There are a lot of reasons why Windows 11 will shut down randomly. Here’s how to find out which one is plaguing your PC.
Occasionally your Windows 11 system can run into random shutdown issues. Common contributing factors to this problem include high CPU temperature, temporary glitches, incorrect power configuration, and critical system malfunctions.
Outlined below are a few troubleshooting steps to help you find and fix the random shutdown problem in Windows 11.
Windows 11 features a built-in power troubleshooter. It will scan and find problems with your computer’s power settings. You can also allow it to change your computer's power plan to a more efficient setting.
To run Windows 11 power troubleshooter:
In poorly ventilated conditions, your system can overheat and shut down. Windows can detect thermal issues and power off the computer to prevent further damage to hardware components.
Other symptoms of heating issues include loud fan noise, performance throttling, and error messages related to temperature.
You can check your GPU temperature using the Task Manager. In Task Manager, open the Performance tab to view your GPU temperature. Unfortunately, Windows 11 doesn’t have a built-in feature to report CPU temperature.
For this, you will need to use a third-party CPU temperature monitoring app. These apps can help you keep a tab on CPU, GPU, and storage drive temperature in real-time.
If you determine an overheating issue with your system, follow these steps to fix an overheating computer.
When enabled, Fast Startup helps your PC start up faster after a shutdown. While a convenient feature, it can sometimes cause random shutdowns and crashes.
You can turn off Fast Startup in Windows 11 to see if that helps you fix random shutdown issues with your system. Here’s how to do it.
The advanced power settings panel lets you customize power options for different system components such as hard disk, USB settings, wireless adapter, etc.
Follow these steps to tweak the advanced power settings to fix the random shutdown problem.
All the Windows editions come equipped with the DISM (Deployment Image Services and Management) and SFC (System File Checker) utilities.
These are command-line repair tools to help you fix issues with your system files. While you can use the DISM tool with the local recovery image to fix system issues, the System File Checker can replace corrupted system files from the recovery image.
Follow the steps below and run these repair tools to fix the random shutdown problem occurring due to system file corruption.
Windows 11 automatically creates new restore points before major system events such as installing a new update or software. You can use the restore point to restore your PC to an earlier point where it worked without any issues.
Before you proceed with the steps below, make sure you have enabled restore point in Windows 11.
To perform system restore:
Hardware malfunction is another common cause of abrupt system shutdowns and can be an indication of failing hardware. To determine the cause, you can stress test the RAM overnight using the built-in Windows Memory Diagnostic tool.
Similarly, the issues could also be with your storage device. So it is recommended to test your hard drive or SSD before it goes kaput. Follow our guide on how to test your PC for failing hardware to perform diagnostic tests and spot the fault.
If the issue persists, you can use the Event Viewer to view the shutdown log and understand what’s triggering the restart or shutdown.
To find the shutdown log using Event viewer:
Analyzing the Event Viewer data can be tricky. To understand it better, follow our detailed guide on how to troubleshoot Windows problems using Event Viewer logs.
An abrupt shutdown can be annoying and negatively affect your productivity. To fix the problem, you can review the shutdown log to find any issues that may need your attention. Also, check your system for hardware failure, overheating problems, and software conflict.
Tashreef is a developer and works as a technical writer at MakeUseOf. With a bachelor’s degree in Computer Applications, he has over 5 years of experience and covers Microsoft Windows and everything around it. When not looking for a missing semicolon or churning out text, you can find him trying FPS titles or looking for new animated shows and movies.
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