Summary :
Windows 10 won’t shut down? Researches indicate that abnormal Windows update, system files and even fast startup are the main causes. You may don’t know how to fix it. Fortunately, this article provides 7 solutions to fix Windows 10 won’t shut down. Read this post from MiniTool to get the solutions.
Why Windows 10 Won’t Shut Down
A computer won’t shut down is like a child who refuses to fall asleep. If you don’t take action now, the consumption of your computer hard drive and CPU is high.
What cause Windows 10 won’t shut down? Here are some reasons for this situation:
- Windows upgrade
- Fast startup
- Windows system files
- Unwanted running applications since startup
- The taskbar isn’t working
Then, I will introduce 8 useful solutions to fix Windows 10 won’t shut down completely in details.
How to Fix Windows 10 Won’t Shut Down?
Although it is a very frustrating and common problem, it is usually not difficult to solve. Before you start, check out if Windows 10 won’t shut down is caused by the update process.
Normally, a Windows update can take a few minutes or even hours. So, you are suggested to wait for 3 hours around when Windows update is the main cause for your issue.
If time is up and Windows 10 still hangs at shutting down, or your Windows 10 is not processing any update at all, try the following solutions.
Solution 1: Force Shut Down
Force shut down is the simplest and most feasible solution. Here’s how you can do this:
Step 1: Press and hold the power button until the computer is turned off.
Step 2: Remove all power (battery/power cord/unplug the power cord) for 5–10 minutes.
Step 3: Start your computer and try to shut it down normally.
Solution 2: Disable Fast Startup
Fast startup is a startup mode of Windows 10. A computer with Windows 10 fast startup runs 30% faster than a computer with Windows 7 normal boot, provided that they have the same hardware configuration.
In fact, the fast startup is a combination of Microsoft’s sleep mode and logout function. But sometimes it can interfere with the shutdown process, hence your Windows 10 won’t shut down completely. Here’s how to disable fast startup:
Step 1: Open “ control panel” and search for “ power options” and choose “ Power Options “.
Step 3: Choose “ Change settings that are currently unavailable “.
Solution 3: Make Sure You Have the Latest Windows 10 Version
It is always a good idea to have the latest version of Windows 10. Microsoft always uses it to send new updates and fixes to common problems, so we can always start troubleshooting by checking for updates.
If you are interested in how to detect potential Windows update database error, you can read this post: Top 5 Ways to Potential Windows Update Database Error Detected.
To check if there are any updates you can do, please follow these steps:
If your update is getting stuck or not working, you can read this post: How to Fix Update Stuck Errors or use the troubleshooter to fix Windows 10 won’t shut down after creators’ update. Here are the steps:
Step 1: On your keyboard, press the “ Windows” key and “ R” key at the same time, then input “ control.exe /name Microsoft.Troubleshooting” into the box and click “ OK “.
Step 3: Follow the on-screen instructions to fix the problems.
Step 4: Shut down your computer once again.
Now, you can see if the computer won’t shut down problem gets fixed by now. Maybe you are interested in 5 Solutions to Fix Getting Windows Ready Stuck in Windows 10.
Tip: If needed, choose to try troubleshooting as an administrator and apply it.
Solution 4: Repair Windows System Files
After you updated your Windows, check if your computer shuts down. If the problem persists, continue to the next method: repair Windows system files. Sometimes, your Windows 10 won’t shut down because the Windows system files are corrupted. Here are the steps:
Step 1: On your keyboard, press the “ Windows” key and “ R” key at the same time, then input “ cmd” and click “ OK” to run as the administrator.
Wait patiently until the verification process 100% complete. Then reboot the computer to see whether Windows 10 won’t shut down loop still exists.
Tip: Please make sure there is a space between “sfc” and “/scannow”.
Solution 5: Try to Close the Computer Using Command Prompt
One of the best things about CMD (command prompt) is that you can directly request a forced shut down which stops any running applications. Here are the steps:
Your computer should now shut down immediately without installing or processing any updates.
Solution 6: Control Applications Which Start Automatically
Some applications and processes cannot be easily closed when you want to shut down your computer, this may be the cause of your shutdown problem. These applications are likely to run automatically in Windows Startup without your permission.
So here we can control them and disable every application that is not needed at startup. This will also increase your startup speed and shutdown speed. Here are the steps:
Step 1: Press “ Ctrl”, “ Shift” and “ Esc” at the same time to launch the Task Manager and click “ More details “ to show more details.
Step 2: In the interface, please choose “ Start-up “ to open the Start-up tab.
Step 3: Choose the application you need to control or disable and right-click it, then choose “ Disable “ to disable it.
Solution 7: Stop Windows Delivery Update Optimization
Windows 10 is always downloading updates, that’s why Microsoft came up with this service so that if there are several Windows 10 machines on the same network, computers can exchange the update files instead of downloading them on each computer.
So, if a computer on the network is getting any updates from yours, shut down won’t occur until the files transfer finishes. The good news is that you can turn off this feature, here’s how to do this:
Step 1: In the Start menu, please click “ Setting “ to open the setting interface.
Step 2: When you enter the main interface, please choose “ Update &Security “.
Step 3: Now in the interface, click “ Delivery Optimization “ to continue.
Step 4: Turn off the Allow downloads from other PCs button to forbid downloads from other PCs.
Now, you have done this operation successfully.
Solution 8: Perform System Restore or System Image Recovery
If you have created a system restore point or system image backup with Windows snap-in tools, you can try using the restore point or image file to restore your computer.
Tip: This operation will cause your system and files loss, you had better back up your data in advance.
System Restore
Here are steps for system restore:
Step 1: In the start menu, search control panel to launch “ Control Panel “.
Step 3: In this interface, please choose “ Open System Restore “ to continue.
Step 5: Choose the time to restore your computer to the state it was in before the selected event and click “ Next “ to continue.
Step 6: You need to confirm the restore point and click “ Finish “. After the system restore is finished, try to shut down your computer again.
When the system restore process is finished, you can reverse your computer to a previous state. And the system restore point can also help you to solve some system malfunctions or other problems.
What is a system restore point and how to create restore point Windows 10? This post will show you the answers.
System Image Recovery
If you do have a recent Windows 10 system backup, go back to the state when you were able to shut down your Windows 10. Here is how to perform system image recovery.
Step 1: In the “ Start” menu, press “ shift” and click “ restart “ at the same time to enter the WinRE.
Step 2: You should choose “ Troubleshoot” in “ Choose an option”, and then choose “ Advanced options “.
Step 4: Choose the latest system image or an image backup that enables Windows 10 shut down. And then click “ Next “.
Step 5: Follow the guidance to restore your PC. When a warning window for formatting pops up during the process, you need to click “ Yes “.
Receive the system image restore failed error message in Windows 10? This post shows you full solutions to fix it on 3 common cases.
Here are some effective solutions to Windows 10 won’t shut down. Try them out if you have this issue, and share it on Twitter to let more people know. Click to tweet
Conclusion
It’s time to fix Windows 10 won’t shut down with these solutions. All of these solutions are easy and helpful, now you can choose a proper way to fix it. If you have any questions and suggestions, please contact us via [email protected] or leave a comment.
Originally published at https://www.minitool.com on September 28, 2019.
