How to Fix Windows 10 Stuck on Shutting Down

It’s very nagging when you shut down your windows 10 computer, and it gets stuck on the shutting down screen for minutes, or even for hours!

There are several reasons why a Windows 10 computer won’t shut down and get stuck on shutting down screen. And for each, there is a solution;

This article will give you ten ways that allowed many users to fix the Windows 10 stuck on the shutdown screen by applying one of those solutions.

1. Force shut down
2. Run Power Troubleshooter
3. Disable Fast Startup
4. Disconnect USB Devices
5. Reset Power Plan to default
6. Enable Verbose on Startup / Shutdown
7. Disable Services & Startup Applications
8. Change Intel Management Engine Interface Settings
9. Turn Off WiFi
10. Fix Corrupted System Files

But, if this is the first time your computer is stuck on shutting down screen, be patient.

Maybe it’s installing some windows updates, or some tasks are running in the background that needs some time to complete.

If after waiting one hour there is no change, then apply method number one;

Method #1:  Force shut down

The first step toward solving this issue is to force shut down;

• Keep pressing the power button for 5 seconds to 10 seconds (works for both desktops and laptops).
• Once your computer powered off, power it on and jump to method #2

Method #2: Run Power Troubleshooter

• Press Windows key+ I to open Windows Settings;
• In the search bar, type “troubleshoot”, then click on “Troubleshoot Settings“;
• Select “Power” and click on “Run the troubleshooter“;
• The troubleshooter will search for any problem misconfiguration with power settings and try to fix it for you.

Method #3: Disable Fast Startup

Fast startup or hybrid shutdown has been introduced with Windows 8.x to improve boot and shutdown times by putting the system in a hibernation mode instead of a complete shutdown.

The fast startup allows the system to start quickly by resuming from hibernation.

But on some computers, ancient ones, this shutdown mode may not work as expected and causes the computer to be stuck on the shutdown screen.

Many users have solved this problem by disabling the fast startup;

• Press the Control panel, then type in the search bar “power options“;
• Click on “Change What the power button do“;
• Click on “Change settings that are currently unavailable“;
• Uncheck “Turn on fast startup (recommended);

Method #4: Disconnect USB Devices

If your Windows 10 computer won’t shut down, the problem might be USB devices.

Several users reported that disconnecting an external USB storage device has solved the problem for them.

Be sure to disconnect any unnecessary USB device (Storage device, USB Camera …etc.) before shutting down.

Method #5: Reset Power Plan to default

Sometimes the reason Windows 10 is stuck on shutting down is your power plan settings.

Some users change their power plan settings to enhance their computer performance or for better energy saving. But these changes can cause this issue.

To reset your power plan to default:

• Press Windows key + I to display Windows Settings;
• In the Windows Settings, type “Power Plan“, then click on “Edit Power Plan“;
• Then click on “Restore default settings for this plan” and save changes;

Method #6: Enable Verbose on Startup / Shutdown

By default, when Windows 10 starts up or shut down, it does not display a lot of information so that you can know what the system is doing at each startup/shutdown stage.

This information can be useful when troubleshooting;

You can enable the verbose policy to allow you to identify the process or the application that prevents Windows 10 from shutting down.

To enable the verbose policy;

• Click on the Windows start menu;
• Type in the search bar “gpedit.msc” and open the console;
• On the local group policy editor, click on “Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System“
• In the right pane, double-click “Display Highly Detailed Status Messages“;
• Click Enabled > OK
• Shutdown your computer and notice the message displayed when Windows 10 get stuck on the shutting down screen;
• Go to the next method to see how to disable the culprit service or application;

Method #7: Disable Services & Startup Applications

In Windows 10, many services and applications start when starting Windows 10.

Some of those services and applications are installed by third-parties software, and in some cases, they can prevent Windows 10 from shutting down properly;

Disable a service:

• Click on the Windows start menu;
• Type in the search bar “services” and open the application;
• Right-click on the service you want to disable and select Stop to stop the service from running;
• Once the service stopped, right-click again and select properties;
• In the “startup type” dropdown box, select Disabled and click Apply;
• Close the service properties Window and shut your computer down;

Disable a Startup Application

If Windows 10 won’t shut down, it may be an application that prevents the system from shutting down.

So you need to prevent this application from starting up automatically;

• Open the task manager;
• Click on the Startup panel, select the application and click on the Disable button;

Method #8: Change Intel Management Engine Interface Settings

Some users reported that by changing the Intel Management Engine Interface settings, they’d solved this problem;

To change the Intel Management Interface settings:

• Press Windows key + X to open the quick link menu and select device manager;
• expand System devices, then double click on Intel(R) Management Engine Interface;
• Choose the Power Management tab;
• Uncheck the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.

Method #9: Turn Off WiFi

Some users reported that they solved this issue by turning off the WiFi .

Method #10: Fix Corrupted System Files

Corrupted or missing system files can cause Windows to be stuck on the shutdown screen.

To fix corrupted or missing system files, run SFC and DISM utilities;

1. sfc /scannow
2. DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth