Are you trying to shut down your PC, only to see it reboot seconds later? While forcing a shutdown by holding the power button may seem like a quick fix, it’s not a real solution and can lead to data loss. Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. This guide presents fixes for your Windows computer restarting and not shutting down.
Identify the Problem
Windows Event Viewer is a great built-in tool that identifies common Windows problems, including the Windows shutdown issue.
Type “event viewer” in Windows Search, and click on Event Viewer to open it. Move to Windows Logs -> System. Look for events that happened near the time of shutting down with the severity level of Error or Critical. If you don’t find any, go to Windows Logs -> Applications, and look there.
If you find a related problem, double-click on it to open its details. It will tell you what caused the problem so you can look for the solution.
Although one of the following solutions should apply to your problem, you can search for the error online to find possible solutions.
Disable Fast Startup
This is the most common culprit of Windows restarting and not shutting down. Sometimes the Fast Startup feature causes problems in the shutdown process, which could be the reason your PC is restarting. Follow these steps to disable Fast Startup:
Press the Win + R keys, and type powercfg.cpl in the Run dialog to open Power Options. Click Choose what the power buttons do in the left panel.
Click on the Change settings that are currently unavailable option, then uncheck the Turn on fast startup option.
Remove All External Devices
There is also a possibility that an external device, like a USB or Bluetooth speaker, is causing the PC to restart. To fix it, remove all the external devices, including the external storage drive, mouse, and keyboard. Detach the mouse after clicking the shutdown button.
If this fixes the problem, attach each device one at a time, and shut down to find the culprit. Once found, update the device drivers to the latest version to solve possible driver issues. If the device also has dedicated software, try closing it before shutting down.
If nothing works, it could be a hardware issue. Unplug the device before shutting down.
Disable Automatic Restart After System Failure
By default, Windows automatically restarts after a system failure. If your system is failing during the shutdown process, this is the reason it’s restarting. Disable this behavior to prevent automatic restarts.
Press the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog, and type sysdm.cpl to open System Properties. Move to the Advanced tab, and click on Settings under Startup and Recovery.
Uncheck the Automatic restart option under the System failure section.
You will still have to solve the main issue that is causing the system failure, but this is a temporary solution to your PC restarting and not shutting down. The Event Viewer tool can help you identify the system failure issue.
Disable Wake-on-LAN Settings
If you messed around with Windows Remote Desktop settings, your network adaptor may be causing the PC to restart instead of shutting down. Follow these steps to prevent it:
Press the Win + R keys, and type ncpa.cpl in the Run dialog to open Network Connections. Right-click on your network adaptor, and select Properties.
Click Configure and move to the Advanced tab in the next window. Under Property, disable the Wake on Magic Packet option.
Repair Corrupted System Files
There is also a possibility that corrupted system files are the reason Windows keeps restarting. Thankfully, Windows has built-in tools to fix system-related issues. System File Checker (SFC) and Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) are two types of scans that will fix corrupted system files.
Run SFC Scan
First run the SFC scan, as it is faster and can fix basic corrupted system files using cached copies.
Search for cmd in Windows Search, right-click on Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator. Enter the sfc /scannow command, and press Enter. The scan will tell you whether it fixed any files or faced any errors.
If this doesn’t solve the issue, move on to the DISM scan.
Run DISM Scan
Unlike SFC scan, which is limited to system files, DISM tries to repair the Windows system image, including system files, drivers, and configurations. It also downloads replacement files from Microsoft’s online repositories, so you’ll also need an Internet connection.
To run the scan, open Command Prompt as explained above, and run the below command:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
It will show a success or failure message, along with the errors it faced (if any). Search online to find solutions for the errors.
Change BIOS/UEFI Settings
Many settings in the PC BIOS/UEFI can affect the shutdown process. Disable them to see whether there are any causing the problem. Although I am listing all the possible settings, it’s unlikely your PC will support all of them. Just choose the ones that your BIOS offers.
The steps to access the BIOS differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. If you need help, check out our guide on how to enter BIOS in Windows.
- Fast Boot
- Power On By Keyboard/Mouse
- Wake-on-LAN
- USB Legacy Support
- USB Power Share
- Secure Boot
- PCIe ASPM
- Automatic Power On
Go to the boot menu in BIOS, and make sure your hard drive with Windows is at the top of the boot priority. If this fixes the issue, enable each option one by one to find the culprit.
Tip: also upgrade your BIOS to the latest version, as an outdated BIOS can cause restart issues.
Reset/Restore Windows
As a last resort, restore or reset Windows to a state when this problem didn’t exist. A restore would be a safer option, but if you don’t have a good restore point saved, you’ll have to reset.
Restore Windows
System Restore will restore your PC state to an earlier point in time when you were not facing the problem. It will reset any changes you made to the settings or apps you installed/updated.
To access System Restore, press the Win + R keys, type rstrui in the Run dialog, and press Enter.
Among the list of available restore points, with the date and time they were created, choose the one that took place before the time you faced the problem, and click Next -> Finish to start the restore process.
Reset Windows
If you don’t have a good restore point to use, reset the PC instead. You won’t lose your personal data in the drives, but it will delete all the third-party apps and reset Windows settings to the defaults. If you are ready, follow the steps below.
Open Windows Settings, and go to Update & Security -> Recovery. Click on Get started under Reset this PC.
For most people, the Keep my files option will be best. However, If you don’t want to keep personal data, choose Remove everything instead.
On the next page, choose Cloud download if you think the issue is being caused by corrupted system files (SFC/DISM failed), as this will download a clean Windows version from Microsoft. If not, choose Local reinstall to recreate Windows from the currently stored Windows image. This will start the reset process to fix the issue.
As one last suggestion, ensure that the latest Windows updates are installed. Windows also restarts if it has to update, and it will keep trying if the updates are stuck or skipped for some reason.
Image credit: Freepik. All screenshots by Karrar Haider.
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