Shut Down Your Dell Inspiron (& Others) Laptop: Guide + Troubleshooting

If your laptop won't shut down using the Start menu, you can use the power button. It's generally only a good idea to do this if using the Start menu doesn't work, as you could lose data otherwise. The location of your Dell laptop's power button varies by line, model, and year of release. Here are the most common locations:

1. 1
   The blank key at the top-right corner of the keyboard. Most modern Dell laptops, including the Inspiron 15 and 16 models, don't have traditional power buttons—instead, you'll use a blank keyboard key to turn the laptop on and off. Press and hold the key until your laptop powers down.
2. 2
   To the right of the keyboard. Other Dell laptops have a round power button directly to the right of the keyboard. This button can be hard to spot if you're not looking carefully, especially if you have a blue or red laptop. Press and hold this button to turn your laptop off.
3. 3
   On the right side of the laptop, toward the front. On some models, including a few different Inspiron Mini laptops, there's an oval power button on the laptop's right side. There may actually be two buttons here, but the one you'll use to power your laptop on and off is closest to the front.
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1. 1
   My laptop won't turn off when I press the power button. Make sure you press and hold the power button until the screen turns off. Also, make sure that there are no prompts on the screen asking you to close open apps or save documents.
2. 2
   I still can't find the power button on my Dell laptop. All Dell laptops do have a power button, though it might be tricky to find. Check the keyboard itself for a blank key at the upper-right corner. If you have this key, this is your power button. If not, the button is either right next to the keyboard, or on the side of your laptop—you may have to run your finger over the surface to find it if you have low vision.
3. 3
   I just see a black screen when I shut down my laptop. This can sometimes happen when you have external devices connected, or a program can't fully close before shutdown. To get rid of the black screen and shut down your Dell laptop completely, press and hold the power button until it turns off—this can take up to a minute.
4. 4
   My laptop only goes into Sleep or Hibernate when I close the lid or press the power button. See this method to learn how to change what your laptop does when you close its lid or press the power button.
5. 5
   Selecting "Shut down" doesn't do anything. There may be pending Windows updates you need to install, or there could be a program running in the background preventing your PC from shutting down.

   • To check for updates, go to Settings > Updates & Security (Windows 10) or Settings > Windows Update (Windows 11).
   • To close background processes, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager —if you see any applications that shouldn't be running, select them and click End task .
6. 6
   My laptop still won't turn off completely. You may need to disable Fast Startup if you still can't turn your laptop off. ^[3] Try this:

   • Open Control Panel .
   • Click Power Options .
   • Click Change what the power buttons do or Choose what closing the lid does .
   • Click Change settings that are currently unavailable at the top.
   • Remove the checkmark from "Turn on fast startup (recommended)" and save your changes.
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