Shortcut to shutdown or restart Windows 10 or 11 in less than three keystrokes

Question

On Windows XP we had Win , U + U

On Windows 7 we had Win , Right cursor + Enter

I never had Windows 8, so I am not sure what the shortcut is/was.

There is Alt+F4 and then Enter, but this only works from the desktop. I would like to do this from any 'position' or 'place' or within any program. If I were in an application and did this, I'd only close down that application.

My question is, is there a keyboard combination (which does not rely on creating scripting files and global shortcuts), to shutdown the PC in three or less keyboard keystrokes from any position/program. Also, is there a similarly short key sequence for restart?

Solution 1

How do I shutdown Windows 10 in 3 or less keystrokes?

There are three solutions (detailed below).

1. Configure the Power button to perform a shutdown (1 button press)

2. Win+D, Alt+F4, Enter (3 keystrokes/5 keypresses) or

3. Win+X, U, U (3 keystrokes/4 keypresses)

   Note:

   • The U may need to be replaced with another keystroke depending on your language setting if you are not using an English version of Windows.

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Solution 1 - Configure the Power button to perform a shutdown (1 button press)

Technically a button press is not the same as a keystroke, but I think it meets the spirit of the question.

1. Click in Windows 10's Search field, type "power", and then click "Power Options" in the search results that appear.

2. In the list of options on the left, click "Choose what the power buttons do."

   There are pull-down menus next to "When I press the power button"

   • "On Battery" (laptop only)
   • "Plugged In" (laptop and desktop).

3. Click the pull-down menu(s), and select "Shut Down".

4. Click "Save changes"

Now, whenever you press the power button, your PC should immediately shut down.

Source How to quickly shut down Windows 10

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Solution 2 - Win+D, Alt+F4, Enter (3 keystrokes/5 keypresses)

Explanation:

1. Win+D will show the desktop.

2. Alt+F4 will open the shut down menu (when you are viewing the desktop.

   

3. Enter will press "OK".

Source 7 Ways To Shut Down Or Restart A Windows 10 PC Or Device

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Solution 2 - Win+X, U, U (3 keystrokes/4 keypresses)

Explanation:

1. Win+X will open the power user menu:

   

2. U will open the "Shutdown or sign out menu":

   

3. U will execute "Shut down".

   Notes:

   • The U may need to be replaced with another keystroke depending on your language setting if you are not using an English version of Windows.

   • The appropriate keystroke is underlined, as indicated by the _ in the menus you can see in the previous two screenshots.

Source 7 Ways To Shut Down Or Restart A Windows 10 PC Or Device

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What if I want to Restart instead of Shutdown?

Use Win+X, U, R

1. Win+X will open the power user menu.

2. U will open the "Shutdown or sign out menu".

3. R will execute "Restart".

   Note:

   • The U and R may need to be replaced with other keystrokes depending on your language setting if you are not using an English version of Windows.

   • The appropriate keystrokes will be shown by the _ symbol in the menus you can see in the previous two screenshots.

Solution 2

FYI, Windows 10 if you know you are on the login screen:

1. Press any key, like the spacebar (to ensure you are past the facade and that the login prompt is active).
2. Shift + Tab (shift the focus from the login prompt to the shutdown button
3. Space (open the power menu/Sleep is selected by default)
4. ↓ (select Shutdown)
5. Enter (choose selection)

Not less than three keystrokes, but this is handy if you know you are on the login screen but for some reason your display is unavailable.

Comments

[DavidPostill]

Why don't you just configure the power button to shutdown? That's only 1 keystroke! ;)

[Tetsujin]

I gave up & put bat files on my desktop, cos it's even harder over remote desktop :(

[Tetsujin]

Nothing's reliable on a headless machine, except the power button. Win U U was by far the best, as it worked in all circumstances [except having something beginning with U in your start menu]

[CodeManX]

There should be shutdown button on the (lock) screen when you press Ctrl+Alt+Delete (or Ctrl+Alt-End in Remote Desktop session). I'm not sure if it's reachable by another keystroke.

[Tetsujin]

Ah, there is a shutdown... but no restart, which is what i most often need on remote. (anyway, this isn't my question, so I'll shut up now ;)

[DavidPostill]

@Tetsujin <win>+<x>, <u>,<r> for a restart ...

[MyDaftQuestions]

@DavidPostill, updated my question, can you move the restart comment into your answer please?

[Tetsujin]

@DavidPostill - Love the Win+x commands - but they don't work over RDC, there's no restart or shutdown presented in the Shut Down menu. +1's for everybody on this one though - I'll stick with my bat files for remotes, but most helpful for local, even if headless. Thank you all.

[imallett]

If you press the key on your power strip, your computer will shut down even faster than usual!

[Stig Perez]

Another option is to create a shortcut for restart and shutdown, put the shortcuts in "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs" and simply use windows search. It's not perfect but with a little luck you can do both in 4 keystrokes; windows+re and windows+sh followed by ENTER

[jingyu9575]

On my Windows 10 Enterprise, Win + , only shows the desktop while the keys are being pressed, so Alt + F4 closes the foreground window instead of desktop. Maybe it is Win + D?

[DavidPostill]

@jingyu9575 Good catch - you are correct - it is only temporarily showing the desktop... Answer updated. Thanks.

[DavidPostill]

@MartinSmith <shrug> I count two keys pressed together as one keystroke ... the Windows API considers it to be one keyboard event "The handler for KeyDown receives: A KeyEventArgs parameter, which provides the KeyCode property (which specifies a physical keyboard button). The Modifiers property (SHIFT, CTRL, or ALT). The KeyData property (which combines the key code and modifier)."

[babca]

Win + X, U, U does not work on non-English distributions.

[DavidPostill]

@babca Thanks, good point. I have updated the answer to clarify.

[DavidPostill]

@MyDaftQuestions Thanks for your comment! I added "Technically a button press is not the same as a keystroke, but I think it meets the spirit of the question." ;)

[babca]

"The U may need to be replaced with another keystroke depending on your language setting if you are not using an English version of Windows." - It's even worse. When Czech language is set, there are more than one item with the same active letter in the poweruser menu, so pressing the letter selects another item first. A second press does select the correct item, but doesn't open the submenu. In this case, you have to press Win+X, V, V, Enter, Y instead of Win+X U U. It's not an universal shutdown shortcut at all.

[DavidPostill]

@babca That's a design fault in the Czech version of Windows. The alt shortcuts are meant to unique where possible.

[Matias Ficarrotti]

Win + M like Win + D can also switch to desktop

[pabouk - Ukraine stay strong]

Another option: Ctrl+Altr+Del, ↑, Space, ↑, ↑, Enter