How to hide Windows 11’s power button

Windows 11 is the latest operating system from Microsoft, and it comes with a new design and features. One of the changes that some users may not like is the placement of the power button on the taskbar.

The power button is located next to the Start menu, and it allows you to quickly access options such as sleep, restart, or shut down your PC. However, if you prefer a cleaner look or want to avoid accidentally clicking on the power button, you may want to hide it from the taskbar.

In this blog post, we will show you how to hide Windows 11’s power button using two methods: one that involves editing the registry, and one that uses a third-party tool. Before we proceed, we recommend that you back up your registry or create a system restore point in case something goes wrong.

Method 1: Edit the registry

The first method to hide Windows 11’s power button is to edit the registry. This is a more advanced option, and it requires you to be careful and follow the steps exactly. Here is what you need to do:

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box. Type regedit and click OK to open the Registry Editor.

2. Navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

3. Right-click on an empty space in the right pane and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it Start_PowerButton.

4. Double-click on the Start_PowerButton value and set its data to 0. This will hide the power button from the taskbar.

5. Close the Registry Editor and restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

Method 2: Use a third-party tool

The second method to hide Windows 11’s power button is to use a third-party tool called PowerToys. PowerToys is a set of utilities that enhance Windows functionality and customization. One of the tools included in PowerToys is called PowerRename, which allows you to rename files and folders in bulk using various criteria. You can use PowerRename to hide Windows 11’s power button by renaming its icon file. Here is what you need to do:

1. Download and install PowerToys from this link: https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases

2. Run PowerToys and click on PowerRename in the left pane.

3. In the PowerRename window, click on Select Folder and browse to this location: C:\Windows\SystemResources\StartUI

4. In the folder, select the file named PowerButton.png and click on Rename.

5. In the Rename window, enter a new name for the file, such as PowerButton.bak or PowerButton.old. Make sure you keep the same extension (.png).

6. Click on Rename and close PowerToys.

7. Restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

You have successfully hidden Windows 11’s power button from the taskbar using either method. If you want to restore the power button, you can either delete or change back the Start_PowerButton value in the registry, or rename back the PowerButton.png file using PowerRename.

If you want to prevent users from easily turning off your computer, Windows 11 has a feature that allows you to remove the power button from the Start menu. However, this feature is not very accessible; you need to modify the registry, instead of changing a setting in the normal Windows Settings.

To do this, type regedit in the Windows 11 search field and click on the «Registry Editor» option that appears. In the registry editor, navigate to the path «HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\Start\HidePowerButton». In the HidePowerButton folder you will see the entry «value». Double-click on it and change its value to «1». Then restart Windows.

That’s it! The power button is now gone from the Start menu. You can still shut down the operating system by finding the power options when you use the key combinations Alt-F4 or Ctrl-Alt-Del. Windows also has a hidden emergency restart button.