How to Turn On or Off AutoEndTasks in Windows 11

What Happens When AutoEndTasks Is On or Off?

• AutoEndTasks ON (set to 1): Windows will close open apps automatically when shutting down or restarting, without asking.
• AutoEndTasks OFF (set to 0): Windows will wait for you to close apps or choose to force close them before shutting down.

How to Turn AutoEndTasks On or Off (Step-by-Step)

You can turn AutoEndTasks Windows 11 on or off by editing the Windows Registry to control how your computer handles frozen apps during shutdown. Press the Win plus R, type regedit, press Enter, and go to 🗝️HKEY_USERScopy\.DEFAULT to change the AutoEndTasks value to 1 for on or 0 for off.

1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
   
2. In Registry Editor, navigate to this folder path:
   

   HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop

3. If you do not see the folder named Desktop under Control Panel, you need to create it:

   • Right-click on 🖱️ Control Panel, select New › Key, and name it Desktop.
4. Now, select the Desktop folder. On the right side, right-click on 🖱️ an empty space and select New › String Value.
   
5. Name the new string value AutoEndTasks.
   
6. Double-click on AutoEndTasks and set the Value data:

   • Type 1 to turn ON AutoEndTasks (Windows will close apps automatically).
   • Type 0 to turn OFF AutoEndTasks (Windows will ask before closing apps).
   • Or you can delete this string value to keep Windows default behavior.
7. 
   Click OK to save.
   
8. Close Registry Editor and restart your 🔄 computer to apply changes.
   

Apply AutoEndTasks Setting for Only Your User Account

If you want to change AutoEndTasks only for your user account (not all users), follow the same steps but go to this folder path instead:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

Then create or edit the AutoEndTasks string value the same way.

What the AutoEndTasks Prompt Looks Like

If AutoEndTasks is off, when you try to shut down with open apps, Windows will show a message like this:

Summary

• AutoEndTasks controls whether Windows closes apps automatically during shutdown or restart.
• You can change this setting by editing the Windows Registry.
• Turning it on makes your computer shut down faster but may close apps without saving.
• Turning it off means Windows will ask you before closing apps, helping you avoid losing data.
• Make sure to back up your registry before making changes.

AutoEndTasks Windows 11 determines whether your computer forces stubborn apps to close during shutdown or restart. Turning this feature on speeds up shutdowns, while turning it off keeps your data safe by prompting you to save work in open apps before the system turns off.