Windows 11 update is redesigning how you shut down your PC

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Microsoft is continuing to refine the look of Windows 11, with the shutdown window set to get a modern refresh, similar to improvements in suggested text and Paint.

This can be found in Windows 11 Build 25115, which is available in the Dev Channel if you're signed in to the Insider program. Once you press Alt + F4, Windows 11’s shut down options, which include a drop-down menu giving you the choice to hibernate, shut down, restart or standby your PC, will look different.

Instead, it has the rounded edges that have appeared in other updates across Windows 11, such as Windows Media Player, and menus when you right-click on a folder in File Explorer.

There's also new icons for when you're in the Recovery Mode, finally moving away from the rather basic look that's been present there since Windows 8.


Analysis: However small, Windows 11's look is getting better

All of these changes are making a big difference to areas that have felt abandoned for years. Whether it's the Snipping Tool to take screenshots or the File Explorer that will soon feature tabs like a web browser, Microsoft is trying to modernize Windows for everyone.

With Sun Valley 2, Windows 11's next major update, tentatively still on course to arrive later this year, these small improvements may be a sign of Microsoft putting its foot off the gas, and looking at the smaller areas of Windows to improve, while fixing up bugs.

Recovery Mode has been a useful feature for years, where it can repair a Windows installation that’s failing to boot up for example, but it's always been stuck with a look from Windows 8.

While it's just the icons that are seeing a change, we wouldn't be surprised to see a total redesign by the time Sun Valley 2 arrives.

Via Windows Latest

Daryl Baxter
Software & Downloads Writer

Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he's written a book, 'The Making of Tomb Raider'. His second book, '50 Years of Boss Fights', came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called 'Springboard'. He's usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that's about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.

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