‘Fail To Shut Down’—Microsoft Issues Windows Update Warning - Forbes
January 16, 2026 at 9:20 AM
Microsoft has warned that some Windows 11 PCs may restart instead of shutting down or entering hibernation after the January 13, 2026 security update.
Who is affected
- Windows 11, version 23H2 devices with Secure Launch enabled
- Secure Launch uses virtualization-based security to guard against firmware-level threats during startup
What you might see
- Attempting to shut down or hibernate causes the PC to restart
- There is currently no workaround for hibernation
What to do now
- Use a manual shutdown via Command Prompt: open Start, type cmd, press Enter, then run: shutdown /s /t 0
- Save your work frequently and shut down fully when you’re finished to avoid power loss if you rely on hibernation
- Microsoft says an out-of-band fix is expected soon
Context from Patch Tuesday
- The latest Patch Tuesday addressed multiple critical vulnerabilities, including zero-days, and delivered Windows 10 extended support updates. However, the shutdown/hibernation issue is a notable post-update problem for impacted users.
Related known issue: Remote Desktop
- Some users are seeing credential prompt failures when connecting via the Windows App on Windows client devices, affecting Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365
- Workarounds:
- Use the traditional Remote Desktop client for Windows
- Connect with the Windows App Web Client at windows.cloud.microsoft
Bottom line
Until Microsoft releases a fix, avoid hibernation, use the Command Prompt shutdown command, and switch Remote Desktop clients if you encounter sign-in prompts failing.