How to Create a Shutdown Icon in Windows 10

 

While Windows 10 has a built-in shutdown option accessible from the Start menu, it can sometimes be inconvenient to navigate through menus to shutdown your PC. A faster option is to create a desktop shortcut or taskbar icon that directly initiates shutdown. Here are the simple steps:

Right click on your desktop background and select "New" then "Shortcut".

For the location of the item, type or copy-paste:

shutdown.exe -s -t 0

Click "Next" and name the shortcut something like "Shutdown".

You can now find the new Shutdown shortcut icon on your desktop.

To add it to the taskbar:

Right click the shortcut and select "Pin to taskbar".

Now when you click the shortcut icon, your PC will immediately initiate the shutdown sequence without any confirmation prompts.

For a restart shortcut, use:

shutdown.exe -r -t 0

You can also create a "Log Off" shortcut using:

shutdown.exe -l

Creating desktop or taskbar shutdown shortcuts is an easy way to quickly power off or restart your PC without digging through menus. Just be careful not to accidentally trigger shutdown!