Working with Windows 11/10 is getting pretty simple these days, thanks to the tricks and tweaks available. All of us have seen that with every new major release, Windows OS is evolving. But what we miss the most is the basic tweaks we used to do when Windows XP was at its peak. This article will show you how to change the default Shutdown options in the Alt+F4 Dialog box in Windows 11/10.
What is Alt+F4 used for shutdown?
Alt+F4 shortcut is one of the most used shortcuts in the Windows environment. You can use a Windows 11/10 PC without using the mouse if you know the shortcuts that we can use on the keyboard. These shortcuts are easy to use and make our work faster too. While using Alt+F4, a dialog box opens up with Restart (or any other) as a pre-selected option. Today we will see how to change it to Shutdown as a default.
Change default Shutdown options in Alt+F4 Dialog box in Windows 11/10
It doesn’t matter if there are many other ways of shutting down the system, Alt+F4 remains everyone’s favorite. To change the default shutdown options in the Alt+F4 dialog box in Windows 11/10, you can use the following methods.
- Using Windows Registry
- Using Local Group Policy
Let’s get into the details of each method.
1] Using Windows Registry
Please keep in mind that changes in a Windows Registry affect the entire PC. So do not change anything that we do not recommend in the guide. It is recommended to back up the registry before you get into the changes. To get started with changing the default Alt+F4 options,
Press Win + R keys to open the Run command box. Type regedit and hit Enter.
Navigate to the following path in the registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
Right-click on the Advanced registry tree and click on New. Now, select DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Name it as Start_PowerButtonAction. It will control the default action in the Shut Down dialog box.
Double-click on the newly created Dword string.
Now enter the Value data as 2 to make “Shut down” as the default action. Select Base as Decimal and press OK.
To make any other option as default, you can use:
- 4 to make Restart the default action
- 256 to make Switch user the default action
- 1 to make Sign out the default action
- 16 to make Sleep the default action
- 64 to make Hibernate the default action.
Note: You can make Sleep and Hibernate available in the Control Panel.
Keep in mind that you can perform this method as an admin for every user of the system. To make it available to a particular user, it is done by logging in as that user and applying the above method.
Also read: Alt + F4 not working on Windows 11
2] Using Local Group Policy
You can use this method for all sorts of groups like all users, users except admin, etc. But, you must sign in as an administrator to use this method.
Open the Start menu and type edit group policy.
Click on the application to open it.
On the left panel, enlarge the Administrative Templates tree in the User Configuration section.
Now select Start Menu and Taskbar.
In the Setting window double-click on Change Start Menu power button.
Click on Enabled and choose Shut Down from the dropdown list in the Options window.
Click on Apply and then click on OK.
Make sure to restart your system for these changes to take place effectively.
I hope this helps to change the ALt+F4 dialog box’s default action on your Windows 11/10 PC.
Also read: How to create a shortcut to open Shut Down Dialog Box (Alt+F4)
How to change the default Alt+F4 shut down in Windows 11?
You can change the default Alt+F4 options to shut down in Windows 11/10 easily using the Registry Editor or the Local Group Policy based on your Windows version. It can be done in simple ways that do not need any complicated steps to do so. Follow the steps mentioned in the guide above to make the changes.
Related read: How to create Slide To Shutdown shortcut in Windows.
