Microsoft has rolled out a fix in its latest preview builds to resolve a notorious glitch with the “update and shut down” feature.
This long-standing issue, which has haunted the operating system for years, tricked users into believing their PCs were powering off when updates were pending, only for the machines to restart unexpectedly and disrupt sleep cycles with noisy fans.
The bug emerged shortly after Windows 11’s launch in 2021 and quickly became a source of irritation across forums and social media.
When users selected the “update and shut down” option from the Start menu or Windows Update settings, the system appeared to comply by initiating the shutdown process.
However, instead of fully powering down, the PC would install the update and reboot, often landing back at the lock screen or desktop. This behavior stemmed from how Windows handles cumulative updates, which bundle security patches, bug fixes, and feature improvements.
If an update encountered even a minor hiccup during installation, such as a temporary file lock or driver conflict, the system would default to a restart rather than a clean shutdown. Overnight, idle detection kicked in, prompting another installation attempt and creating a cycle of unwanted reboots.
User complaints painted a vivid picture of the annoyance. Home users described coming downstairs in the middle of the night to find their desktops humming loudly, with fans whirring at full speed to cool spiking CPU and disk activity.
Office workers reported interrupted workflows, as machines that should have been off instead cycled through updates during off-hours, potentially exposing sensitive data or draining power unnecessarily.
The issue wasn’t universal but affected a significant portion of Windows 11 devices, especially those on older hardware, where update failures were more common due to compatibility quirks.