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This secret trick is the fastest way to shut down your Windows PC

Published May 6th, 2015 12:50PM EDT
How To Shut Down Windows
Image: Microsoft

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The procedure for shutting down a Windows computer varies depending on which version of the operating system you use. Regardless of OS version, however, one thing is true across the board: Shutting machines down is more complicated than it should be, and it takes longer than it should take.

Holding down the power button is a quicker option, but believe it or not, there’s actually a secret trick that will shut your system down even faster.

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As detailed by gHacks in a recent post, using the power button to shut down your system is a bad idea because problems can arise with open programs, the file system or even the Windows operating system if errors occur.

Instead, the site offers a great little trick that will take a couple of minutes to set up, but once you do it you’ll have a new way to shut your Windows PC down almost instantly. It allows you to create a shortcut to force a near-instant shutdown that won’t even wait for programs to close.

The process involves four simple steps, as detailed by gHacks:

  1. Right-click on a free location on the desktop and select New > Shortcut.
  2. In the location field, type the following command:  %windir%\system32\shutdown.exe -s -t 0
  3. Click Next to continue.
  4. Name the shortcut or keep the name. This is the icon description that appears underneath the shortcut on the desktop.

Now, when you click the new shortcut, your machine will shut down almost instantly. There are some additional tips that will let you customize this trick in a few different ways, and you’ll find all the details by following the link down in our source section.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.