Introduction
Power options on Windows such as:
- Shutdown
- Restart
- Hibernate
- Lock
- Logout
- Sleep
are essential for turning off your PC, restarting it when something goes wrong, or putting it in sleep mode. This guide will help you create quick-access shortcuts for these actions — all without opening the Start Menu.
If you prefer watching instead of reading, here's the full video guide: Watch the video on YouTube
Step 1 - Creating shortcuts
Start by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting New → Shortcut. Enter the command in the location field, click Next, then name the shortcut.
Finish the wizard by clicking Finish.
You will create one shortcut for each power action.
Shortcut Locations
| Name | Location (Command) |
|---|---|
| Shutdown | Shutdown.exe /s /t 00 |
| Restart | Shutdown.exe /r /t 00 |
| Lock | Rundll32.exe User32.dll,LockWorkStation |
| Sleep | rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState 0,1,0 |
| Logout | Shutdown.exe /l |
The Sleep shortcut works on most devices, but on some modern Windows 10/11 systems this command may hibernate instead of sleeping. If that happens, disable hibernation via powercfg -h off
Repeat the process for all shortcuts listed above.
Step 2 - Icons
Download the icon pack: https://github.com/ArsenTech/downloads/blob/static-files/Power-Icons.zip
Then:
- Extract the ZIP file
- Right-click a shortcut → Properties
- Click Change Icon…
- If Windows prompts an alert, click OK
- Click Browse
- Paste the path to the extracted folder
- Select the matching icon
- Click OK → Apply → OK
Repeat this for all shortcuts.
Shortcut Icons
| Name | Flat Design | Frutiger Aero |
|---|---|---|
| Shutdown |  |  |
| Restart |  |  |
| Lock |  |  |
| Sleep |  |  |
| Logout |  |  |
Conclusion
And that's it! You now have instant access to Shutdown, Restart, Sleep, Lock, and Logout options directly from your desktop. This simple trick makes your workflow faster and avoids unnecessary clicking through the Start Menu.
Thanks for reading the guide! For more Windows tips, tricks, and tutorials, check out my YouTube channel.
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