Why does my Windows 11 won’t shut down properly?

Why does my Windows 11 won’t shut down properly?
For some reason, my Windows 11 computer just won’t shut down no matter what I do. Every time I click the shut down button, it seems like it’s going to power off, but then it either hangs indefinitely or restarts on its own. I’ve tried waiting it out, but that doesn’t seem to help. This issue has been really frustrating because I rely on my computer for work, and having it not shut down properly is causing me a lot of inconvenience. I’m concerned that continually forcing a shutdown might harm my system over time. I’ve checked for applications that might be preventing the shutdown, but nothing seems out of the ordinary. I’m not sure what’s causing this issue or how to fix it, and I’m worried that it might indicate a deeper problem with my operating system or hardware.
10 Answers

First, inspect your running applications. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc and examine which apps are active. If any applications appear unresponsive or are consuming significant resources, manually end these processes. Sometimes background apps interfere with the shutdown procedure.

One potential cause might be corrupted system files. To check and repair them, open Command Prompt with administrative rights. Type sfc /scannow
and hit Enter. The System File Checker will begin scanning your system for corrupted files and make necessary repairs. This could solve your shutdown problems.

Explore the Group Policy Editor for potential misconfigurations. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc
, and press Enter. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Shutdown Options. Ensure ‘Turn off automatic restart on System Failure’ is enabled. Misconfigured policies may impact your shutdown sequence.

Adjusting your power settings might help. Access the Control Panel, go to Hardware and Sound, then Power Options, and click on ‘Choose what the power buttons do’. Select ‘Change settings that are currently unavailable’ and uncheck ‘Turn on fast startup (recommended)’. This may alleviate your shutdown problem.