How to shut down a computer

How to shut down a computer Shutting down a computer allows the computer to close all open programs and exit the operating system, so nothing is running when the computer turns off. Below are the steps on how you can shut down your computer based off the operating system you are running on the computer. If you are not sure what operating system you are using see our steps on determining a computer operating system . Note: If computer is frozen, see our what to do when computer freezes document for steps on shutting down a frozen computer. Windows 10 Windows 8 and 8.1 Windows Vista and Windows 7 Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT, ME, 2000, and XP MS-DOS and Windows command line Shut down in a Chromebook Apple Mac OS Linux Shut down in Windows 10 1. Press the Windows key on the keyboard or click the Start button , 2. Click the Power option and click Shut down . or Press Ctrl + Alt + Del and click the power button in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. or From the Windows Desktop , press Alt + F4 to get the Shut Down Windows screen shown below. Tip: If you have no mouse, while in the Shut Down window use the Tab key and arrow keys to switch between fields and when selected use the Enter key or the spacebar to select what is highlighted.