What is the fastest way to Shutdown or Restart a Windows 8, 8.1, or 10 PC using your keyboard?

While power users use their keyboards a lot, most of the users rely on their mouse to do the clicking when it comes to shutting down their PCs. This tutorial will come in handy for the users in the later category - I will highlight a simple and convenient way to shutdown your Windows 8, 8.1, or 10 using any type of keyboard attached to your PC. This will work for tablets with a keyboard as well.

Important: Before testing anything in this tutorial, make sure you save any work in progress you are doing on your PC. You might want to read the entire tutorial before pressing anything on your keyboard that may accidentally shut down your PC, but if you know what you are doing, the short answer is: Press Win+X, followed by U, and U once more.

Here are the step by step instructions:

How to quickly shut down Windows 8, 8.1, 10

1. Press Win+X on your keyboard. This opens the Power User Menu in Windows 8, 8.1, or 10.

2. Press U. This will expand the "Shutdown or sign out" line on that menu.

3. Press U once more. This will select the "Shutdown" option from the line above.

That's all. Windows will now shut down.

So, the fastest way to shutdown Windows 8 or 10 is by doing Win+X, U, U, on your keyboard. Some keyboards, especially on laptops, will come with special Fn functions/shortcuts. Some of those shortcuts will include a shutdown option as well, but the location of the shutdown button will be different from one manufacturer to another. The solution above will work with any standard keyboard containing a Win key.

How about Sign out, Sleep, Hibernate, and Restart?

While we're at it, here's how to quickly access these options as well:

Sign out: Win+X, U, I (that is a capital i)

Sleep: Win+X, U, S.

Hibernate: Win+X, U, H.

Restart: Win+X, U, R.

If you don't have a Sleep or Hibernate option in the Power User menu, this tutorial will help: How to add or remove 'Hibernate' and 'Sleep' as alternative shutdown options in Windows 8, 10.

How do you shutdown your Windows PC? Let us know in a comment below.