Turn off Windows 8 with one click
(MoneyWatch) People have complained about Windows 8 since the day the new operating system shipped. At the top of the list is the absence of any start button. In another post I've explained how to get around that limitation. Close behind is perhaps the No. 2 complaint: the number of clicks it takes to shut down a PC. No longer to be found in the start menu, it is now necessary to invoke the charms bar, click settings and choose the desired shutdown option. That's a couple of mouse gestures and three different clicks. There should be an easier way.
There is an easier way, and you've had it since day one: Press the power button on your PC. If you still prefer an easier way to accomplish this within Windows, it's actually pretty simple. Just create a shortcut and place it in the Windows task bar and add it as a tile to the start screen, or do both. Here's how you do it.
- Run Windows 8's 'modern' apps on the desktop
- How to get the old start menu back in Windows 8
- Windows 8: Revolution or disaster?
Right-click on a blank piece of the desktop and select "New, Shortcut."
If you want to create a one-click shutdown command type "shutdown /p" in the Create Shortcut dialog box. If you would rather have the computer hibernate so it returns to life rapidly when you press the power button, type "shutdown /h."
Click "Next."
Name the shortcut anything you like and then click "Finish."
Last, right-click the shortcut and pin it to the start screen or to the task bar (or both). After that, you can delete the shortcut so it doesn't take up space on your desktop.
So there you have it, a one-click method for shutting down your PC.
