Once you have located the menu, you will be presented with several options. They are explained below.

• Switch User - Allows your account to remain logged in while another user account access the computer.
• Log Off - Logs your account out of Windows and take you to the user login page.
• Lock - Preserves your Windows state and locks the computer to other users. You will need to log back into your user account to get back into Windows.
• Restart- Logs your account out of Windows and restarts the computer as if it had been turned off and powered on.
• Sleep - A low power mode that conserves energy consumption. If the computer is turned off for any reason while in sleep mode, all unsaved data will be lost.
• Hibernate - Allows you to preserve your state in Windows and power down your computer. The next time you turn the computer on, it will be restored to your preserved state.
• Shutdown - Logs your account out of Windows and shuts the computer off.

Windows Vista & 7

• To access the shutdown menu, go to Start and click on the arrow in the lower right corner (denoted in the red circle in the picture below):

  

Windows 8

• Move your cursor to the right side of the screen to bring up the Charms Bar.

• Select Settings. Then click Power.

  

  This will give you three options: Sleep, Shut Down, and Restart.

• Or move your cursor to the right side of the screen to bring up the Charms Bar and select Start. Locate your username at the top right of the screen and click on it. This will give you these options: Lock, Sign Out, and Switch Account.

Windows 10

Click the start/windows button in the lower left of the screen. When the menu shows up, click the power button immediately above the start button.