Put the Shut Down button back on your Start Menu

In one of our previous tutorials we where showing how to configure Windows Vista to shutdown when you press the power button of your system case. Since then, many of our visitors also searched for a way to put the shut down button back on their start menu.

In this tutorial we will show you how to do that.

Go to Control Panel and type the word “power” in the search box.

Control Panel

Click on Change power-saving settings. You will see a list of available power plans. Under the active power plan you will find the Change plan settings link. Click on it.

Power Options

Now click on Change advanced power settings.

Power Options

In the Advanced settings window scroll down until you find the Power buttons and lid section. In this section you will find the Start menu power button sub-section. Scroll down the Setting list and select Shut down. When you finished, click the OK button.

Power Options

Now the Shut down button will be back in your Start Menu, just like in Windows XP.

Start Menu button

Related articles:
Changing what the power button does
How to enable AMD Cool’n’Quiet or Intel SpeedStep in Windows Vista
Where did the Shut Down & Log Off buttons go?
Put the Shut Down, Log Off, Restart and Hibernate shortcuts on your desktop

9 thoughts on “Put the Shut Down button back on your Start Menu”

    • Change user
      We searched for a way to change the other button but, until now, we did not find any info.
      If we manage to find out how to do that we will publish the solution on our website.

  1. Can the Lock Button also be changed?
    I want to change the lock button to Sleep … I know it is seemingly impossible, but maybe there’s a registry key that can be altered :/

  2. Shut Down Button in Startup
    Please help!!! This is driving me nuts… My laptop was an ex display model and I have tried to do as suggested above and found the start menu power button but it does not have a settings sub menu. I have set up another account for my daughter and she has shut down button and various other options in her arrow key but I cannot seem to find a way of re-enabling them to my start menu =S

    Any ideas cos i’m rapidly losing the will to live????

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