Windows 11: Sleep, Shutdown, or Restart Options | 6 Ways to Restart, Shutdown or Hibernate on Windows 11

Microsoft unveiled their new version of the operating system, the brand new Windows 11, in June 2021. They broke the six-year-long wait by making a high-speed, easy-to-use, and straightforward operating system that will carry the window legacy onwards. They have changed several aspects such as design, performance, etc. It has made several improvements in the start menu, taskbar, windows setting, action center, and several others.

This article will help you learn six different ways which you can use to sleep, shut down, or restart your Windows 11 device. These methods can help increase your technical knowledge and also help you find the perfect approach that works best to your convenience. Even though the primary and straightforward way of turning on/off your device remains the same in this new operating system, here are six ways that you can use to sleep, restart or shut down your Windows 11 device.

• 6 Different Ways to Sleep, Shut Down, or Restart your Windows 11
• By using a keyboard shortcut
• By using Power Menu
• By using the method through the Windows Icon on your Windows 11 Device
• By using the power button present on the lock screen of your Windows 11 Device
• By using the Command Prompt
• By using a script to Sleep, Shutdown, or Restart your Windows11 Device

6 Different Ways to Sleep, Shut Down, or Restart your Windows 11

These are the six quick and straightforward ways in which you can rest, shut down or restart your device

1) By using a keyboard shortcut

Keyboard shortcuts make long working hours more accessible and efficient in every aspect. This method is straightforward and quick. Follow the given steps.

1. Step 1: Move your cursor to anywhere on the screen of your Windows 11 device
2. Step 2: Press the keys (Alt +F4); You will then get a screen that says ‘shut down windows.’
3. Step 3: By using the preset drop-down menu, you can choose your desired task amongst the following options – Switch user, Sleep, Shut down, Sign out and restart.
4. Step 4: After selecting your preferred choice, click on OK, and then your device will perform the desired task.

Important note: Do not use this keyboard shortcut while you have active tabs or windows because it will erase the data and lose the data you worked on.

Also See: Enable Disable Dark Mode in Windows 11

2) By using Power Menu

Selecting options using the Power Menu is another way to restart, sleep or shut down your PC. You may follow the given steps –

1. Step1: Click the Windows button and the X key together; This will show you the Power Menu.
2. Step 2:Move your cursor over to the options given and the user can select between the given options, which are sign out, sleep, restart, and shutdown. The user can select whichever task they want, and the device will then process the command.

3) By using the method through the Windows Icon on your Windows 11 Device

This is one of the most common and known methods to switch off, sleep or restart your Windows 11 device. The procedure is –

1. Step 1: Go to start or select the Windows button.
2. Step 2: You will then notice the power button. Click on the power button, and you will get five buttons to choose from.
3. Step 3: Select the desired option and click OK

Option 1 – ‘Sleep’
Option 2 – ‘Shutdown’
Option 3 – ‘Restart’
Option 4 – ‘Hibernate’
Option 5 – ‘Switch User’

The device will then process the command and complete the desired task.

Read More: Align Windows 11 Taskbar Icons to the Left

4) By using the power button present on the lock screen of your Windows 11 Device

If you ever want to turn off your device without having to completely login in case you are on the lock screen, you can simply:

1. Step 1: Click on the power button present on the bottom right corner of the lock screen.
2. Step 2: The screen will give you sleep, Shut down, or restart options. The user can then select the command of their choice.
3. Step 3: The device will comply with the selected desired task after clicking the OK button.

5) By using the Command Prompt

Windows 11 also has the command prompt feature, which users could use to shut down, sleep, or restart the device using the inbuilt tool shutdown.exe. You can also run this utility program in a windows terminal or power shell.

You need to open the command prompt and follow the following steps to use this method. After opening the command prompt, type the following code.

“shutdown/s/t 0”

A complete software shutdown of the operating system will occur when this is executed. This means your device might not load fast when you start it next. If you do not want to lose your device’s Fast Startup feature, you can opt for this code instead:

“shutdown/s/hybrid/t 0.”

If you want to restart the Windows11 device, you can run this code:

“shutdown/r/t 0”

6) By using a script to Sleep, Shutdown, or Restart your Windows11 Device

The traditional way to shut down or restart your windows device might not be the most common but is something that can run your command with a single click. The following steps will teach you how to make a windows script that you can use for any desired purpose.

Right-click on your Windows 11 desktop screen and then follow the given steps-

• Click on the new item.
• Then select the Text document option from the pane
• When the notebook feature runs, you can copy and then paste the following script:

dim objShell

set objShell = CreateObject(“shell.application”)

objshell.ShutdownWindows

set objShell = nothing

Once you have copy-pasted the script

• Head to File and then proceed to click on the save as option
• You can then rename the File as “shutdown.VBS”
• After renaming the File, you have to select All Files using the drop-down menu now present on your Windows 11 device screen next to the “save as type” column.

By software default, the system will create this File on the desktop page, but you can always copy-paste it somewhere else if you want to have a copy of this shutdown file saved safely just in case.

Note: Now, just by clicking on this shortcut, your device will not turn off; instead, it will lead you to a shutdown dialogue, just like the screen you get when you use a keyboard shortcut (Alt + F4) to sleep, shutdown, or restart your device.

When you click on this shortcut file you just created, a shutdown dialogue will open on your desktop screen. Then a drop-down menu will provide you with the options.

1. Restart
2. Sign out
3. Switch User
4. Sleep
5. Shut down

You can select your desired tasks and then click on the OK button present. After this, your device will follow the command and complete the desired task.

That’s It! Let us know if you have any suggestions or queries regarding the article in the comments.