This browser is no longer supported.
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
When I shutdown Windows 10, (latest version, fully patched up to date 25-Oct-2017), I find that it shuts down without issue. However, when the PC is restarted, the last logged in user (who initiated the shut down) is still logged in.
I noticed this when I shutdown as User 1, then restarted the PC and logged in as User 2. When viewing the 'profiles' button at the top of the Start Menu, (which shows your user picture), it showed me that User 1 was still logged in. Furthermore, when I went to shut the computer down as User 2, it warned me that other users were logged in to this computer. I had to log out as User 2 and login as User 1 to shut down the computer.
The only way around this is to log out and then shut the PC down from the main login screen. All my users have complex passwords assigned and in all other aspects Windows 10 appears to be working correctly.
I assume this is a feature, but is there a switch or a registry hack that allows the shut down process to log off the current user, like Windows 7 used to?
Please can someone advise?
Many thanks
Paul B.
[Moved from: Windows / Windows 10 / Security & privacy]
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
This is what I think is so silly. No it will not help because windows will just log a user back in again in the background, if it thinks it needs to finish something, the next time the PC is turned on. This includes reopening any apps they had open if they chose to shut down instead of logging off first.
Like I said it hasn't happened to me for a while but I still get calls from people asking why " there is another instance of this program already running" when they haven't opened one.
The easiest way to sign out another user without having to restart is using Task Manager. Press CTRL/ALT/DEL and open Task Manager. Go to the Users tab. Right click on the user you want to sign out and click "Sign off".
How is this an "epic fail"?
When you start your computer (assuming you are using your Microsoft Account) the screen will offer you a choice of sign in options (accounts) and you sign in with your own account info and password/pin/whatever.
Yes, that will sign out anyone else who may have been logged on previously and they would (possibly) lose unsaved work. But, unless they are unbelievably thick they would have saved their work before shutting down the computer anyway so, really, any such risk is negligible.
The same is true for local accounts. Just go ahead and sign in with YOUR password and account info.
And when you're ready to sign out say "Hey, Cortana, sign out."
You can also tell her to shut your device off or lock it if you're going to be away for a bit.
It IS an epic failure to solve the problem. If the computer has more than one user Windows will insist that someone else is logged in when you come to shut down, no matter how they logged out.
The problem has actually got worse now because Windows has started to state that other instances of a program are open when you try to launch them. I know for a fact that these were used by another user but were closed before the computer was shut down.
I would turn Fast Startup back on, then, probably. But what about the other possibilities I posted on page 2 of this thread - the Sign-in Options setting & the DOS shutdown?
So sign-out plus shutdown is not a fix for you? Your wife gets auto-signed in at the next boot? It was different for Paul_J_L_B. I wonder, what is her/your setting at "START, Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options, Use my sign-in info..."?...
I'm ill-equipped to check these things out because I have just one user account.
