How to Hide ONLY the Shutdown Button in Windows Start Menu (Without Removing Restart or Sleep) – 2025 Guide

Table of Contents

Windows Start Menu – Shutdown hidden, but Restart and Sleep still visible

If you’ve ever used the built-in Group Policy to remove the Shutdown button, you know the problem:

Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Start Menu and Taskbar → “Remove and prevent access to the Shut Down, Restart, Sleep, and Hibernate commands”

When enabled, all power options disappear — including Restart and Sleep. That’s overkill for most use cases.

But what if you want to:

Prevent accidental shutdowns
Keep Restart and Sleep available
Apply it via GPO in enterprise environments?

You’re in the right place.

The Magic Registry Key: Hide Only Shutdown

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\Start\HideShutDown
Value Name: value
Type: REG_DWORD
Data: 1

Set to 1 → Shutdown hidden
Set to 0 → Shutdown visible again

This key is officially supported in Windows 10 (1809+) and Windows 11 (all versions, including 24H2 as of November 2025).
Important: The HideShutDown key and the value DWORD already exist by default on modern Windows systems. You only need to modify the existing value to 1 — no need to create anything.

Method 1: Manual Registry Edit Single PC

Best for: Home users, testing, or one-off machines

Requires: Admin rights

Press Win + R, type regedit, press Enter
Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\Start\HideShutDown
In the right pane, double-click the existing value (REG_DWORD)
Set Value data: 1 → Click OK
Restart Explorer or log out/in

Done! Open Start → Power menu → Shutdown is gone, but Restart and Sleep remain.

Pro Tip: Use Task Manager → End explorer.exe → Run explorer.exe to apply instantly.

Method 2: Deploy via Group Policy (GPO) Enterprise Ready

Best for: Domain-joined PCs, kiosks, labs, schools

Open Group Policy Management (gpmc.msc)
Create or edit a GPO linked to your target OU
Go to:
Computer Configuration → Preferences → Windows Settings → Registry
Right-click → New → Registry Item

Field	Value
Action	Update
Hive	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key Path	`SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\Start\HideShutDown`
Value name	`value`
Value type	REG_DWORD
Value data	`1`

Apply GPO → Run gpupdate /force on clients

Result: Shutdown hidden domain-wide, no impact on Restart/Sleep.

Bonus: PowerShell One-Liner Automation

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\Start\HideShutDown" -Name "value" -Value 1 -Type REG_DWord -Force

Run as Administrator. Only modifies the existing value — no creation needed. Perfect for SCCM, Intune, or login scripts.

Common Questions (FAQ)

Do I need to create the key or value?

No. Both HideShutDown and the value DWORD already exist by default on Windows 10/11. Just change value to 1.

Will this break Windows Updates?

No. This is a supported PolicyManager key. Used by Microsoft in education and kiosk scenarios.

Does it work on Windows 11 24H2?

Yes. Tested and confirmed as of November 2025.

Can users bypass it?

Only with local admin rights and registry access. Standard users cannot override.

What about Hibernate?

Unaffected. Only Shutdown is hidden.

Final Thoughts

You now have a clean, supported, reversible way to hide only the Shutdown button in Windows — whether on one PC or 10,000.

No more forcing users into full power lockdowns.
No more accidental shutdowns on shared machines.
Full control, zero clutter.