Windows 7: shutdown button disappeared - what to do?

In this practical tip, we will show you how you can use the shutdown button under Windows 7 when it has disappeared.

Shutdown button disappeared on Windows 7

If the shutdown button has disappeared under Windows 7, this can have various causes. To restore the button, follow the steps below.

1. Use the Windows key to open the Start menu and right-click the button that you used to shutdown your PC. Choose "Properties".
2. Verify that you can choose Shutdown under Standard Exit. If so, set "Shutdown" as the standard function and confirm with "OK".
3. If this doesn't solve the problem, press the Windows key again and enter "gpedit.msc" in the search field. Confirm with "OK" and navigate under "User configuration" to "Administrative templates" and select "Start menu and task bar".
4. Select "Remove Shutdown Command and Prevent Access To It" and "Disabled".
5. Another option is to edit the corresponding registry entry. To do this, enter the command "regedit" in the search field in the start menu and navigate to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer".
6. Set the value for "NoClose" to 0.
7. If the shutdown button is still not available, check whether you can shutdown your system using the "Ctrl + Alt + Del" key combination using the button at the bottom right of the screen.
8. If that doesn't work either, the cause of the problem is malware or a virus. You should therefore check your PC for malicious files. For example, use the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware program.

If your PC shuts down again but gets stuck, you will find tips for solving the problem in the next practical tip.