Step 4: Review all the details one more time and hit Finish.

Fix 5: Reset Windows 11

Lastly, if all else fails, you might need to resort to the nuclear option of resetting Windows. When resetting your PC, you can keep or remove your personal files. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + I to launch the Settings app and head to System > Recovery.

Step 2: Under Recovery options, click the Reset PC button and follow the on-screen prompts to finish the process.