Changing How the Power Button Behaves

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated October 26, 2015)

If you are using Windows 7, the normal way of powering down your system is to click the Start button and then use the Power button. (The Power button is visible at the bottom-right of the Start menu.) There are two parts to the Power button. The left (and largest) part shows the default action taken when you click the button. The right portion, which looks like a right-pointing arrow, allows you to pick any shutdown method you desire.

By default, the Power button normally shuts your system completely down. If you find yourself using one of the other shutdown options more often, you can modify the default action used for the Power button. Just follow these steps:

  1. Right-click an unused space on the taskbar. Windows displays a Context menu.
  2. Click Properties. Windows displays the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box.
  3. Make sure the Start Menu tab is displayed. (See Figure 1.)

    4. Figure 1. The Start Menu tab of the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box.

  4. Use the Power Button Action drop-down list to specify what you want Windows to do when you click the Power button.
  5. Click OK.

Performing these steps also adjusts the wording that appears on the Power button so that it is consistent with your desired default action.

If you are using Windows 8, the two-part power button is gone, so there is no "default action" that you can specify. Instead, there is only a single part to the power button (visible near the upper-right corner of the Start screen) and clicking it presents various shut-down options you can take. This is analogous to what you saw when you clicked the right-pointing arrow next to the power button in Windows 7.

 This tip (12626) applies to Windows 7 and 8.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He  is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Using Cross-References in Footnotes

Need to make a cross-reference from one footnote to another footnote? You can do it if you throw bookmarks into the mix, ...

Discover More

Friendly and Informative Error Handling

When creating macros, it is helpful to know what is going on within the macro itself in case an error crops up. Here's ...

Discover More

Removing Styles from the Quick Access Toolbar

Got something on the Quick Access Toolbar that you don't need there any more? Here are two quick ways to get rid of that ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Enlarging Screen Font Size

Sometimes things appearing on the screen are a bit too small to read easily. One possible solution is to adjust the size ...

Discover More

Changing a Program's Compatibility Settings

If an older program no longer runs under Windows, you may still be able to get some life out of it by changing its ...

Discover More

Understanding Windows Firewall

There are a lot of malicious users on the Internet who are trying to break into other people's systems. One way to ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WindowsTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is nine minus 4?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WindowsTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2018 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.