The normal procedure for shutting down usually involves several steps. The exact number varies, depending on the version of Windows, but there are enough steps that I am frequently asked if there isn't a quicker way. This tip will describe several shortcuts.

Create a shutdown shortcut

Here is how to construct a shortcut that directly shuts down the system. The shortcut makes use of a Windows system file called "shutdown.exe".

1. Right-click on an empty spot on the Desktop
2. Choose “New-Shortcut” from the context menu
3. In the line labeled “Type the location of the item” enter:
      %windir%\system32\shutdown.exe -s -t 0
4. Press “Next”, give the shortcut a name and choose “Finish”

Added in response to Rune:

As written, the command with "shutdown.exe" does not time out for other things to finish. This is not usually a problem unless you have a process that is very slow or has a lot of cleaning up to do. If your system requires it, you can change the command to wait a certain number of seconds. Replace the "-t 0" with something like "-t 30". Then it will wait 30 seconds for processes to finish. Then the command becomes:

%windir%\system32\shutdown.exe -s -t 30

This procedure applies to Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8.x, and 10.

Keyboard shortcuts to close the system down

In Windows XP use the keyboard sequence:
    Windows key, U, U
In each case, release the key you have pressed before pressing the next key.

Windows Vista doesn’t have a short sequence to shut down but has the rather long procedure:
   Windows key, Right Arrow, Right Arrow, Right Arrow, U

For Windows 7, the keyboard sequence is:
   Windows key, Right arrow, Enter

For the three keyboard shortcuts above, remember to press the keys one at a time.

For Windows 8 and up, this keyboard sequence works:
   Windows key+X, U, U

For Windows XP on up through Windows 10, this sequence works:
   Windows key+D, Alt+F4, Enter

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This tips section is maintained by Vic Laurie. Vic runs a Windows blog called The PC Informant and also operates a computer education website.

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