Computer freezes when shutting down or restarting Windows 11

This article lists some suggestions if your computer freezes when shutting down or restarting Windows 11/10. According to reports, the computer becomes unresponsive when users try to restart or shut it down. The temporary fix to this problem is to force shut down the PC.

Computer freezes when shutting down or restarting Windows 11/10

Use the following fixes if your computer freezes when shutting down or restarting Windows 11/10:

Disconnect all peripherals
Run Power Troubleshooter
Restore power plan settings to default
Check the status of drivers in the Device Manager
Repair the system image files
Test your RAM
Check your hard disk for errors
Try to identify Services that are creating issues
Update BIOS and chipset driver
Troubleshoot in a Clean Boot state.

All these fixes are explained below in detail:

1] Disconnect all peripherals

The first step is to disconnect all peripherals. If your computer does not hang after disconnecting the peripherals, one of them might be responsible for this issue. In this case, updating or reinstalling the required drivers can help.

2] Run Power Troubleshooter

The Power Troubleshooter fixes power-related issues, so running it can be helpful in this case.

3] Restore power plan settings to default

You can also try to reset your power plan settings to the default. Follow the steps provided below:

Open the Control Panel.
Type power in the Control Panel search bar and click on the Power Options.
Click on the Change plan settings link next to the active power plan.
Click Restore default settings for this plan.

4] Check the status of drivers in the Device Manager

Corrupt drivers can be the cause of this issue. Therefore, we suggest you check the status of drivers in the Device Manager. Follow the steps provided below:

Open the Device Manager.
Expand all the branches one by one.
If any driver shows a yellow exclamation mark, it is faulty. Right-click on that driver and select Properties.
You will see the error code and message under the General tab of the driver properties.

Now, troubleshoot according to the Device Manager error code displayed. The Network adapter can also be responsible for this issue. Download the latest version of the network card driver from the official website of your computer’s manufacturer. Now, uninstall the Network driver and install its latest version.

5] Repair the system image files

One possible cause of this issue is the corrupt system image files. Scan your system for system file corruption and repair it with System File Checker and DISM tools.

6] Test your RAM

Your RAM might be faulty. Windows 11 has a built-in tool to test the RAM. Use the Memory Diagnostic Tool to test your RAM. A faulty memory shows some symptoms. Also, notice if your PC is showing these symptoms.

7] Check your hard disk for errors

Hard disk errors cause several issues on a Windows computer. This can be the case with you. Windows 11 has a built-in utility that checks hard drives for errors. Use the Chkdsk utility to scan your C drive for file system errors and bad sectors. If the Check Disk utility finds any errors on your hard disk, it will fix them.

8] Try to identify Services that are creating issues

This post will show you how to identify Windows Services delaying Shutdown or Startup.

9] Update BIOS and chipset driver

Check for BIOS updates. Visit the official website of your computer manufacturer and download the latest version of the BIOS (if available). Install the latest BIOS update. You can view the current version of BIOS in System Information. Your computer should be connected to a power supply during the BIOS update. Make sure that the power supply is not interrupted during the update. If you are a laptop user, connect the charger and turn on the supply even if it is fully charged.

Also, update the chipset driver to the latest version. You can download the same from the official website of your computer manufacturer.

10] Troubleshoot in a Clean Boot state

Perform Clean Boot. Clean-boot troubleshooting is designed to isolate a performance problem. To perform clean-boot troubleshooting, you must take several actions and then restart the computer after each action. You may need to manually disable one item after another to try and pinpoint the one causing the problem. Once you have identified the offender, you can consider removing or disabling it.

I am sure something here will help you.

Read: Windows PC will not Shutdown or Restart

Why does my computer randomly freeze and need to be restarted in Windows 11?

There can be many reasons why your computer freezes randomly, like less RAM, less space on the hard drive, corrupted drivers, overheating issues, etc. Run a RAM test to know whether your RAM is faulty. Also, scan your hard disk for logical errors and bad sectors.

How to boot in Safe Mode?

You can use the MSConfig app to boot in Safe Mode. If you want to use the internet in Safe Mode, boot in Safe Mode with Networking. If you cannot boot into Windows, you can use Windows Recovery Environment to boot into Safe Mode.