Fix "Update and Shut Down" Starting Your PC Instead of Staying Off

Published 2025-11-20 by TechNet New England

For years, Windows users have experienced a frustrating bug: you click "Update and shut down" expecting your computer to install updates and power off, but instead it restarts and boots right back up. You come back to find your PC running when you expected it to be off.

Good news: Microsoft finally fixed this in the Windows 11 2025 Update (25H2).

Get the Fix

The fix is included in KB5067036 (Build 26200.7019 or 26100.7019) and later updates:

1. Open Settings > Windows Update
2. Check for updates
3. If you're on Windows 11 24H2, look for the 25H2 feature update or the latest cumulative update
4. Install and restart

After updating, "Update and shut down" will actually shut down your PC after installing updates.

Why This Was Happening

The bug was related to how Windows handled the final reboot during the update process. Internally, Windows uses a restart to finalize certain updates, but the system was supposed to detect that the user chose "shut down" and power off after the restart completed.

The detection wasn't working correctly, so Windows would restart, finalize updates, and then just... stay on. The fix corrects this logic so Windows remembers you wanted to shut down and does so after the update finishes.

Workarounds (If You Can't Update)

If you're not yet on the fixed version:

Option 1: Update, Then Shut Down Separately

1. Click "Update and restart" instead
2. Wait for updates to complete
3. After restart, manually shut down from the Start menu

Option 2: Schedule a Shutdown

Before clicking Update and restart, schedule an automatic shutdown:

1. Open Command Prompt
2. Run: shutdown /s /t 1800
3. This schedules a shutdown in 30 minutes (1800 seconds)
4. Click Update and restart
5. The scheduled shutdown will power off your PC after updates complete

To cancel the scheduled shutdown if needed: shutdown /a

Other Fixes in the Same Update

KB5067036 also fixed several other annoying issues:

• Error 0x80070103 when installing drivers through Windows Update
• Error 0x800f0983 during Windows Update
• Videos and games appearing with a red tint
• Catastrophic Error (0x8000FFFF) when extracting large ZIP archives
• Apps freezing when using Open or Save dialogs

Checking Your Version

To verify you have the fix:

1. Open Settings > System > About
2. Look at "OS build"
3. You need 26200.7019 or 26100.7019 or higher

If your build is lower, check Windows Update for available updates.

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