This guide will show you how to hide or unhide the shutdown button in the Start menu’s power options on your Windows 11 PC. This button lets you turn off your computer safely.

The Shutdown button closes all apps and turns off your PC. You usually click it when you’re done working and want to power off your computer.

Using shutdown helps save energy by turning off your PC completely.

By default, Windows 11 shows the shutdown button in the Start menu’s power options. But sometimes, you might want to hide it — for example, if you share your PC and don’t want others to accidentally turn it off.

Or, if you’re the only user and want a cleaner menu, you can remove the shutdown option. Knowing how to do this helps you customize your Windows experience to fit your needs.

How to Show or Hide the Shutdown Option on the Start Menu

Windows lets you turn on or off the shutdown button in the Start menu by changing a setting in the Registry Editor.

Important: Editing the registry can affect your computer. Follow the steps carefully. You may want to back up your registry first.

Steps to Hide or Show the Shutdown Button:

1. Press Win + R on your keyboard to open the Run box.
2. Type regedit and press Enter. If asked by User Account Control, click Yes to allow.
3. In the Registry Editor window, use the left sidebar to go to this folder path:
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\Start
   
4. Look for a folder (key) named HideShutDown. If you don’t see it:
   • Right-click on the Start folder.
   • Choose New > Key.
   • Name the new key HideShutDown.
5. Click the HideShutDown folder to select it.
6. In the right side pane, right-click on an empty space and choose New > String Value.
7. Name this new value value.
8. Double-click the value you created to edit it.
9. In the box labeled Value data, enter:
   • 0 to show (unhide) the shutdown button.
   • 1 to hide the shutdown button.
10. Click OK to save.
11. Close the Registry Editor and restart your PC for the change to take effect.

Summary

• You can hide or unhide the shutdown button on the Start menu by changing a simple registry setting.
• Hiding shutdown can stop others from accidentally turning off your PC if you share it.
• Showing shutdown keeps the usual option to turn off your PC quickly.
• Always be careful when editing the registry, and back it up before making changes.

If you want official info from Microsoft, check out their page here: Microsoft HideShutdown Policy