How to Turn Off a Personal Computer

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Simple ways to power down your Windows or Mac computer
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In today's day and age, it is not necessary to turn off your computer unless if you are making changes to the hardware, booting into a different operating system, or trying to save battery, or if your computer is running slow. Turning off your computer is very simple, yet there are many ways to turn off your device. Here is how to turn off your computer.

Method 1
Method 1 of 9:

Start Menu (Windows)

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  1. It is in the bottom left hand corner, unless you moved your taskbar. Even then, your start button is located in the bottom left corner on Windows 8, it is just hidden.
  2. This is where you will find a bunch of power options, including to shut down, restart, and sleep, as well as hibernate (Windows 7) and user options.
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  3. Here are the options:
    • Shut down - shuts down the computer, and installs any Windows Updates.
    • Restart - shuts down the computer, installs any Windows Updates, and starts your computer again. Useful if your computer is having trouble with hardware and programs.
    • Sleep - turns off your computer's display and temporarily halts any running programs.
    • Hibernate - turns off your computer and saves your data to a hibernation file. Useful for airplanes where devices need to be powered down for a period of time.
  4. This can be done by clicking on Shutdown/Restart anyway or Yes .
  5. Click on Shutdown/Restart anyway or Force shutdown/restart to force a shutdown or restart.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 9:

Taskbar (Windows)

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  1. This will not close your taskbar or desktop, it will bring a popup window.
  2. Here are the options:
    • Shut down - shuts down the computer, and installs any Windows Updates.
    • Restart - shuts down the computer, installs any Windows Updates, and starts your computer again. Useful if your computer is having trouble with hardware and programs.
    • Sleep - turns off your computer's display and temporarily halts any running programs.
    • Hibernate - turns off your computer and saves your data to a hibernation file. Useful for airplanes where devices need to be powered down for a period of time.
  4. This can be done by clicking on Shutdown/Restart anyway or Yes .
  5. Click on Shutdown/Restart anyway or Force shutdown/restart to force a shutdown or restart.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 9:

Right-Click Menu (Windows)

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  1. 1
    Locate the start button on the task bar. This is usually in the bottom left corner. Then, right-click.
  2. 2
    On the right-click menu, choose "Shut down or sign out".
  3. 3
    In the "Shut down or sign out" menu, choose Sleep, Shutdown or Restart.
  4. 4
    Confirm that you want to shut down/restart your computer if other users are logged in. This can be done by clicking on Shutdown/Restart anyway or Yes .
  5. 5
    Force a shut down/restart if programs are not responding. Click on Shutdown/Restart anyway or Force shutdown/restart to force a shutdown or restart.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 9:

Command Prompt (Windows)

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  1. Type cmd.exe or powershell.exe to start either of the two respectively.
  2. Here are the codes.
    • -s : shuts down your computer.
    • -r : restarts your computer.
    • -h : hibernates your computer.
  3. Click on Shutdown/Restart anyway or Force shutdown/restart to force a shutdown or restart.
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Method 5
Method 5 of 9:

Lock Screen (Windows)

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  1. Then choose the appropriate option.
    • To emergency restart (if you ran out of RAM or CPU processing), press Ctrl + Alt + Delete , hold Control while clicking power, then click on "Yes".
  2. Here are the options:
    • Shut down - shuts down the computer, and installs any Windows Updates.
    • Restart - shuts down the computer, installs any Windows Updates, and starts your computer again. Useful if your computer is having trouble with hardware and programs.
    • Sleep - turns off your computer's display and temporarily halts any running programs.
    • Hibernate - turns off your computer and saves your data to a hibernation file. Useful for airplanes where devices need to be powered down for a period of time.
  3. This can be done by clicking on Shutdown/Restart anyway or Yes .
  4. Click on Shutdown/Restart anyway or Force shutdown/restart to force a shutdown or restart.
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Method 6
Method 6 of 9:

Charms Bar(Windows 8/8.1)

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  1. This is available on Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, and can be done by swiping left from the right, or by moving your mouse to either of the right corners. Then choose
    Windows Settings
    Settings.
    • You can also find the settings key on your keyboard to do this.
  2. Then choose the appropriate option:
    • Shut down - shuts down the computer, and installs any Windows Updates.
    • Restart - shuts down the computer, installs any Windows Updates, and starts your computer again. Useful if your computer is having trouble with hardware and programs.
    • Sleep - turns off your computer's display and temporarily halts any running programs.
  3. This can be done by clicking on Shutdown/Restart anyway or Yes .
  4. Click on Shutdown/Restart anyway or Force shutdown/restart to force a shutdown or restart.
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Method 7
Method 7 of 9:

Apple Menu (Mac)

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    • Shut down - shuts down the computer, and installs any Windows Updates.
    • Restart - shuts down the computer, installs any Windows Updates, and starts your computer again. Useful if your computer is having trouble with hardware and programs.
    • Sleep - turns off your computer's display and temporarily halts any running programs.
  2. This can be done by entering an administrator username and password and clicking Shutdown/Restart
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Method 8
Method 8 of 9:

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  2. This can be done by entering an administrator username and password and clicking Shutdown/Restart
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Method 9
Method 9 of 9:

Terminal (Mac)

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  2. You will not be prompted for the shutdown, but may be prompted for an administrator username and password.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    My Windows 10 does not have an "All programs" feature, nor a power button. Can anyone help?
    Community Answer
    Right-click the Start button.
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    Not Helpful 3 Helpful 7
  • Question
    Will I be able to turn the computer back on?
    Community Answer
    Unless something very wrong made your computer turn off, like a virus or electric charge that burned it, you should easily be able to turn it on by pressing the power button. It'll have the symbol of a circle with an opening at the top with a straight line going through it.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    How do I left click?
    Community Answer
    A left click is just a regular click on a mouse.
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    Thank you for your feedback.
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      Tips

      • To force shut down your computer, hold the power button down for 10 seconds. The screen may blink, but continue holding it down.
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      • Save your work. Shutting down/restarting your computer may cause you or other users to lose any work, especially if you use a shell to shut down your computer.
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      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Locate the power button and click it.
      2. Choose Shutdown, Restart, or Sleep.
      3. If you can't find these options, try the methods below.

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