How to reboot/shutdown Windows 8 without the mouse?

76

20

Nowadays on Windows 7, if I have no mouse on my computer I just press Win Button+->+Enter: enter image description here

This makes my computer shutdown without needing to use a mouse. However, on Windows 8, I need the mouse to open that charms menu on the right side of the screen, open the "Settings" tab -> "Power" -> Then choose for "Shut down", "Sleep" or "Restart":

enter image description here

There is some keyboard shortcut to open these shutdown options on Windows 8 or another other way to do this without a mouse?

Diogo

Posted 2012-04-03T12:04:34.990

Reputation: 28 202

6perhaps set your power settings to have the power button on your machine shutdown the computer when pressed? just a thought. – Andre – 2012-04-03T18:47:57.103

3Not enough reputation to answer, but here it is. Shutdown: Win+X, U, U. Restart: Win+X, U, R. Modify the last letter, based on the displayed submenu, for other functions such as sleep. Simple. – Jordan Morris – 2014-01-05T01:06:20.800

Answers

70

Press Win+D to show the Desktop, then press Alt+F4 to show the shutdown dialog, and finally, press Enter to shut down.

Ry-

Posted 2012-04-03T12:04:34.990

Reputation: 2 116

1This option is tha best... – Leniel Maccaferri – 2012-06-12T08:26:48.003

9+1 Ridiculous, but the best that Win8 can do – Andomar – 2012-08-19T17:40:59.573

1You can create a shortcut "C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe /s /t 0" – Brent Faust – 2012-12-06T05:06:06.477

@Rubistro: It'd be difficult to actually get to the shortcut faster than that, but yeah, it's already been answered :) – Ry- – 2012-12-06T05:18:18.980

Funny that windows considers its desktop "the whole thing". – j riv – 2013-01-25T21:06:43.490

4Unreliable. If you have desktop applications open, you will end up closing them instead. Shutdown: Win+X, U, U. Restart: Win+X, U, R. Modify the last letter, based on the displayed submenu, for other functions such as sleep. – Jordan Morris – 2014-01-05T01:07:15.850

1@Saber: This is to shut down from the desktop, not Modern UI. If you’re in a M. UI window, press Win+D twice. Apart from that, please go ahead and post that as your own answer. =) – Ry- – 2014-01-05T01:52:09.477

59

The easy, Win8-only way: Press Win+i, use the arrow keys to pick Power then enter.

The way that works even on NT 4: You can use the Win+R shortcut to open the "Run" dialogue. Windows has a builtin program, shutdown.exe, which can be used to shutdown (duh), logoff or reboot the computer. shutdown -r -t 0 will immediately start a reboot; shutdown -s -t 0 will immediately start a shutdown. See the output of shutdown /? to know the rest of the options.

Jessidhia

Posted 2012-04-03T12:04:34.990

Reputation: 2 602

I wonder if press Win key then type the shutdown command directly still works? In Windows 7 it works. – Mengdi Gao – 2012-04-03T14:11:57.190

1W8 does not have a start menu, so no it wont work. – Moab – 2012-04-03T14:45:33.797

1@Moab But Windows 8 still accepts input (search programs to match the input) after press Win key. So I think it still works, but I removed my Windows 8 before trying command typing. – Mengdi Gao – 2012-04-04T14:14:06.177

No need to use Win key, just start typing when in the metro Start interface, once you load the desktop all the Win key does is toggle between Desktop and Metro. – Moab – 2012-04-04T15:03:11.030

3The metro interface however can't locate shutdown when you type it there (0 results for Apps, 2 for Settings (just normal powercfg.cpl things), 5 results for files (which is in source code I have locally)). You can, however, input shutdown -r -t 0 in there and it'll work (tested with shutdown -r -t 60 and shutdown -a). – Jessidhia – 2012-04-04T16:51:41.003

21Win + I brings you directly to the settings bar. – Andrea – 2012-04-05T12:08:59.663

1@Moab Wrong. Windows 8 has the start menu. It's just now the start screen. Though, start menu search has been overhauled, as Kovensky said. – Ben Richards – 2012-05-01T19:47:32.933

I use the shutdown -s -f -t 0 technique everyday. Without it, every single XP instance I've owned would refuse to die. – Synesso – 2012-05-01T20:33:45.980

@Moab, it encompasses all the functionality of the old Start Menu, with some tweaks, enhancements, and aesthetic changes. So it is misleading to say it is gone when it's right there. – Ben Richards – 2012-05-01T23:00:06.107

@Moab Besides, the suggestion to press <kbd>Win</kbd> and type shutdown doesn't work because of the change in search behavior. Not because they removed the start menu, which if they really did, it would fail at the very first step. Pressing the <kbd>Win</kbd> button would do something else completely than launch the start menu/screen. – Ben Richards – 2012-05-01T23:03:58.847

@Moab Whether or not you or others like the changes, it still fulfills the same task and behaves more or less the same as the star menu in previous versions of Windows. The Start menu changed drastically from Windows 9x to Windows XP but it was still the start menu. Same from XP to Vista. And the same from 7 to 8. But all this is irrelevant as I already addressed the inaccuracies of your original statement, as I originally intended, anyway. – Ben Richards – 2012-05-02T00:24:39.980

@Moab And I disagree with yours. But the only opinion here is whether you like it or not. What is objective is whether the start screen does the same thing as the old start menu, and behaves at least the same way as the old start menu. In software terms, if that's the case, then it is still the start menu. Just version++. That is not opinion, it is fact. – Ben Richards – 2012-05-03T16:19:37.470

@Moab This argument, should you wish to continue it, should be in chat. I invite you to Root Access if you want to. – Ben Richards – 2012-05-03T19:00:04.180

@sidran32 Oh, now its an argument, lol. – Moab – 2012-05-04T00:27:49.007

3A quicker way is => windows key + D => alt F4 =>enter – user1308743 – 2012-08-13T16:41:42.727

3This answer requires 14 keystrokes just to shut the computer down (11 if you use Win+I). In XP it was 3 keystrokes, in Win7 it was 3 or 4. Win+D, Alt+F4 is too awkward. Is there no easy way to shut down anymore? – Luke – 2012-11-22T21:38:38.713

@Luke: The best answer by far here is to remap the computer’s power button. :) – Ry- – 2013-04-14T14:41:34.610

18

Not exactly a shortcut, but a pretty fast way of doing this with only the keyboard would be to use Win+R, then either shutdown /s /t 0 to shutdown or shutdown /r /t 0 to reboot.

Marcks Thomas

Posted 2012-04-03T12:04:34.990

Reputation: 5 749

This is my favorite method. :-) – Omnifarious – 2012-05-01T19:07:40.530

2It would, but omitting the time flag makes the delay default to 30 seconds. – Marcks Thomas – 2012-08-19T22:55:51.743

18

Set your power settings to have the power button of your computer shut down your PC when pressed.

Tamara Wijsman

Posted 2012-04-03T12:04:34.990

Reputation: 54 163

12

My variation is to create a Metro tile which shuts down the machine, the benefit is you can tab to your tile, then press enter.

Start on the Windows 8 desktop, or in a new folder - anywhere except in the Start Menu folder!

Right-click, New, Shortcut.  Paste the instruction:

C:\windows\system32\shutdown /s /t 20 (remember the space between t and 20)

Name the shortcut after yourself, e.g. Guy's Shutdown, that way you will recognise it easily!

Use Windows Explorer to navigate to the crucial folder:

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

Paste your shortcut.  (In passing you can see it's not possible to create a new shortcut here)

It's reassuring to see your shortcut amongst the other Apps.

Return to the Metro UI start screen - Windows Key is the quickest way.

Tab, or use the arrow keys, to move to your shutdown tile, press enter.

Guy Thomas

Posted 2012-04-03T12:04:34.990

Reputation: 3 160

7

Shutdown: Win+X, U, U.

Restart: Win+X, U, R.

Credit: User saber, from his/her comment on the original question above.

Jon Schneider

Posted 2012-04-03T12:04:34.990

Reputation: 893

6

Ctrl+Alt+Del, Alt+S
Or use Shift+Tab twice and Enter and then use the arrow keys and Enter to choose Shutdown.

Sensi

Posted 2012-04-03T12:04:34.990

Reputation: 69

@Sensi, Wow, how did you know the Alt S shortcut? – Pacerier – 2015-04-26T23:39:40.137

2Choose how exactly? – Der Hochstapler – 2012-10-22T22:58:45.937

5

Options by default

Using the Windows 8 settings bar

Press Win+I, use the arrow keys to pick Power then Enter. Choose Shutdown or Restart then Enter.

(8 steps: Win+I, End, Up, Right, Enter, Up, Up, Enter)

Using the shutdown dialog, and hiding all programs

Pressing Alt+F4 closes most Windows programs. If you hide all programs first with Win+D, and activate the Desktop, Alt+F4 brings up the close Windows dialog. If you are in the Metro interface part of Windows 8, you must press Win+D one more time.

(3 or 4 steps: Win+D[, Win+D], Alt+F4, Enter)

Using the Run dialog

Since Windows XP you can use the Win+R shortcut to open the "Run" dialogue. Windows has a builtin program, shutdown.exe, which can be used to shutdown, logoff or reboot the computer. shutdown -r -t 0 will immediately start a reboot; shutdown -s -t 0 will immediately start a shutdown. See the output of shutdown /? to know the rest of the options. Commands like shutdown.exe -s -t 0 can also be typed or pasted and then executed in the Start screen.

(2 steps if previously and last used command: Win+R, Enter)

Using the Lock screen

You can press Win+L to access the Lock screen. There you can press Shift+Tab to highlight the power button, press Enter and you can select shutdown or reboot with the arrow buttons and then press Enter. You must wait a little before pressing Tab.

(6 steps: Win+L, Shift+Tab, Enter, Up, Up, Enter)

Aron

Posted 2012-04-03T12:04:34.990

Reputation: 75

4

Follow the steps in one of my articles to create your own tile in Windows 8.

  1. Go to %Appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
  2. Right click > New > Shortcut
  3. Enter %windir%\system32\Shutdown.exe -s -t 0 as the location New Shortcut
  4. Give it a name and click Finish Finish
  5. Position the icon where you want it:
    Shutdown Metro

Optional:

  1. Right click on the shortcut and select Properties
  2. Click the Change Icon... button. (There is a power button icon in %SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll Shutdown icon

To add the shortcut to the All Apps group:

  1. In the shortcut properties, go to the Security tab
  2. Add All Application Packages and make sure the Read and Read & execute permissions are enabled

For more information, see http://www.oostdam.info/index.php/sectie-blog/54-windows8/343-windows-8-create-a-shutdown-button

Ben Oostdam

Posted 2012-04-03T12:04:34.990

Reputation: 49

7

Welcome to Super User! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference.

– Canadian Luke – 2012-09-05T17:48:40.533

1Nice answer! I didn't know I could create shortcuts so easily. – Django Reinhardt – 2012-10-28T19:52:51.190

4

This is the source code:

namespace power
{
    static class Program
    {
        [STAThread]
        static void Main()
        {

            DialogResult dialogResult = MessageBox.Show("Are you sure you want to shutdown your computer now?", "Shutdown", MessageBoxButtons.YesNo);
            if (dialogResult == DialogResult.Yes)
            {
                Process.Start("shutdown.exe", "/s /t 0");
            }
        }
    }
}

It's a small program in C# that displays a dialog to confirm if you want to shutdown your PC. Simply pin it to Start!

Simone Urbinati

Posted 2012-04-03T12:04:34.990

Reputation: 59

3More details might help. For one thing what does this program actually do? What's it based off? Could we have a better source link than a filelocker - some folk have issues with them, and if the link goes down, this answer is useless. The password protected rar also makes it harder for people to check the file without unzipping it. – Journeyman Geek – 2012-10-24T01:26:17.147

6Hotfile? No. A password? No. Put it on Sourceforge.net and it might be received better... – Tanner Faulkner – 2012-10-24T01:37:57.823

You could do this really easily with VBScript: https://gist.github.com/3980564 And it'll still let you set a custom icon.

– Ry- – 2012-10-30T14:38:47.040

1Well the link is down already... – Ian Stanway – 2013-02-28T11:46:09.713

3

Removed my consumer preview already so I can't check this.

On all other versions of Windows I just repeatedly press Alt+F4 until all windows are closed and the shutdown menu shows. Then I press Enter

Simon Verbeke

Posted 2012-04-03T12:04:34.990

Reputation: 3 553

3

You can press win+i to directly bring up settings menu, you can do this at desktop or metro screen. Then just click on Power to reboot or shutdown (or use your keyboard's direction key to move the focus to Power and hit Enter). This is probably the fastest path to the power button, without writing your own script.

KoKo

Posted 2012-04-03T12:04:34.990

Reputation: 1 498

2

With Windows 8.1 (or server 2012 R2) you can now right click on the start button or press Win + X and use the shutdown menu:

shutdown menu 8.1

falter

Posted 2012-04-03T12:04:34.990

Reputation: 2 009

This has already been answered: http://superuser.com/a/728695/78897

– Pacerier – 2015-04-26T23:44:02.737