How to Change the Default Option in Shut Down Windows dialog (Alt+F4)

When you open the classic Shutdown dialog (Alt+F4) or click on the Start menu power button, the default option is “Shut Down”. This post explains how to change the default option in the classic Shutdown Dialog (the Alt + F4 dialog) as well as the Start menu Power button action.

classic shutdown dialog - Alt + F4

Change the Default Option in the Shut Down Windows dialog

Instructions for Windows 10 or 11 Pro and higher

  1. Launch the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc)
  2. Expand the following section: 
    User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Start Menu and Taskbar
  3. Double-click “Change Start Menu power button policy”.
  4. Set the policy to “Enabled”.
  5. Choose one of the following actions: 
    Shut Down
Sleep
Log off
Lock
Restart
Switch user
Hibernate
  6. Click OK and restart Windows.

More information about the above GPO

It sets the default action of the power button on the Start menu and the classic Shutdown dialog.

  • If you enable this setting, the Start Menu will set the power button to the chosen action, and not let the user change this action.
  • If you set the button to either Sleep or Hibernate, and that state is not supported on a computer, then the button will fall back to Shut Down.
  • If you disable or do not configure this setting, the Start Menu power button will be set to Shut Down by default, and the user can change this setting to another action.

Instructions for Windows 10 or 11 Home Edition

  1. Launch the Registry Editor (regedit.exe)
  2. Go to the following registry key. If the key doesn’t exist by default, create it manually. 
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
  3. Create a new REG_DWORD (32-bit) value named PowerButtonAction
  4. Double-click PowerButtonAction and set its value accordingly, as per the table below:
    Value Data (DWORD) Description
    2 (0x00000002) Shut Down
    10 (0x00000016) Sleep
    1 (0x00000001) Log off
    200 (0x00000512) Lock
    4 (0x00000004) Restart
    100 (0x00000256) Switch user
    40 (0x00000064) Hibernate
  5. Exit the Registry Editor and restart Windows.

That’s it.

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Ramesh Srinivasan is passionate about Microsoft technologies and he has been a ten-time recipient of the Microsoft MVP award in Windows Desktop Experience (Windows Shell), from 2003 to 2012. Ramesh founded Winhelponline.com in 2005.

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