How to quickly shut down Windows 10

It must be a point of pride in Redmond that even after all these years, you still have to click "Start" to shut down your computer.

Granted, the Start button is no longer labeled that way, having evolved into a Windows-logo button back in Vista. But that's still what it's called, and still how Microsoft refers to it. So even in Windows 10, you have to click "Start" to shut down your PC. Then you click Power, and finally Shut Down.

I'll never understand why Microsoft has steadfastly refused to add a one-click Shut Down button to the desktop. Fortunately, there are faster ways to turn off your computer.

Option 1: Reprogram the power button

When you're ready to shut down your PC, why not just press the power button? Why not, indeed! Except that on most computers, that button comes preprogrammed to do something else: put the machine into sleep mode.

To remedy that, click in Windows 10's Search field, type power, and then click Power Options in the search results that appear.

Next, in the list of options on the left, click "Choose what the power buttons do." As you'll see, there are two pull-down menus next to "When I press the power button" -- one each for On Battery and Plugged In (unless you have a desktop, in which case you'll probably see just the latter).