[Solved] Windows 10 Fails to Shut Down

Windows 10 unable to shut down

«Help! I don’t know what’s going on that my computer just won’t shut down. I upgraded the system into latest Windows 10 yesterday, and I cannot shut down the computer today. I’ve tried several times to click Power > Shut down option in the PC; it just won’t shut down. What can I do with the problem?«

Quite a lot users replied that they fail to shut down their computers normally after upgrading the system to Windows 10. And a couple of reasons may cause this issue. Here in the following passages, you’ll find relative solutions to solve the Windows 10 won’t shut down error with ease. To avoid unexpected data loss issue, it’s highly recommended for you to create data backups with Windows backup software — EaseUS Todo Backup in simple steps.

Method 1:В Check and fix system errors to fix Windows 10 won’t shut down

Professional partition manager software — EaseUS Partition Master supports to check and fix system error in Windows 10 so to solve the Windows 10 won’t shut down error by simple steps. You may free download this software and follow the below steps to fix Windows 10 shut down problem now:

Step 1. Select the target partition that has a problem.В

Step 2. Choose «Advanced» > «Check File System».В

Step 3. In the Check File System window, check the «Try to fix errors if found» option. В

Step 4. Click «Start» to check errors on your partition.

Method 2: Change boot order in BIOS to fix Windows 10 fail to shut down

If your HDD is not the first in the boot order, you may have starting problems as well as shutting down issues in your computers. To fix this issue, you may need to reset the boot order in BIOS. Let’s see how to change the boot order in BIOS now:

Step 1: Turn off your computer (you’ll probably have to force it to shut down, otherwise, you wouldn’t read this article).

Step 2: Turn it back on and press «Del» (Or whichever button that enters a BIOS for your computer).

Step 3: In BIOS, look for an option which sets your BIOS values to default.

Step 4: Press the appropriate key, save changes and exit BIOS.

Method 3: Adjust power settings to fix Windows 10 fail to shut down

Sometimes, a fast startup may cause problems when Windows 10 shuts down. Therefore, if you turn off the fast startup feature, Windows 10 fails to shut downВ problem may get solved then:

Step 1: Right-click on the «Start» button and go to «Power Options».

Step 2: Select Change what the power button does from the left pane.

Step 3: Click on «Change settings» that are currently unavailable.

Step 4: Uncheck «Turn on Fast Startup».

Step 5: Click «OK».

You may also choose to disable or uninstall a certain program or process which stops you from shutting down Windows 10.В

Fast startup causes hibernation or shutdown to fail in Windows 10 or Windows 8.1

This article provides help to solve an issue where the process fails when you try to shut down or hibernate the system on a computer.

Original product version: В Windows 10 — all editions
Original KB number: В 3211190

Symptoms

When you try to shut down or hibernate the system on a computer that’s running Windows 10 or Windows 8.1, the process fails and reverts to the Windows Lock screen.

Additionally, when you go to the Details tab in this event and then select friendly view, you may notice the following:

0000: 00000000 00000001 00000000 C004002D
0010: 00002005 C0000034 00000000 00000000
0020: 00000000 00000000

C0000034 — means STATUS_OBJECT_NAME_NOT_FOUND

C004002D — means IO_DUMP_DRIVER_LOAD_FAILURE

Cause

This issue may occur if Fast Startup is enabled under Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Power Options\System Settings. When Fast Startup is enabled and a user shuts down the computer, all sessions are logged off, and the computer enters hibernation. As part of the hibernation process, Windows initializes the system’s memory dump configuration. If the driver is not loaded, it fails to hibernate, and the event that’s mentioned in the Symptoms section is logged. This brings you back to the Windows Lock screen.

Resolution

This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, see How to back up and restore the registry in Windows.

To resolve this issue, check whether event ID 45 is logged in the System log. If you see this event, verify the contents under the DumpFilters registry value:

Open the Run box. To do this, press the Windows logo key‌ + R.

Type regedit, and then press Enter.

Locate and click the following registry entry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl\

From the pane on the right, verify the contents under the DumpFilters registry value.

Remove everything and make sure that dumpfve.sys is the only value listed.

Exit Registry editor.

Restart the computer to enable Fast Startup.

Workaround

If you want to shut down the computer without using the Hybrid Shutdown behavior, you can use Shutdown.exe instead. Full shutdown is the default when you use Shutdown.exe, as follows:

The Shutdown.exe command also includes an optional /hybrid parameter that can be used if you want to use the new method:

• The Fast Startup setting doesn’t apply to Restart.
• Fast Startup is enabled by default in Windows.
• Disabling Fast Startup is not recommended.

More information

During Fast Startup, the kernel session is not closed, but it is hibernated. Fast Startup is a setting that helps the computer start faster after shutdown. Windows does this by saving the kernel session and device drivers (system information) to the hibernate (hiberfil.sys) file on disk instead of closing it when you shut down the computer.

When you restart the computer, this typically means that you want a completely new Windows state, either because you have installed a driver or replaced Windows elements that cannot be replaced without a full restart.

Therefore, the restart process in Windows continues to perform a full boot cycle, without the hibernation performance improvement that’s described in this article.

Fix Windows 10 Is Not Shutting Down or Won’t Shut Down

Many users, including you now, have reported the issue of Windows 10 not shutting down. When they try to turn off their computer, Windows 10 won’t shut down. Instead, it restarts automatically. To help you out, we will show you why the problem occurs and how to fix «Windows 10 cannot shut down» with useful tips. If there is unexpected data loss during the fix, you can use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to retrieve your files.

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Applies to: Fix «Windows 10 will not shut down» error on Windows 10 2009/2004, Windows 10 1909/1903/1809/1803/1709, etc.

Is your computer stuck with this error: You clicked «Shut down», but Windows 10 refuse to shut down. And it automatically restarts instead of shutting down directly? Don’t worry if your Windows 10 restarted after clicking «Shut down» from the Start menu.

Follow the navigation table and pick one of the fixes to resolve the «Windows 10 Won’t Shut Down» error immediately:

Workable Solutions	Step-by-step Troubleshooting
Fix 1. Disable Fast Startup	Open Power & sleep settings > Additional power settings > Choose what the power buttons do. Full steps
Fix 2. Run Full Shutdown	Run Command Prompt as administrator > Enter: shutdown /s /f /t 0. Full steps
Fix 3. Run Windows Troubleshooter	Type troubleshoot in search > Select «Troubleshoot». Under «Get up and running» section. Full steps
Fix 4. Enter Safe Mode, Cancel Automatically Restart	Boot PC to Safe Mode, open sysdm.cpl, uncheck «Automatically restart». Full steps
For More Fixes	Boot PC from Safe Mode and change BIOS settings (in Fix 5 and 6). Full steps

For Your Information:

• If some of you are wondering why is Windows 10 or PC not shutting down, check out the causes first.
• For a detailed guide, follow the respective fixes to learn how to fix Windows 10 not shutting down issue.
• If you lost important files during the process, apply reliable data recovery software for help.

Why Windows 10 Won’t Shut Down

Why is my PC not shutting down? Why my Windows 10 won’t shut down? Check the causes as listed below, you’ll learn what is stopping your PC or Windows 10 from shutting down:

• Fast Startup is enabled.
• Corrupted system files
• Windows 10 update error
• BIOS issues

So how do you fix «Windows was not properly shut down» and make Windows 10/8/7 work normally? Follow the methods in the next part for help.

How to Fix «Windows 10 Not Shutting Down» Error

Based on the underlying causes, there are several ways for you to fix the Windows 10 shutdown problem on your computer.

Quick Guide: Force to Shut Down Windows 10

The direct way to resolve Windows 10 not shutting down issue is to force your computer to shut down:

Step 1. Press and hold the power button on your computer until the PC turns off.

Step 2. Unplug all power cables (battery, power cordВ wires) for 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 3. Re-plug all the power cables and restart your computer.

After entering your Windows PC, create a backup of your valuable filesВ first. Then, you can try the below methods one by one to thoroughly resolve the «Windows 10 won’t shut down» or «Windows 10 not shutting down» issue on your own.

Method 1. Disable Fast Startup

Turning off the Fast Startup feature is the quickest way to fix Windows 10 not shutting down.

Here are the steps to disable Fast Startup in Windows 10:

Step 1. PressВ Windows + X keys, click «Search» and type: power. Click «Power & sleep settings» from the search result.

Step 2. Scroll down the Settings window, click «Additional power settings».

Step 3. On the left pane of Power Options, click «Choose what the power buttons do».

Step 4. Click «Change settings that are currently available», then uncheck «Turn on fast startup (recommended)». Click «Save changes».

It’s normal that the start and shutdown period in your computer increases after disabling Fast Startup. If you don’t want to fix the Windows shutdown problem in this way, try other ways as shown below.

Method 2. Perform a Full Shutdown

The Fast Startup feature doesn’t fully turn off your computer to decrease the booting time. Instead, it hibernates the kernel session, which is the reason why Windows 10 cannot shut down.

Thus, to fix the issue in this case, you have two options to perform a full shutdown on your computer in Windows 10/8/7:

Option 1. Use the Shift Key

Step 1. Click the Start menu and click the Power button.В

Step 2. Click «Shut down» in the Start menu, press the «Shift» key simultaneously.

This will turn off your computer completely.

Option 2. Use CMD

Step 1. Press Windows + XВ keys, click «Search» and type cmd in the Search box.

Step 2. Right-click «Command Prompt» and choose «Run as administrator».

Step 3. Enter the command shutdown /s /f /t 0 and hit Enter.

Wait for the process to complete, your computer will shut down automatically.

Method 3. Run Windows Update Troubleshooter & Install The Latest Windows 10

Some users can’t shut down Windows 10 during the update. If you are in such a situation, you can run the Windows troubleshooter to resolve problems that prevent you from updating Windows.

#1. Fix Errors That Stop Windows 10 from Shutting Down

Step 1. Right-click the Windows icon and select «Search», type troubleshoot in the Search box.

Step 2. In the result, choose «Troubleshoot».

Step 3. Under the «Get up and running» section, click «Windows Update».

Step 4. Click «Run the troubleshooter».

#2. Install The Latest Windows 10

Installing the latest Windows 10 on your computer can also work to fix some system errors or unknown bugs that stop your computer from shutting down.

Here is the access that you can get and install the latest Windows 10 update on your computer:

Method 4. Boot Computer from Safe Mode and Cancel Automatically Restart

When Windows 10 cannot shut down, it will keep restarting each time you press «Shut down» on your computer. Thus, another way to fix the issue is to disable automatic restart on your computer.

Step 1. Continuously press «F8» before the Windows logo appears.

Step 2. Release «F8» until the boot menu shows up and choose «Safe Mode».

Step 3. Boot the computer into Safe Mode and go to search after Windows boot-up.

Step 4. Type: sysdm.cpl and open sysdm.cpl.

Step 5. Click «Advanced» and «Settings» under Startup and Recovery.

Step 6. Uncheck «Automatically restart».

Step 7. Click «OK» and reboot the computer.

Afterward, shut down your PC and check whether the Windows 10 shutdown problem persists.

Method 5. Run Windows System File Checker Tool

If some of the Windows system files are corrupted on your computer, you will surely encounter problems, such as «a required drive partition is missing». The built-in Windows System File Checker is able to check and repair missing or corrupted system files for you.

It may help you fix the «Windows 10 won’t shut down» issue, and here are the steps:

Step 1. Right-click the «Widows» icon, select «Search» and type cmd.

Step 2. Right-click «Command Prompt» and choose «Run as administrator».

Step 3. Enter the command sfc /scannow.

Step 4. When the process completes, shut down your PC.

Method 6. Change BIOS Settings

As mentioned, your Windows 10 may fail to shut down due to BIOS issues, be it wrong settings or corruption. You can first reset your BIOS to default.

Here are the steps:

Step 1. Force to shut down the computer by pressing the power button.

Step 2. Once your PC shuts down, restart the PC and press F2/F11/Del to enter BIOS.

Step 3. Go to the Boot section, select «The Default» or «HDD» at the top of the boot order.

Step 4. Press F10 or click «Save» to keep the changes, and exit BIOS.

Step 5. Restart and shut down your PC.

After this, your computer will work normally again with a right start and shutdown state.

If none of the methods introduced helps to solve the problem «Windows 10 cannot shut down», you should consider getting your computer motherboard replaced.

Restore Lost Data While Fixing Windows Not Shutting Down

When the computer cannot shut down, it is often accompanied by data loss. If you lost files during or after fixing «Windows doesn’t shut down», reliable hard drive recovery software — EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can help.

With this data recovery software, you can safely get your data back in only three steps:

Step 1. Select a partition to scan.

Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, hover on the partition where you have lost data after the computer restart and then click «Scan».

Step 2. Select the files you want to recover.

Wait until the scanning completes. Afterward, select the lost files you want to recover. To locate specific files, click «Filter» and choose the category or use the search bar. If you need, double-click the file to preview its content.

Step 3. Recover the data lost due to the computer restart.

After choosing the files, click «Recover» and choose a location on another drive to save the data.

This tool not only supports common deleted file recovery, formatted data recovery, and lost file recovery but also helps to recover data after OS crash, OS reinstallation, and more.

Bonus Fixes: Another Windows 10 Shutdown Error — PC Randomly Restart or Shutdown

«Windows 10 can’t shut down» is just one of the Windows 10 shutdown problems. Another frequently happened issue is Windows randomly restart or shutdown. In case you need it, the solutions to this Windows 10 shutdown problem are:

Method 1. Change Power Options

This is an effectiveness-based solution to Windows randomly restarting or shutting down. Don’t hesitate to try it if you are bothered by the Windows 10 shut down issue.

Step 1. Right-click the Windows icon, select «Search» and type power. From the search result, choose «Power & sleep settings».

Step 2. Go to Settings, scroll down and click «Additional power settings».

Step 3. Click «Change plan settings» > «Change advanced power settings»

Step 4. Expand «PCI Express» > «Link State Power Management».

Step 5. Set the «Settings» to «Off».

(If you are using a laptop, there are other options available. Set them to «Off», too.)

Method 2. Disable Hibernation

Disabling hibernation is quite easy with the help of cmd. Do as follows:

Step 1. Press Windows + X keys, click «Search» and type cmd in the box.

Step 2. Right-click «Command Prompt» and choose «Run as administrator».

Step 3. Enter powercfg.exe /hibernate off and hit Enter.

(This command is used to turn off hibernation on your computer. If you want to re-enable it, enter powercfg.exe /hibernate on instead.)

Step 4. Type exit to close command prompt when the process completes.

Hope at least one of the tips above is helpful to you to fix the Windows 10 shutdown problem.

FAQs About Windows 10 Won’t or Not Shutting Down

In addition to the solutions for Windows not shutting down issue, some users may also want to learn the causes and what is slowing down the Windows shutdown process. Here we have the answers for you. Check and find the answer to your question now.

1. What to do when Windows won’t shut down?

This page answers this question with 6+ solutions to help you get rid of Windows won’t shut down issue.

You may try to: 1). Disable Fast Startup ; 2). Run Full Shutdown; 3). Run Windows Troubleshooter ; 4). Run System File Checker; 5). Boot from Safe Mode; 6). Change BIOS Settings.

Revert back to the main content on this page, and you can follow any method to make your computer shutdown normally again.

2. Why is my PC or laptop not shutting down?

The Hybrid Shutdown feature (also known as Fast Startup) released in Windows 8 and later is the primary reason why Windows doesn’t shut down normally. It is enabled by default on most laptops and on some desktops.

The Faulty CMOSВ and BIOS settings can also cause Startup and Shutdown problems.

3. Why does Windows 10 take so long to shut down?

You may meet Windows takes forever or Windows fail to shut down issue when you forget to close all running programs and files on your computer.

The following issues may also slow down your Windows shutting down procedure:

1. 1). Software Problems — If you have a lot of «Programs need to close», it takes time for the computer to close them one by one before shutting down.
2. 2). Process Problems — Windows has to close all running processes beforeВ completely shutting down. The moreВ processes are running on your computer, the slower it would be for the computer to shutdown.
3. 3). Operating System or Driver Problems — When Windows OS or driver is outdated, the computer will slow down in starting up or shutting down.
4. 4). Local Services Problems — When you have enabled many local services on your computer, it also takes time to close the services before Windows shutting down.

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Daisy is the Senior editor of the writing team for EaseUS. She has been working in EaseUS for over ten years, starting from a technical writer to a team leader of the content group. As a professional author for over 10 years, she writes a lot to help people overcome their tech troubles.

Brithny is a technology enthusiast, aiming to make readers’ tech life easy and enjoyable. She loves exploring new technologies and writing technical how-to tips. On her spare time, she loves sharing things about her favorite singer — Taylor Swift on her Facebook or Twitter.

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