Shutting Down Your Computer with a Single Click
Also see: Windows for Seniors - Books from Amazon
WHY CREATE A LOG-OFF OR SHUTDOWN SHORTCUT?
If you need to leave your computer suddenly and don't want your files or programs to be left open, a single-click "log off" or "shutdown" icon on the taskbar can be convenient.
If your computer is behaving slow or if you have Windows 8/8.1 and find it incovenient to toggle to the tile screen or shut your computer through the Start button, either one of these taskbar shortcuts can save you a clicks.
(By the way, isn't it crazy that Microsoft sets it up so we go through a "Start" button to Shut Down?)
If you are in the habit of shutting your computer down with a power button, this method is a good substitute which will keep your operating system in better shape. If you're shutting down with a computer power button, that will either end up corrupting your operating system. If you're shutting down with the power button on the display (except in the case of an All-in-One) then you're not actually shutting off the system and that will result in uninstalled updates piling up while your computer becomes more vulnerable to security breaches.
Besides creating a Shutdown shortcut like this, you could either Shut Down or Log Off going through the Start button, or going to the Shutdown symbol available in lower right corner via Ctrl-Alt-Delete. There is something irresistible though about having a one-click way to do it. So here goes:
CREATING A LOG-OFF SHORTCUT
If you right-click anywhere on your desktop screen (in the open space away from the icons), you'll get a dropdown menu.
Hover your cursor over the word "New".
Follow the side arrow over to the next pop-out menu, and left-click on "Shortcut".
In the next pop-up screen, titled "Create Shortcut", type the following in the horizontal type-in box:
shutdown -l
Note - the character "l" is a lower-case "L" (not a numeral one)
Click "Next"
Now give the shortcut a name. I suggest a name like "Log off" or "Sign Out".
Then click "Finish"
That will place an Icon on your computer log off without going through the Start button.
MOVING THE SHORTCUT TO THE TASKBAR SO YOU CAN SINGLE-CLICK IT
Now, if you place your cursor overtop that icon, hold down the left button and drag the icon to your taskbar, then Windows will add a single-click "Log off" icon to the taskbar.
CREATING A SHUTDOWN SHORTCUT
If you want to create a similar icon that shuts down your computer entirely, simply follow the same steps as above, except type "shutdown -s" (no quotes) instead.
One caveat however - If your computer is set to do automatic updates when you shut it down, then it's going to do exactly that. If you have Windows 10 Enterprise there are ways to get around that, but most of us running Windows 10 have the Home edition. Logging off will not trigger Update installation, however.
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