The right way to turn off your computer

Shutting down your computer is not the same as putting it to sleep or closing the lid. A proper shutdown closes all running programs, saves your work, and powers down the machine completely. On Windows, click the Start menu, select the power icon, and choose "Shut down." On Mac, click the Apple menu, select "Shut Down," and confirm. On Linux, the method varies by desktop environment, but usually involves clicking a power icon in the system menu or using the terminal command shutdown -h now.

The shutdown process takes a minute or two. Your computer will close open applications, write any unsaved data to disk, and then power off. You will see a black screen when it is finished. Do not force the power button off during this time—let the shutdown complete on its own.

Key Takeaways

  • Use the Start menu (Windows), Apple menu (Mac), or system menu (Linux) to shut down, rather than holding the power button.
  • Save your work before shutting down, because some programs may not save automatically when closing.
  • Wait for the shutdown process to finish and the screen to go black before unplugging or moving the computer.
  • Restarting your computer clears temporary files and can fix minor performance problems, and is different from shutting down.
  • Sleep mode and shutdown are not the same—sleep uses less power but keeps the computer ready to wake when ready.

Saving your work before shutdown

Before you shut down, save any open documents or files you are working on. Most programs will prompt you to save if you try to close them with unsaved changes, but it is safer to save manually first. Use Ctrl+S (Windows and Linux) or Command+S (Mac) in the program you are using.

If you have multiple programs open, go through each one and save. Close your web browser tabs if you have many open, because some browsers will try to restore all of them when you restart, which can slow down startup. Close email and messaging programs so they do not try to sync when the computer powers back on.

Windows shutdown steps

On Windows 10 or Windows 11, click the Start button in the lower left corner. A menu will open. Look for the power icon (it looks like a circle with a line at the top) in the lower left of the Start menu. Click it.

A small menu will appear with three options: Sleep, Shut down, and Restart. Click "Shut down." The screen will go dark, and you will hear the fan stop. The computer is now off. This usually takes 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on how many programs were running.

Mac shutdown steps

On any Mac, click the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen. A dropdown menu will appear. Select "Shut Down." A dialog box will ask you to confirm—click "Shut Down" again. The Mac will close all open programs and power off. The screen will go black when it is finished.

If you have unsaved work, the Mac will ask whether you want to save before closing each program. You can choose to save or discard changes for each one. After all programs close, the shutdown completes and the machine powers off.

Linux shutdown steps

On Linux, the shutdown method depends on which desktop environment you are using. In GNOME (used by Ubuntu and many other distributions), click the system menu in the top right corner, then click the power icon and select "Power Off." In KDE Plasma, click the process menu, select "Leave," and choose "Shut Down."

If you are comfortable using the terminal, you can also type shutdown -h now and press Enter. This will shut down the computer when ready. The -h flag means "halt" (power off), and now means do it right away. If you want to shut down in 5 minutes instead, type shutdown -h +5.

The difference between shutdown, restart, and sleep

Shutdown powers off the computer completely. It uses no electricity (except a tiny amount to keep the clock running). When you turn it back on, it takes longer to start because the operating system has to load from scratch.

Restart shuts down and then when ready powers back on. Use restart when you install updates, when a program is not working correctly, or when the computer feels slow. Restarting clears temporary files and resets running programs.

Sleep mode (also called suspend or standby) keeps the computer powered on but uses very little electricity. The screen goes dark and the hard drive stops, but the computer stays ready to wake up when ready when you press a key or move the mouse. Sleep is useful if you are stepping away for a short time and want to avoid the startup delay.

What to do if your computer will not shut down

If you click Shut Down and nothing happens, a program may be preventing the shutdown. Wait 30 seconds to see if a dialog box appears asking you to save work or close a program. If one does, click the button to allow shutdown to continue.

If the screen stays on and nothing changes after a minute, you can force the shutdown by holding the power button for 10 seconds. The computer will power off when ready. This is not ideal because it does not give programs a chance to save, but it will work if the normal shutdown is stuck. After a forced shutdown, restart the computer normally and check for any error messages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it bad to force shut down by holding the power button?

Forcing a shutdown should only be done when the computer is completely unresponsive. It skips the normal shutdown process, which means open files may not save and the hard drive may not finish writing data. Do this only as a last resort. After a forced shutdown, restart normally and check for errors.

Should I shut down or put my computer to sleep at night?

If you will not use the computer for more than a few hours, shut it down. Shutdown uses almost no power and is better for the computer long-term. If you will be away for only an hour or two, sleep mode is fine. Sleep uses a small amount of power but lets you resume when ready.

Does shutting down hurt my computer?

No. Shutting down properly is normal and healthy. Computers are designed to be shut down and restarted regularly. In fact, restarting clears temporary files and can improve performance. The only thing to avoid is forcing a shutdown by holding the power button when the computer is working normally.

What happens if I unplug the computer instead of shutting it down?

Unplugging without shutting down is like a forced shutdown. Open files may not save, and the operating system does not get a chance to close programs cleanly. This can occasionally cause file corruption or errors. Always use the proper shutdown method through the operating system menu.

Can I shut down a Mac by closing the lid?

No. Closing the lid puts a Mac to sleep, not shut down. To shut down, use the Apple menu and select "Shut Down." You can set the Mac to shut down after a period of inactivity in System Settings, but closing the lid alone will not power it off.