How to Turn Off a Personal Computer

PDF download Download Article
Simple ways to power down your Windows or Mac computer
PDF download Download Article

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)

PDF download Download Article
  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.
    Advertisement
  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.
    6. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 9:

Taskbar (Windows)

PDF download Download Article
  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.
    6. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 9:

Right-Click Menu (Windows)

PDF download Download Article
  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.
    6. Advertisement
Method 4
Method 4 of 9:

Command Prompt (Windows)

PDF download Download Article
  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.
    4. Advertisement
Method 5
Method 5 of 9:

Lock Screen (Windows)

PDF download Download Article
  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.
    5. Advertisement
Method 6
Method 6 of 9:

Charms Bar(Windows 8/8.1)

PDF download Download Article
  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.
    5. Advertisement
Method 7
Method 7 of 9:

Apple Menu (Mac)

PDF download Download Article
    • 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
    3. Advertisement
Method 8
Method 8 of 9:

PDF download Download Article
  2. This can be done by entering an administrator username and password and clicking Shutdown/Restart
    3. Advertisement
Method 9
Method 9 of 9:

Terminal (Mac)

PDF download Download Article
  2. You will not be prompted for the shutdown, but may be prompted for an administrator username and password.
    3. Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • 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.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    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.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 1 Helpful 1
  • Question
    How do I left click?
    Community Answer
    A left click is just a regular click on a mouse.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 6 Helpful 5
See more answers
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      • To force shut down your computer, hold the power button down for 10 seconds. The screen may blink, but continue holding it down.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      • 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.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0



      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      6 Easy Ways to Use Shortcut Keys to Shut Down a Windows PC
      How to
      Check Your Mouse DPI on Windows & Mac
      5 Quick Ways to Change Your Desktop Wallpaper on Windows
      How to
      Bring an Off Screen Window Back on Windows
      6 Simple Ways to Create a .ZIP File from Files or Folders
      How to
      Copy and Paste on Any Device
      4 Easy Ways to Paste Text Using Keyboard Shortcuts
      How to
      Automatically Shut Down Your Computer at a Specified Time
      How to
      Change a File Extension
      3 Easy Ways to Merge Objects in Blender: Step-by-Step
      3 Easy Ways to Customize EXE Program Icons in Windows
      How to
      Copy and Paste a Link
      How To Refresh a Webpage: Desktop & Mobile
      How to
      Open XML
      Advertisement

      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.

      Did this summary help you?
      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 128,317 times.

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement