Shut down may refer to any of the following:

  1. Shut down is closing all software programs in preparation to turn off a computer’s power. The operating system is the last program to be closed as part of a computer’s shut down process. We recommend all computers be properly shut down to help prevent data corruption. The picture shows examples of different Microsoft Windows shut down screens. In the top picture, Windows 7 displays a shutting down message while it is shutting down. Early computers were not capable of turning themselves off, so Windows 98 displayed a message when it was safe to turn off the computer after doing a shutdown.

When should I shut down?

When you and anyone else in your home or office are done with the computer, we recommend it be shut down. For example, you could shut down the computer before you go to sleep for the night.

  • When should I shut down?

  • What is the shortcut key to shut down?

  • What is an unclean shut down?

  • Is it Shut down, shut down, or shutdown?

  • Related information.

  • Is it better to leave the computer on or turn it off?

What is the shortcut key to shut down?

The shortcut key and options you have available to shut down the computer depend on the operating system you’re using. The following is a list of operating systems their shortcut keys and options.

Microsoft Windows users

The Alt+F4 keyboard shortcut closes any open program and is also used as a keyboard shortcut to shutdown Windows. From the Windows desktop, press Alt+F4 to open the Shut Down Windows window. If the selected option is Shut down, press the Enter to confirm the shutdown. If you want to choose another action, use Up or Down arrow keys to change to restart or sleep and then press Enter.

Using the steps in the following link, you can also create a shortcut with a command that shuts down the computer. Once done, you can assign any keyboard shortcut key to execute that shortcut to shut down the computer.

With Windows 10, you can also right-click Start and select Shut down or Sign out.

  • How to shut down or restart the computer with a batch file.

Apple macOS users

The keyboard shortcut to shut down an Apple computer running macOS is Ctrl+Option+Command+Eject button button.

What is an unclean shut down?

An unclean shut down or unsafe shut down describes when the computer is not shut down properly and can happen because of any of the following.

  • The user turns off the computer without shutting down.
  • The user has to turn off the computer because it’s frozen or has other problems that prevent it from being shut down properly.
  • The computer experiences a brownout or blackout and is not connected to a UPS (uninterruptible power supply), causing it to lose power and turn off.
  • The computer encounters a software or hardware problem that causes the computer to turn off or reboot.

Is it Shut down, shut down, or shutdown?

All forms of this word are correct. When describing an action or using the word as a verb, use “shut down” in your writing. If you’re describing the option in the Windows Start menu, use “Shut down.” When using the word as an adjective, noun, or a command, use “shutdown.”

For example, the sentence “Instead of using the Start menu Shut down option you could use the shutdown command to shut down the computer.” uses all forms of this word.

  1. Shutdown is a command line command in Linux and the Windows command line. See the following links for further information about each command.
  • How to shut down a computer.
  • How to fix Microsoft Windows not shutting down.
  • Why does my computer turn off without warning?
  • Is it safe to turn off a Windows PC without shutting it down?
  • See the Windows shutdown command page for further information about this command.

Logoff, Operating system terms, Power down

  • Microsoft Windows shutdown command line command help.
  • Linux shutdown command help and information.
  • How to turn off, restart, and shut down Linux.