Where are my Sleep, Restart and Shut Down options when I press the power button

Question

When I press the power button in Start, only Lock appears. I don't even want Lock!

Answer 1

The Power button in Start is being restricted by policy so only Lock is available. To restore Sleep, Restart, and Shut down, the policies that hide or remove power options must be disabled.

Check for and turn off these policies (via Group Policy, MDM, or registry, depending on how the device is managed):

1. HidePowerOptions / NoClose (Start menu power commands)
   These policies remove Shut Down, Restart, Sleep, and Hibernate from the Start menu (and related screens):
   • HidePowerOptions (device-level, Start Menu and Taskbar)
   • NoClose (user-level, Start Menu and Taskbar)
   If either is enabled, the Power button menu is stripped down. They must be disabled or not configured so the full set of power commands appears again.
2. Start menu Power button action policies
   If configured, these policies force what the Start menu Power button does and can limit options:
   • DCStartMenuButtonAction_2 – “Select the Start menu Power button action (on battery)”
   If enabled, this policy sets a specific action (Sleep, Hibernate, or Shut down) and prevents users from changing it. To allow normal behavior and all options to show, set it to Not configured (or adjust to the desired action if your admin wants to enforce one).
3. Device power-button behavior policies
   These control what happens when the physical power button is pressed and can also be enforced by policy:
   • SelectPowerButtonActionOnBattery
   • SelectPowerButtonActionPluggedIn
   If these are enabled, they specify a fixed action (Do nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, Shut down). To let users choose freely in Power Options, set them to Not configured.

If the device is managed by an organization (Intune/MDM, Group Policy, or System Center), an administrator must change these settings in the management tool or via Group Policy/registry. Once the policies are disabled or removed, the Start menu Power button will again show Sleep, Restart, and Shut down instead of only Lock.

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References:

• Policy CSP - ADMX_StartMenu
• Policy CSP - ADMX_Power
• Policy CSP - Power