no power options in start

Question

no power options in start

Bob S 0

When I click the POWER tab in Start I get the message that no options are currently available. What's up with that? How do I fix it?

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3 answers

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Answer 1

Horace Wiggins 535

I don't know about a tab, but when I click on Start in my Taskbar I can then click on the Power icon and here is what I get. I have Windows 11 Pro 26H2 with all updates.

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https://techterms.com/definition/tab

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Answer 2

Hi Bob,

This issue occurs if group policies or registry-based policies are in effect. Did this occur after installing a third-party program?

Please do the following:

Create a System Restoer Point. To do so, run systempropertiesprotection.exe from the Run dialog. In the System Properties dialog, click Create.

Once done, open Regedit.exe and go to the following branch:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

In the right pane, delete the NoClose and NoLogoff registry values if they exist.

Exit the Registry Editor.

Restart Windows by running the command shutdown /r /t 0 from the Run dialog or Command Prompt.

Answer 3

Check whether Windows is hiding the power commands through policy; on an unmanaged home PC, clear that policy and then restore the default power schemes.

1. Check the power-command policy

A Windows policy can remove Shut down, Restart, Sleep, and Hibernate from Start and the Windows Security screen. When the policy is disabled or not configured, those commands should be available.^1^

If you have Windows 11 Pro:

Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
Check both locations:
- User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar
- Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar
Open Remove and prevent access to the Shut Down, Restart, Sleep, and Hibernate commands.
Set it to Not Configured or Disabled.
Sign out and back in.

Also press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and check whether its power menu is missing. That strongly points to the same policy, because the policy also affects the Windows Security screen.^2^

If this is a work- or school-managed PC, do not override the setting: contact the administrator, because device-management policies can deliberately hide individual or all power options.

2. Restore the default power schemes

On a personal, unmanaged PC, open Terminal (Admin):

Right-click Start.
Select Terminal (Admin).
Run:

powercfg /restoredefaultschemes
shutdown /r /t 0

After Windows restarts, check Start > Power. Restoring the default schemes is the accepted resolution for the matching Windows 11 symptom.^3^

Note: restoring default schemes removes customized power plans and resets their settings.

3. Run the Power troubleshooter

If the options are still unavailable:

Open Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
Find Power and select Run.
Apply any recommended changes, then check Start again.^4^

4. Repair Windows system files

If no policy is configured and restoring the plans did not work, open Terminal (Admin) and run these commands in order:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
sfc /scannow
shutdown /r /t 0

Wait for DISM to complete before running SFC, and do not close the window until SFC reaches 100%.^5^

After restarting, test Start > Power again. Until it is fixed, the physical power button can usually be configured through Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do.^4^

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