Why Your Laptop Won’t Shut Down/Turn Off

Table of Contents

Why Won’t My Laptop Shut Down?

A laptop may not shut down because it’s in hibernation mode or due to corrupt windows files. Running the Windows troubleshooter can resolve the issue.

Many users report this problem where their laptop just won’t shut down. Often times, you would try to shut down your Windows 10 laptop, but it restarts automatically.

You may just find your laptop to be in hibernating mode. Your laptop goes into the hibernating mode, so it boots better and faster. I will take you through various ways to solve this problem.

·Hybrid shutdown feature:

This feature is also known as a fast start-up. It has been launched in Windows 8 and later. It runs by default on all the laptops. That is why most users would experience this problem. This feature reduces the time of starting and shutting down the laptop.

This feature reduces the hibernating kernel session. That’s why the laptop doesn’t shut down fully.

·Technical problems

Sometimes the reason why your laptop fails to shut down is because of corrupted system files. Even BIOS issues can cause your laptop to not shut down.

Quick workable solutions:

Disable fast start-up
Run Windows troubleshooter
Run system file checker
Run full shutdown
Boot from safe mode
Change BIOS settings

How to Fix a Laptop that Won’t Turn Off

Looking at the reasons why your laptop won’t shut off, here are some ways that can help you solve this problem.

·Disable fast start-up

This is the quickest way to resolve this issue. This is how you can disable fast start-up:

Click on the ‘start’ button and search for ‘power’.
From the search outcome, select the option “power and sleep settings”.
On this window, scroll down, find the option “additional power settings” and click on it.
On the left side of this window, select the option “Choose what the power buttons do”.
Click “change settings that are currently available” link.
Uncheck the box of “turn on fast start-up (recommended)”
Finally, save your changes by selecting the “save changes” option.

·Run Windows troubleshooter

Sometimes you’ll be in a situation where your laptop is updating, and you are not able to shut it down. In that case, by running the Windows troubleshooter, your problem will be resolved.

These are the steps:

Search “troubleshoot” on the start menu.
On the troubleshoot window, find “get up and running”.
Select “Windows update”.
Click on “run the troubleshooter”

·Run system file checker

If your laptop is not shutting down because of corrupted files, this process will help you solve the problem.

Search “cmd” in the start menu.
Right-click on “command prompt”.
Select the option “run as administrator”.
Enter “sfc/scannow” command.

My Laptop won’t turn off, and the screen is black

This occurs when your laptop thinks it is turned off. So, the screen goes black, but you’ll feel the fans are running. The first thing you need to do is to check if the LCD screen is alright.

Connect your laptop to an external screen to determine if you can view the display screen.

How to completely switch off a laptop:

Disconnect the power chord.
Remove the battery.
Connect the battery again.
Plugin the power chord.
Now, shut down your laptop.

Why does my computer restart when I shut it down?

This problem occurs mainly because of two reasons. One is only a hiccup. So, if you try it the next time, your laptop will shut down.

The second reason can be because of the fast start-up feature, which runs as a default on your laptop. This doesn’t allow the laptop to fully turn off.

How to fix a laptop that won’t shut down Windows 10

If you have tried the ways shown above, and your laptop still won’t shut down, here are a few more ways.

·Run full shutdown

First Method:

Press the “shift” key while simultaneously selecting the shutdown option.

Second Method:

Click the “start” option.
Type “cmd”.
Right-click “command prompt” option.
Select “run as administrator”.
Enter command “shutdown /s /f /t 0”.

·Boot from safe mode

Long press F8 until the Windows logo appears.
Release the F8 key when the boot menu pops up.
Select “safe mode”.
Go to the search menu after the boot-up.
Search and open “system.cpl”.
Select the option “advanced system settings”.
Under the “start-up and recovery” segment, activate the “settings” option.
Uncheck the “automatically restart” option.
Select “ok” and reboot.

·Change BIOS settings

Like I said earlier, your Windows 10 may not shut down because of BIOS system issues. It may happen because of wrong settings or corrupt files.

You can first try and change your BIOS settings to default. If it doesn’t help, you may consider changing the motherboard of your laptop.

HP laptop won’t turn off

If you have an HP Pavilion, and it doesn’t shut down properly, it is most likely because of the fast start-up feature. You can try any above-mentioned way to shut down your HP laptop.

In an HP Envy X360 laptop, this problem can be solved by following these steps:

Go to the “device manager” section in the settings window.
Select the option “system devices,” and under this section, find “Intel management engine surface”.
Click on “properties”.
Select “power management” option.
Tick the option “allow the computer to turn off this device to save power”.

Dell laptop won’t turn off

Many Dell laptop users would report that their laptop won’t shut down fully. Even after clicking the shutdown option, the screen may go black, but the fans keep running.

This problem can be solved using two ways. Let’s say if you use an Inspiron 15R N5110, follow these steps:

You can run diagnostics on your laptop to fix this problem.

Restart your device and press F12 on the Dell logo until the “diagnostics” option appears.
Selects “diagnostics”.

Run your laptop in safe mode.

When your laptop restarts, press F8 key on the Dell logo.
From “Windows advanced boot option”, select “safe mode”.
After the laptop is finished running in safe mode, check if it is shutting down completely.

If you’re using a Windows 8 and later a Dell laptop, you should first try disabling the fast start-up option.

Changing the BIOS settings can also help to solve this problem. For example, in a Dell gaming Inspiron 5577, you can change the BIOS settings, and then your laptop will shut down fully.

Asus laptop won’t turn off

If your Asus X550LB Windows 10 does not turn off, follow these steps:

Search for “control panel” from the search bar,
Under the control panel window, select the option “power options”.
From the left-hand side menu, select “choose what the power buttons do”.
Click on the option “change Settings that are currently unavailable”.
Scroll down and find the section “shutdown settings”.
Uncheck the box of “turn on fast start-up”.
Finally, select the “save changes” option.

Another method is by removing the battery and reinstalling it.

Follow these steps:

Remove your laptop’s battery and plug in the AC adapter.
Turn off your laptop.
Hold the power button for 15 seconds to force shutdown of the laptop.
Detach the AC adapter.
Now, hold the power button for 40 seconds, which will run the CMOS reset.
Reinstall your laptop’s battery and connect the adapter.

Toshiba laptop won’t turn off

If your Toshiba satellite laptop doesn’t turn off in any other Toshiba laptop, follow these steps:

Right-click on your Toshiba laptop’s taskbar.
Select the “start task manager” option.
Click on “applications”.
Click on the option “end task” to force shutdown of the program.
Click “end task” until all the programs are gone.
Now, you can close the task manager.
Go to start menu and select “shut down”.
Now your laptop will shut down fully.

If this doesn’t help, and you have a Windows 10 laptop, try disabling the fast start-up option.