If applications are blocking shutdown or restart process, you will see “This app is preventing shutdown” message. Here’re the steps to fix the problem and make shutdown and restart work without blocking.
When you shut down Windows, it tries to close all running applications and services automatically. However, if an application has unsaved data, it can prevent Windows from shutting down the system. Closing the offending app and shutting down the system will usually work. For example, if you have an Office document opened and forgot to save the changes, it might block Windows from shutting down. This gives you a chance to save the work and prevent any necessary data loss.
Though the feature is very good in terms of protecting you from potential data loss, it can also be a pain in the neck as it blocks the shutdown process. For instance, if you are in a hurry and press the shutdown button and go away, the system might not shutdown itself due to apps blocking the process.
If you don’t need this feature and want Windows to force close applications on shutdown and restart, then you can do that with a simple edit. In this quick and simple guide, let me show the steps to fix this app is preventing shutdown or restart in Windows and force shutdown without apps blocking it.
How do I fix This App is Preventing Shutdown?
To stop seeing the apps preventing from shutdown message, you have to make a simple registry edit. Before making any changes, back up the registry.
These are the steps you should follow the fix the apps preventing shutdown in Windows 10.
- Open the Start menu by pressing the Windows key.
- Type “Registry Editor” and press “Enter“.
- Copy the registry path given below.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
- Paste it in the address bar and press Enter on the keyboard.
- Right-click on the “Desktop” folder.
- Select “String Value” from the “New” menu.
- Type “AutoEndTasks” as the name of the new value.
- Double-click on the AutoEndTasks value you just created.
- Type “1” in the blank field. Click “Ok“.
- Close the Registry Editor.
- Restart Windows.
That is all. After you restart the system, Windows will force close all applications and services while shutting down or restarting. Since Windows is force closing the application, the problem is solved and you will no longer see the “This app is preventing from shutdown” message on the lock screen.
That is all. I hope that helps. If you are stuck or need some help, comment below and I will try to help as much as possible.
FAQ: This App is Preventing Shutdown
When an application has unsaved data, it can block shutdown and make Windows show this message. It gives you a chance to save data before shutting down.
You can either manually close the offending application and try shutting down the system or create a registry value “AutoEndTasks” for a permanent fix. Follow the steps shown in the article to create the value.
