A computer won’t shut down is like a child who refuses to fall asleep.
If we don’t take action now, the consumption of our computer hard drive and CPU is high. What causes 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
- windows 10 black screen of death
- The taskbar isn’t working
Then, we will introduce how to fix the “Windows 10 won’t shut down” issue. Besides, after fixing the annoying issue, there is a piece of free backup software for us to protect our system.
Method 1: Force Shut Down
Force shut down is the simplest and most feasible solution. Here’s how we 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 the computer and try to shut it down normally.
Method 2: Disable Fast Startup
The fast startup is a combination of Microsoft’s sleep mode and logout function. But sometimes it can interfere with the shutdown process, hence Windows 10 won’t shut down completely. Here’s how to disable fast startup:
Step 1: Open Control Panel and search for power options. Then, choose Power Options.
Step 2: From the left pane, choose Choose what the power buttons do.
Step 3: Choose Change settings that are currently unavailable.
Step 4: Make sure the box before Turn on fast startup is unchecked, then click Save changes and close the window.
Method 3: Make Sure the Windows 10 Version Is Latest
To check if there are any updates, please follow these steps:
Step 1: Click Settings from the Start menu and click Updates & Security.
Step 2: Choose Windows Upgrade from the left panel and click the Check for updates button. Then, the computer will check for, download, and install any updates found.
Method 4: Repair Windows System Files
After we update the Windows, check if the computer shuts down. If the problem persists, continue to the next method: repair Windows system files. Sometimes, the Windows 10 won’t shut down because the Windows system files are corrupted. Here are the steps:
Step 1: On the keyboard, press the Windows key and R key at the same time, then input cmd and click Ctrl, Shift, and Enter at the same time to run as the administrator.
Step 2: Type the command sfc /scannow and then press Enter.
Wait patiently until the verification process is 100% complete. Then reboot the computer to see whether the “Windows 10 won’t shut down” loop still exists.
Method 5: Try to Close the Computer Using Command Prompt
One of the best things about CMD (command prompt) is that we can directly request a forced shut down which stops any running applications. Here are the steps:
Step 1: In the start menu, please input cmd and choose Run as administrator.
Step 2: Type the following command: shutdown /p and then press Enter.
Our computer should now shut down immediately without installing or processing any updates.
Method 6: Control Applications Which Start Automatically
Some applications and processes cannot be easily closed when we want to shut down the computer, this may be the cause of the shutdown problem. So here we can control them and disable every application that is not needed at startup. 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, go to the Start-up tab.
Step 3: Choose the application we need to control or disable and right-click it, then choose Disable to disable it.
Method 7: Stop Windows Delivery Update Optimization
We can also stop Windows delivery update optimization to fix the issue. Here is how to do that:
Step 1: In the Start menu, please click Setting to open the Setting interface.
Step 2: When we 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, we have done this operation successfully.
Back up Our System
After offering the solutions to fix Windows 10 won’t stay asleep, we have a suggestion. In case of something on our system, it’s recommended to use MiniTool ShadowMaker to back up our system in advance. It is an all-around and free backup software designed for Windows 10/8/7, providing us with a data protection & disaster recovery solution.