How to speed up slow shutdown on a Windows computer?

“Believe in yourself, take on your challenges,

dig deep within yourself to conquer fears.

Never let anyone bring you down.

You got to keep going.”

– Chantal Sutherland

Windows 10 was built to run even on low-performance computers. If you are experiencing slow performance, lags, crashes and other problems, it becomes frustrating. In the article, we are going to talk about how to speed up the shutdown process in Windows 10.

Why is it important to have faster shutdowns?

The shutdown process is when the PC is preparing to turn off completely. So, it must close all running processes and apps. This is actually what takes up time during a shutdown process. Some users are impatient and turn to forcing the shutdown process by pressing the power button for 5 seconds. This can be dangerous because it can crash the process or app that your computer is trying to close. If the process is vital for the normal functioning of your PC, then you will start experiencing errors. The most common error users get from not shutting down their computer correctly is the Blue Screen of Death. Having a faster shutdown time will not only save you time to do something else if you are in a hurry, but also prevent you from performing a forced shutdown.

If you have been searching for ways how to make Windows shutdown faster in Windows 10, then this is your last stop. We will provide you with all the solutions you can use to shorten your shutdown time. Make sure you go through all the solutions. Also, it is important to create a backup of all your important files and folders, since we will be making changes to the Windows registry. This is important because a simple mistake in the registry can cause permanent damage to your system.

Table of Contents

• Edit the WaitToKillServiceTimeout value
• Run the Power-Troubleshooter
• Create a shutdown shortcut

Solution 1. Edit the WaitToKillServiceTimeout value.

• Press the Windows logo key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
• Input regedit in the search area and press Enter. This will open the Registry Editor.
• While in the Registry Editor, navigate to the following location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control
• Now, go to the right-side panel and double-click on WaitToKillServiceTimeout to open it.
• Go to the Value Data field and change the value from 5000 to 1000. Note that this value indicates the time required by Windows to close an app that has not yet been closed.
• Click on OK to confirm the changes you have made.
• Now, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
• Go to the right-side panel and create two keys. Name the first one HungAppTimeout and the second one WaitToKillAppTimeout.
• Now, double-click on HungAppTimeout, go to Value data field and decrease the value here. Note that decreasing the value drastically may cause the app to shut down improperly and it may fail to properly save your changes. So, to be on the safe side, save your changes before trying to shut down your computer after you have used this solution.
• Do the same for WaitToKillAppTimeout, but you should not decrease the value below 1000ms.
• Close your registry and reboot your PC. You will notice that your shutdown time has decreased.

Solution 2. Run the Power-Troubleshooter.

Incorrect or incompatible power settings may be the reason you are experiencing longer shutdowns. You can easily fix this problem by running the Power troubleshooter. Use the following steps to run the Power Troubleshooter:

• Press the Windows logo key + I to open the Settings app.
• Click Update and Security from the list of available options.
• Navigate to the Troubleshoot tab. Scroll down and click Power, then click Run the troubleshooter.
• Windows will now find and fix issues related to your Power settings.

Solution 3. Create a shutdown shortcut

Creating a shutdown shortcut can help you decrease the shutdown time of your PC. To do this, right-click on your desktop and go to New > Shortcut. This will open the Create Shortcut dialog box. Input Shutdown.exe -s -t 00 and press Enter. This shortcut will immediately shut down your computer.

Recommendation: if your PC is experiencing lags and crashes, and have a slow response time, we recommend you download and install Auslogics BoostSpeed. This tool will clear your PC of all those problems. Your computer will be performing at its peak and you will notice the difference. It is simple and easy to use.

We hope this article has helped solve the slow shutdown problem on your computer. Share it with others who are experiencing similar issuesa to help them, too!

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