Unknown app preventing Shutdown/Restart windows 10/11 (solved)

Have you ever come to a situation while Shutdown or restarting Windows 10 PC, Windows notifying “Unknown app is preventing shutdown” or “This app is preventing you from restarting or signing out” on your Windows 10 computer? Basically, this screen appears only at a particular time. For example, you are working with a Word document, and by mistake, you didn’t save the file and tried to shut down the PC. But sometimes users report

Nothing running on background and all apps closed, But while trying to shutdown/restart windows it results Unknown app  preventing Shutdown. If I walk away before I see this message pop up, my computer does not shut down and it goes back to my desktop. I need to click “Shut down anyway” in order to bypass this, otherwise, it goes back to my desktop screen.

Why Unknown app Preventing Shutdown Windows?

Normally when you shut down your system, Task Host ensures that programs previously running were closed properly to avoid data and program corruption. If for any reason still any application running in the background this will prevent Windows 10 from shut down by showing the following message, Unknown app is preventing Shutdown.

So The reason that you are getting this notification is that the Windows operating system waits for each process to finish before shutting down completely.

• Background Applications: Some apps may continue running in the background, even when you think you’ve closed them.
• Unsaved Work: Certain applications may have unsaved work or open processes that are preventing them from closing.
• Corrupted System Files: Corrupted or malfunctioning system files can interfere with the normal shutdown process.
• Malware or Unwanted Software: Malicious software can prevent the system from shutting down by keeping processes active.

Run power troubleshooter

Technically, it is recommended to close all running programs before you initiate shutdown /reboot the Windows PC. However, if you feel that no programs are running, Still Windows is causing the App is Preventing Shutdown, Run the Windows Power Troubleshooter.

• Press the Windows key + I to open Settings
• Go to Update & Security, then Troubleshoot and click on Additional Troubleshooter
• Look for a Power troubleshooter, Select And Run the troubleshooter
• This will check and fix if any power-related bug prevents Windows from shutdown.

This is optional but sometimes it’s very helpful.

Disable Fast Startup

Windows 10 fast startup, by default, enables that pauses the running processes in their existing state instead of closing them, so when the system resumes its operations it doesn’t have to re-initiate the programs from scratch, instead, it just restores the processes and resumes it from there. But sometimes this feature causes the issue, stuck push the running processes that result in This App is Preventing Shutdown.

We recommend Disable the Fast Startup feature by following the steps below and check the problem is resolved or not.

• Press Windows + R, type powercfg.cpl and click ok to open power options.
• Click on Choose what the power buttons do from the left pane.
• Then choose Change settings that are currently unavailable.
• Click Yes if the User Account Control warning appears.
• Now in the Shutdown settings section, clear the check next to Turn on fast startup (recommended) to disable it.
• Click the Save changes button, And restart Windows to check there is no more app preventing the shutdown of Windows 10.

Perform Clean Boot

A clean boot starts your Windows PC with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, which can help you identify whether a background program is causing the shutdown issue. This process helps in isolating the problem.

By disabling unnecessary startup programs, you can determine if a specific program is causing the shutdown issue.

• Press Win + R, type msconfig, and press Enter.
• In the System Configuration window, go to the Services tab.
• Check Hide all Microsoft services, then click Disable all.

• Go to the Startup tab and click on Open Task Manager.
• Disable all startup items.
• Close Task Manager, click OK in the System Configuration window, and restart your computer.
• Try shutting down the PC to see if the problem persists.

Run System File Checker

Corrupted system files can cause various issues, including preventing your PC from shutting down properly. The System File Checker (SFC) tool scans for and repairs these corrupted files, which can resolve the problem.

• Press Win + X and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).
• Type the command sfc /scannow and hit the enter key.
• Wait for the scan to complete and fix any issues it detects.
• Restart your computer and then try shutting it down.

Running SFC can fix underlying system issues that might be causing the shutdown blockage.

Note: If SFC scan results are unable to repair corrupted system files then run the DISM command which scans and repairs the system image. After that again run SFC utility.

Tweak Windows Registry Editor (Ultimate solution)

And the Ultimate solution is, Tweak the Windows registry to skip the warning message while shutdown/restart Windows PC.

• Type Regedit on the start menu search and select it from results to open the Windows registry editor window.
• Here first Backup Registry Database, Then navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
• Next in the right pane, right-click on the empty area and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and rename it to AutoEndTasks.
• Now double click on AutoEndTasks to open it and then set the Value data to 1 and click on the OK button.

That’s all, After making these changes, close the registry editor and restart your PC to take effect the changes. Now you can try shutting down your Windows 10 computer with the opened applications or running processes, and it shouldn’t throw Unknown app is preventing shutdown Windows 10 error message.

Scan for Malware

Malware can prevent shutdown by keeping malicious processes active in the background. Scanning your PC for malware ensures that any harmful software is detected and removed, which can resolve the issue.

• Open Windows Security by pressing Win + I and selecting Update & Security > Windows Security.
• Run a full virus scan under Virus & threat protection.
• Remove any detected threats, restart your computer, and try shutting down again.

This will ensure that your system is free from malicious software that could be interfering with the shutdown process.