Wondering whether you should sign out of Windows, shut it down, or do nothing? Find out here why and when signing off makes sense and how to sign out from Windows 10 and Windows 11 using a keyboard shortcut (and other ways to log off Windows).
First, YES‐‐1,NO‐‐2
Yes? All right:
This is a game in which you will be playing against the random decision of the computer.
Such begin the instructions for Jerimac Ratliff’s Cube, published in 1978’s BASIC Computer Games, a collection of games for Atari. One step at a time, you work your way through a cube in Ratliff’s game. Here’s the thing, though:
One minor detail, the computer will pick, at random, 5 locations at which it will plant land mines.
Does this sound familiar? Yes, Cube is an early ancestor of Minesweeper—which Microsoft have randomly placed in their store with Windows 10 and 11.
Feel like Microsoft has also randomly hidden the “Log Off Windows”-button, -key, -menu, -anything? Let’s find out how to still sign out of Windows, step by step:
How to Sing Out from Windows 10/11 with a Shortcut
Using Mouse or Trackpad
Time needed: 1 minute
To log out of Windows and close all applications and files:
- Click the Start button in Windows.
Windows keyboard shortcut: You can press the Windows button, of course, to open the Start menu.
- Now click your Windows account icon on the left.
Your name: In the expanded Start menu, you will see your name next to the icon.
Power: Do not click the power button. - Select Sign out from the menu that has appeared.
For a possibly faster way, try the Start menu’s context menu:
- Click on the Start menu button with the right mouse button in Windows.
- Select Shut down or sign out | Sign out from the menu.
Using the Windows Sign Out Shortcut
To log off Windows 10 and Windows 11 using a keyboard shortcut:
- Press Ctrl Alt Del.
- Now use the up (⬆︎) and down (⬇︎) arrow keys to highlight Sign out.
- Press Enter.
The mouse and one keyboard shortcut more: You can also click Sign out with the mouse, of course, or press Alt S (for “sign out”).
How to Sing Out from Windows with Keyboard Shortcut, Mouse, and Trackpad: FAQ
What happens when I log off from Windows?
When you log out of Windows,
- all applications that you have opened on the computer are closed,
- all your Windows account’s files are properly closed and saved, and
- Windows returns to the log-on screen (which is presented when you first start a computer, for example, or switch users).
When is it useful (or recommended) to sign out?
Logging off lets others use the computer without your processes and files open in the background. Even though the performance penalty may be minimal, why not avoid it when easily you can?
More importantly, logging out of Windows lets Windows close all files you had open. That includes not only the documents you worked on but also all the files Windows needs to work and be customized for you, and all the preferences you set in all the applications you use.
Usually, it is only when files are closed and no longer used anywhere that they can be backed up. Often, closing files is also necessary for network or VPN files to be properly saved and synchronized.
So, it is smart to
- log off your Windows computer whenever you leave it for a longer time, say overnight.
If you will return promptly (or have three dozen projects open which surely you will finish tomorrow; or the day after tomorrow), you can lock Windows instead.
(How to sign out with a shortcut tested with Windows 10 Version 21H2 and Windows 11 Version 22H2; updated March 2024)