How to fix computer shutdown problems if Windows doesn’t shut down right away or takes a long time
Usually, however, Windows takes a short time to shut down, just a few seconds of loading, unless there is some impediment or error. If the shutdown problem occurs frequently, we have collected all the best tricks in this guide make Windows shut down quickly and about what we can do if Windows takes too long to shut down.
READ ALSO -> All the ways to shut down Windows
1) Software problems
Running programs are the most common cause of computer shutdown problems. In this case the PC, when the stop button is pressed, remains stuck on a screen with the following message: “a program has yet to be closed” and two buttons to stop anyway or wait.
If you shut down your PC anyway you will lose your saves for that program which however, in most cases, is a process that doesn’t need to save anything. To solve the problem and avoid the trouble of pressing the confirmation shutdown every time, you need to locate that program and update it or uninstall and reinstall it if you really need to.
Sometimes the block depends on the .NET Framework platform: given the importance of this platform on the PC, it is worthwhile uninstall and install .NET Framework), so that it is fully functional again.
If, on the other hand, the problem concerns a file or a system process, the solution can come from the command sfc extensionable to restore corrupted windows files; if this command doesn’t solve the problem we can try it too DISMas seen in the guide on how to fix windows system files with DISM.
2) Problems with Fast Startup or hibernation
Windows Fast Startup and hibernation can interfere with the shutdown processlengthening the times and making everything very frustrating, especially if we are in a hurry and don’t want to leave the PC “suspended” in an attempt to shut down correctly.
The advice in this case is to disable the PC Quick Start, shut down the computer normally (it will certainly take less time), restart the PC (here the startup will certainly be longer than expected) and finally activate Quick Start againas seen in our guide on how to enable or disable Fast Startup in Windows 10 and 11.
If this advice does not solve the problems we can try to completely shut down the PC without hibernationdeactivate the hibernation function and try to shut down the computer, testing the correct execution of the shutdown phase several times.
To turn off and activate hibernation, we refer you to reading our article on how to manage hibernation in windows 10 and 11.
3) Problems with drivers
A possible cause of failure in Windows can be related to hardware driverswhich could interfere with Windows power saving modes and prevent it from shutting down properly.
In another article we have seen how to update driversbut on the latest versions of Windows, driver updating is automatic thanks to the Windows Update service and you don’t need additional programs to always get the most stable drivers.
If the drivers were updated to the latest version and we still notice the problem with turning it off, the advice is to try turning off the computer after disconnecting all external USB devices (such as the printer), to see if the problem recurs.
To learn more we can read our guides on how to remove and uninstall hidden drivers or old peripherals come on how to download updated drivers to install safely.
4) Problems with Windows Update
In several cases Windows shutdown is slow because the procedure for installing updates; this usually happens once a week and cannot be avoided. But if there is the same update that tries to install every day (failing), then there is a problem that needs to be fixed somehow.
For problems related to Windows Update, we suggest you read our guides on how to fix windows update errors come on how to uninstall windows updates if they cause errors.
5) Disk or SSD problems
If your computer shuts down slowly for no apparent reason the problem could be with you a slow and buggy internal drivebe it a mechanical disk or a modern SSD.
In this case we can check the integrity of the internal disks using the scandisk, which checks the disk for errors.
To use the scandisk effectively we open File Explorer from Start, let’s go to This PCright click on the disk where Windows is installed, press on Propertywe open the tab Instruments and finally press on Check it out (under section Error checking).
If the disk is damaged, very old and full of errors, it is certainly advisable to replace it with a new one because it is not repairable and there is a risk that after a short time it will no longer work and you will end up losing all your data.
To choose new performing discs we can rely on our guides on how to mount an ssd instead of a hard drive on a laptop come on how to buy a new disk for pc.
Conclusions
A PC that doesn’t shut down quickly may not always be a source of trouble: a system update or a program left active in memory could slow down the processbut in most cases the PC will shut down within 10-15 minutes.
If the shutdown error happens oftenshutting down takes a long time or we notice other errors appearing it is worth investigating the drivers, active processes and possibly damaged system files, using the advice set out above to speed up the shutdown of any computer.
In another article we have seen how make Windows shutdown as fast as possible.
