9 Ways to Handle When the Computer Won't Turn Off

Signs to recognize that the computer cannot be turned off

There are times when you think that a black computer screen means the computer is completely turned off. But in fact, this is not correct. Because if the computer is in sleep mode, the screen is still black.

Your computer is considered completely shut down when all the lights are off and the motherboard has stopped working. If any of these are still working, it is a sign that you have a problem with your computer not shutting down and needs to be fixed immediately.

Reasons why you can't shut down your computer

There are many possible causes of the computer not shutting down error that you need to understand in order to fix it. Some common causes may be:

- The computer cannot be turned off due to software conflicts.

- Computer components are affected by hardware conflicts.

- Your computer has been infected with a malicious virus from outside.

- Computer driver has problem.

- There is a problem with the fast startup feature of Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 operating systems.

- Caused by some other background software.

How to handle when the computer cannot be turned off

There are 4 simple ways you can refer to quickly handle this error. Specifically as follows:

Use key combinations

Using a key combination is the fastest and most effective method you can apply when your computer cannot be turned off. To do this, you just need to hold down the Shift and Shutdown keys at the same time , then your computer will immediately turn off. If your computer is using Windows XP, you hold down the Ctrl and Esc keys at the same time. Next, press the U key twice to successfully turn off the computer.

Use the command to turn off the computer in cmd

Using the command in cmd to shut down the computer is also quite simple. You can use the automatic timer feature to shut down the computer and then set the timer to 0, then your computer will automatically shut down immediately.

Step 1: Specifically, go to the Search box in the Start bar, type ' cmd ', then right-click on the Command Prompt application and select Run as administrator to run with Admin rights.

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Step 2: Continue entering the Administrator : Command Prompt command line ' shutdown /s /f /t 0 ' then Enter to complete.

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Fix computer won't shut down by turning off Fast Startup features

Fast Startup is a feature added to the operating system to enhance the user experience. In addition to improvements, this feature also brings many problems that need to be fixed. One of them is the computer not being able to shut down. To solve this problem, you can disable this Fast Startup feature on your computer with the following 4 steps:

Step 1: Open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows + R key combination , then type in the key ' control ' and press Enter .

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Step 2: Switch to Category mode in the Control Panel window => select System and Security .

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Step 3: In the Power Options section , click on the command Change what the power buttons do

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Step 4: Click Shutdown in the When I press the power button section and uncheck the Turn on fast startup box . Finally, click Save Changes to complete the Fast Startup shutdown process .

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Prevent unnecessary software from running in the background

Another possible cause of the computer not shutting down error is unnecessary processes and services running in the background. You need to turn off these software, specifically:

Step 1: Open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows + R key combination , then type the keyword ' msconfig ' and press Enter .

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Step 2: In the System Configuration window , go to the Services tab and select Hide all Microsoft services . You have now hidden Microsoft processes and services and left only third-party processes on your computer.

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Step 3: Select unnecessary services for your computer and click Disable . Finally, click OK to save.

Handling errors that cannot be turned off due to viruses and malware

If your computer does not use any antivirus software, you should install it immediately. If you are a regular user, you can choose one of the best free antivirus software to ensure the safety of your computer. Some antivirus software such as: Kaspersky  is the best antivirus software today.

Install new driver for computer

When you install a Driver that is not compatible with your computer, it can also cause the computer to not turn off.

Have you updated or installed any new drivers recently? If so, uninstall the driver and install another version. If you haven't updated any new drivers, back up the driver and try upgrading to a newer driver.

In addition, you should try to disable the Intel(R) Management Engine Interface driver by doing the following:

Step 1: Right-click on This PC (Computer)  and select Manage .

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Step 2: Select Device Manager , go to System devices  and right-click on Intel(R) Management Engine Interface  => select Disable to temporarily disable => then try turning off the computer to see if it works.

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Marvin Fry

Update 17 January 2025