We can eliminate delays in the Windows 11 shutdown process by performing a few advanced edits to the Windows registry file. Be careful.
For some users, the speed at which their PC performs its various functions is never as fast as they would like. They want their Windows 11 PC to boot faster, work faster and smoother shut down faster. We can meet those needs with a few tweaks to the Windows registry file.
TO SEE: 100+ IT policies at your fingertips, ready to download (Tech Republic Premium)
The Windows shutdown order, when it works well, is relatively fast. However, in some situations, the operating system will take an unusually long time to close open applications, stop running processes, or update open files. This procedure can take much longer than expected and can be frustrating if you want to get somewhere quickly. We can force Windows 11 to shut down faster.
How to increase the shutdown speed in Windows 11
It is important to note that the editing of Windows 11 registry file described below is an advanced tip and should not be applied lightly to your PC. This procedure can drastically change the way the Windows 11 shutdown process works. The results of careless use of this technique are unpredictable and can increase the instability of your operating system. Apply this advanced tip carefully and judiciously.
Disclaimer: Editing the Windows registry file is serious business. A damaged Windows registry file can make your computer unusable, requiring the Windows operating system to be reinstalled and potentially losing data. Please backup the Windows registry file and create a valid restore point before proceeding.
To do our edits to the Windows 11 registry file, we’ll type “regedit” into the Windows 11 search function. From the results, choose the Regedit app, then use the left pane to navigate to this key, as shown in Image A†
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control
Image A
Click the Control key to display the keys located in the right pane. Locate the key labeled WaitToKillServiceTimeout.
Double click on the WaitToKillServiceTimeout key and change the value data from 5000 to 2000 as shown in Figure B† Click OK to complete the change.
Figure B
If you change this value, Windows 11 should wait only 2 ms for an unresponsive service, instead of the default 5 ms. Do not set this parameter lower than 2 ms as this may lead to corrupted files and an unstable operating system.
For the next few tweaks, navigate to this key:
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
As you can see in Figure C, this key folder contains many keys. Unfortunately, none of those keys are what we need for this customization, so we’ll have to create the keys we need.
Figure C
Right click on the desktop key folder and select New | String value and name it WaitToKillAppTimeOut. Double click on the new key, give it the value 2000, as shown in Figure Dand then click OK to finish.
Figure D
Right click the desktop key folder again and select New | String value and name it HungAppTimeout. Double click on the new key, give it a value data of 2000, as shown in Digits Eand then click OK to finish.
Digits E
One last time, right click on the desktop key folder and select New | String value and name it AutoEndTasks. Double click on the new key, give this key a Value data of 1, as shown in Figure Fand then click OK to finish.
Figure F
The changes and additions we just made to the Windows 11 registry file will reduce the time the operating system waits for applications, services, and tasks to close, making the shutdown process faster. If these changes make your PC unstable, increase the millisecond values until you find a stable, fast shutdown.
