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Why does my Windows 11 PC keep restarting instead of shutting down?
Advisory: Resolving Windows 11 Shutdown and Sleep Failures (KB5073455)
Enterprise and Education users running Windows 11 version 23H2 are currently experiencing significant power management disruptions. The cumulative security update KB5073455, released on January 13, 2026, introduced a critical bug causing devices to restart immediately after a shutdown command. Microsoft has acknowledged this issue and identified the root cause as a conflict with the Secure Launch feature.
The Technical Issue
The error specifically impacts systems with “Secure Launch” enabled. This feature utilizes virtualization-based security (VBS) to validate system firmware during the boot process. The KB5073455 update creates a conflict within this environment. Consequently, when a user attempts to shut down or hibernate the device, the system triggers an unintended reboot loop rather than powering off.
Immediate Resolution: Install Out-of-Band Update
Microsoft has deployed a permanent fix for this behavior. IT administrators and users should immediately locate and install the out-of-band update KB5077797.
Installing this specific patch resolves the conflict between the security protocols and the power management system, restoring normal shutdown and sleep functionality.
Temporary Workaround
If you cannot install the KB5077797 patch immediately, you must bypass the standard shutdown menu to power off the device safely. The standard sleep and hibernation modes are currently unreliable on unpatched systems and should be avoided to prevent data loss.
To force a complete system shutdown:
- Open the Start menu.
- Type cmd.
- Select Command Prompt.
- Input the following command and press Enter:
shutdown /s /t 0
This command forces the operating system to terminate all processes instantly (0 seconds delay) and power down the hardware, bypassing the glitch triggered by the standard UI buttons.