Lock, Log off, Restart, Shut Down, Switch User - Windows 8

How to Lock, Hibernate, Restart, Shut Down, Sign out, Sleep, and Switch User in Windows 8 and 8.1


information   Information
This tutorial will show you the different ways to Hibernate, Lock, Restart, Sign out (Log off), Shut Down, and Switch User in Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1.

Note   Note
The Windows 8.1 Update released on April 8th 2014 via Windows Update, adds a Power button on the Start screen, and to "Shut down or Sign out" in the WIN+X power user tasks menu.





OPTION ONE

From User Details on Your Start Screen


1. While on your Start screen, click/tap on either your user name or picture tile to select the Lock, Sign out (Log off), or switch user option. (see screenshot below)​
NOTE:If you are not in the Start screen as below, you can press the Windows key CTRL+ESC keys or to go to it. A user to switch to will not be available unless you have already added the user account.​
user.jpg

OR
2. While on your Start screen in Windows 8.1 Update, click/tap on the Power button at the top right to select to Sleep, Hibernate, Shut down or Restart. (see screenshot below)
Windows_8.1_Update_Start_Screen_Power_Button.jpg









OPTION TWO

From CTRL+ALT+DEL Screen


1. Press the CTRL+ALT+DEL keys. From here you can select to Lock, Switch user, Sign out (Log off), or you could click/tap on the power button at the bottom right corner to select to Sleep, Hibernate, Shut down or Restart.
CTRL+ALT+DEL.jpg







OPTION THREE

From "Shut Down Windows" Dialog Box


1. While on the Desktop (Windows+D), press the ALT+F4 keys. From here, you can select to Switch user, Sign out (Log off), Sleep, Hibernate, Shut down, or Restart.​
NOTE: This can only be done from on the desktop. It will not work on the Start screen. To add or remove Sleep and/or Hibernate, see: How to Add or Remove "Sleep" or "Hibernate" from the Power Options Menu in Windows 8
ALT+F4.jpg






OPTION FOUR

From "Power" Menu in Settings Charm


1. Open the Charms bar, and click/tap on Settings.​
NOTE: You could also just press the Windows+I keys to open Settings in step 2 below.
Settings-1.jpg
2. Click/tap on the Power button at the bottom right corner in the Settings slide out menu. From here, you can select to Sleep, Hibernate, Shut down or Restart.​
Power.jpg







OPTION FIVE

From Sign in Screen



1. Click/tap on the Power button at the bottom right corner in the Settings slide out menu. From here, you can select to Sleep, Hibernate, Shut down or Restart.



Sign_in-1.jpg


Sign_in-2.jpg







OPTION SIX

From Task Manager



1. Open Task Manager, and click/tap on More details.


2. Click/tap on the Users tab. From here, you can select a signed in user to Sign out or Switch user. (see screenshot below)


NOTE: You must have more than one user signed in for Switch user to be available.

Task_Manager.jpg

3. When finished, you can close Task Manager.







OPTION SEVEN

From Win+X Power Users Tasks Menu in Windows 8.1



1. Open the Win+X Power Users Tasks menu, and click on Shut down or press the U key to expand Shut down. (see screenshot below)


2. From here, you can select to Sign out, Sleep, Hibernate, Shut down or Restart Windows 8.1.


Note   Note

Note   Note



If you shut down from the WIN+X menu in Windows 8.1, it will perform a full shut down even if you have Fast Startup turned on.



(Windows 8.1)


Win+X.jpg


(Windows 8.1 Update)


Windows_8.1_Update_Power_Menu.jpg



That's it,
Shawn



Related Tutorials

 

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Last edited by a moderator:
Thank you for that, Brink. Can I add another couple?
In Control Panel/Power Options, you can set what the Power Buttons do, Sleep/Hibernate/Shutdown (as you always could). What I have only recently learned is that a quick tap on a modern soft touch power button will start the process just the same as all the other ways.
I also use a desktop gadget for Restarting. There are a few that look the same as this but do not have a protective screen over the buttons to prevent accidental use.
ScreenHunter_05Sep210955.gif

Cheers
 

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Hello Rob,

Sure you can. The more ways shown that are included in Windows 8 the better. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
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    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
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    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
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    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
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    2560x1440
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    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
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    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
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    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
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    Thermaltake Core P3
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    Corsair Hydro H115i
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    Logitech wireless K800
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    Logitech MX Master 3
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    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
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    Internet Explorer 11
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    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
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    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    Intel I5-2500K @3.3GHz
    Motherboard
    Asrock P67 Extreme4
    Memory
    16GB G.Skill Ripjaws X (4x4GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 750 Ti SC 2GB
    Sound Card
    ASUS Xonar DG 5.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card
    Monitor(s) Displays
    auria eq2367
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD
    1TB WD Blue
    1TB Hitachi
    PSU
    SeaSonic X 650W 80 Plus Gold
    Case
    Corsair Obsidian 750D
    Cooling
    Corsair H60, Three 140mm case fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless Keyboard K520
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless Mouse M310
    Internet Speed
    Wave Broadband ~ 100 dn 5 up
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender, Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Laptop specs: HP g7-1365dx /
    CPU: AMD A6-3420M APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics /
    RAM: Crucial 8Gb (2x4Gb) /
    SSD: Crucial M4-CT128M4SSD2 ATA Device/ FW 000F /
    GFX: AMD Radeon HD 6520G /
    OS: Windows 10 Pro x64
Thank you Derek. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    Intel I5-2500K @3.3GHz
    Motherboard
    Asrock P67 Extreme4
    Memory
    16GB G.Skill Ripjaws X (4x4GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 750 Ti SC 2GB
    Sound Card
    ASUS Xonar DG 5.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card
    Monitor(s) Displays
    auria eq2367
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD
    1TB WD Blue
    1TB Hitachi
    PSU
    SeaSonic X 650W 80 Plus Gold
    Case
    Corsair Obsidian 750D
    Cooling
    Corsair H60, Three 140mm case fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless Keyboard K520
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless Mouse M310
    Internet Speed
    Wave Broadband ~ 100 dn 5 up
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender, Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Laptop specs: HP g7-1365dx /
    CPU: AMD A6-3420M APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics /
    RAM: Crucial 8Gb (2x4Gb) /
    SSD: Crucial M4-CT128M4SSD2 ATA Device/ FW 000F /
    GFX: AMD Radeon HD 6520G /
    OS: Windows 10 Pro x64
Check in your Control Panel/Power Options, press the keyboard SLEEP button (if available), I use a handy little desktop gadget -
Windows Live Gallery
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8x64 - Win 7x64, Win7x32
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ME. Due for upgrade.
    CPU
    Pentium D 925 Presler (old) Want i5 2500
    Motherboard
    MSI G41TM-P33 El cheapo. Want AsRock Z68
    Memory
    2GB DDR2 667 (Have pkt of 2x4GB DDR3 PC1600)
    Graphics Card(s)
    GT240
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio chip
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus MW221u - Samsung Smart TV 40" LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Win 8x64 50GB (Partition)
    Win 7x32 500GB
    Win 7x64 320GB
    2 x 1TB Ext USB WD
    PSU
    Corsair VX450
    Case
    Asus Vento
    Cooling
    Multi fan
    Keyboard
    HP
    Mouse
    MS Wireless Mobile 1000
    Internet Speed
    16 Mb/s down, 128 KBs up. ADSL
    Other Info
    Laptops:
    Pavilion 1216AX dual core, 2GB DDR2 667
    Compaq CQ62 404ax, Triple core AMD, 8GB DDR3
    All systems plus PS3 used for Folding@Home Team 38444
very helpful tutorial..thanks.
 

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    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek HD
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Batch files on the desktop/folder also work. If a folder was made somewhere with batch files, you could point a toolbar to that folder. Then you could create your own custom log off, restart, etc. toolbar. Now that I think about it, you could add any batch file to the toolbar for that matter.

Some batch (.bat) file or cmd commands:

for a list of different shutdown options type "shutdown" into command prompt (without quotes). Here are some examples for a batch file (.bat):

shutdown -l = logoff (note "l​" is a lowercase "L")
shutdown -s = shutdown
shutdown -r = restart
shutdown -a = aborts running shutdown
shutdown -t 10 = shuts down in 10 seconds (10 can be changed to any number)
shutdown -f = force close all applications and shut down
shutdown -c "text" = shutdown with comment where text is the comment (with quotes)

Note: command prompt might list a backslash instead of a hyphen then a letter as an option (when "shutdown" is typed) but the hyphen works.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 & XP

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Pinning to Start Screen is an option

I've chosen to Pin them onto the Metro Start Screen.

I created the shortcuts per the links in this thread [THANKS!] and then
moved them from my Desktop into my Start Menu folder and they appeared
on the Metro Start Screen.

c:\Users\Windunce\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Shutdown.lnk
etc etc etc

Pinned.png
 

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System One

  • OS
    Win7-8 Dual Boot on a Commodore 64
Looks great.

:thumbsup:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Thanks!

I'm not sure that will be their final resting place.
Tomorrow we all start with a clean slate anyway.
The assumption is that we're all ready for consumption.

Consumer Preview here we come.

I'm loading up my thumb drive with most all the tweaks, files
and folders that I've customized over the last months.

Getting ready to plop them into the new install.

Fun Fun Fun
Windunce
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7-8 Dual Boot on a Commodore 64
Updated for Windows 8 Consumer Preview.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    Intel I5-2500K @3.3GHz
    Motherboard
    Asrock P67 Extreme4
    Memory
    16GB G.Skill Ripjaws X (4x4GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 750 Ti SC 2GB
    Sound Card
    ASUS Xonar DG 5.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card
    Monitor(s) Displays
    auria eq2367
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD
    1TB WD Blue
    1TB Hitachi
    PSU
    SeaSonic X 650W 80 Plus Gold
    Case
    Corsair Obsidian 750D
    Cooling
    Corsair H60, Three 140mm case fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless Keyboard K520
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless Mouse M310
    Internet Speed
    Wave Broadband ~ 100 dn 5 up
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender, Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Laptop specs: HP g7-1365dx /
    CPU: AMD A6-3420M APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics /
    RAM: Crucial 8Gb (2x4Gb) /
    SSD: Crucial M4-CT128M4SSD2 ATA Device/ FW 000F /
    GFX: AMD Radeon HD 6520G /
    OS: Windows 10 Pro x64
Derek, from where do these last 2 items in the context menu come from. I don't have those.

I use the easy method. When I want to shut down, I shut the vBox down. I find it terrible that we need a tutorial (thank you Shawn) to shut the system down. Where is the progress.
 

My Computer

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  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
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