PC rebooted overnight

Ric -n- Bren Kelly 0 Reputation points
2026-08-13T13:55:48.61+00:00

I recently purchased a Win 11 PC so, I am not "up to date" on where to find these settings.

I have a couple of apps I leave on 24/7 so, I generally (properly) close these apps prior to rebooting. I got up this morning and noticed these apps closed.

I have already gone into settings and turned off "Get me up to date" and turned on "Notify me when a restart is required to finish updating" under Windows Update > advanced Options. I have, however turned on "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" under the main Windows Security tab.

I have also tried to adjust active hours but, that has a max of 18 hours.

My old Win 10 PC (Win7 Pro upgraded to win 10 Pro) always left a notification near the (right end of the) taskbar when a restart was required. I would like this to happen on this PC. It is an action I have grown accustomed to.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Windows update
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  1. AI answer

    2026-08-13T13:56:10.6166667+00:00

    Windows 11 can show restart notifications, but the old Windows 10-style taskbar indicator is not described in the available guidance.

    What can be configured:

    1. In Start > Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options, turn on Notify me when a restart is required to finish updating.
      • On supported Windows 11 versions, this causes an update restart notification when the device enters a pending restart state.
      • When this setting is On, automatic restarts are blocked for 24 hours after the initial notification.
    2. In Start > Settings > Windows Update, use Schedule the restart when an update is waiting for restart.
      • This lets a restart happen at a chosen time.
    3. Set Active hours in Windows Update so automatic restarts happen only when the device is not in use.
      • Windows uses active hours to avoid restarting during those times.

    Important limitation:

    • Notify me when a restart is required to finish updating is an end-user setting.
    • The available documentation describes toast notifications and restart prompts, not a persistent taskbar icon like older Windows versions.
    • Active hours can help reduce overnight restarts, but they do not provide 24/7 protection.

    If the goal is to avoid surprise overnight restarts as much as possible, the best supported combination is:

    • Keep Notify me when a restart is required to finish updating turned On.
    • Use Active hours.
    • When a restart is pending, use Schedule the restart.

    References:

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  2. David-M 126.8K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-13T14:26:53.4633333+00:00

    Hi. I'm David, and I'm happy to help you.

    Are you sure it was a Windows update that restarted the PC and not a system crash? It is possible to check this by consulting the logs.

    Please export and share the log for analysis:

    1. Press Windows + X and select Event Viewer;
    2. Expand Windows Logs and select System;
    3. In the Actions panel on the right, select Filter Current Log;
    4. In Event level, check the boxes Critical, Warning, and Error and click on Ok;
    5. Again, in the Actions panel, select Save Filtered Log File As and save in an easily accessible place.

    Then, upload the file to the cloud (OneDrive), choose to share it, and get the link.

    Post the link to the file here so I can have a look.

    Looking forward to your reply.

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  3. Ric -n- Bren Kelly 0 Reputation points
    2026-09-19T14:49:06.4366667+00:00

    David M or whomever/whoever may see this, This PC rebooted again this morning while I was right here doing morning catch-up. I looked in the "Event Viewer" to follow up with those instructions. there is no "Filter Current Log" under the Actions tab. There is only "Open Saved Log" which is from August 17th, "Create Custom View" and "Import Custom View". Under that is "View" with a right arrow, "Refresh" and "Help". I am willing to send a screenshot if directed how to do so.

    I did not notice a notification on the taskbar for a restart. However, I am just waking up and didn't look for it either.

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