Change Start Menu power button
Verified with Windows 11 25H2 — updated on July 30, 2026
Supported on: Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7
Path in the GPO console
User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Start Menu and Taskbar Description
Set the default action of the power button on the Start menu. If you enable this setting, the Start Menu will set the power button to the chosen action, and not let the user change this action. If you set the button to either Sleep or Hibernate, and that state is not supported on a computer, then the button will fall back to Shut Down. If you disable or do not configure this setting, the Start Menu power button will be set to Shut Down by default, and the user can change this setting to another action.
Registry
HKCU
Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer MDM / Intune (CSP)
./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_StartMenu/PowerButtonAction Microsoft Learn documentation Mapping data: Microsoft Learn (CC BY 4.0)
Export Builder
BETAConfigure the state, scope and options, then generate .reg, PowerShell, Intune and SCCM outputs — or add the setting to a multi-setting collection.
These exports write the registry — this is not a managed GPO. ⓘ
.reg file
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; Exported from gporais.com
; Policy: Change Start Menu power button
; State: Enabled
; Supported on: Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer]
"PowerButtonAction"=dword:00000002More formats (PowerShell, Intune, SCCM)
PowerShell
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Change Start Menu power button
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
$path = 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'PowerButtonAction' -Value 2 -Type DWordIntune XML
OMA-URI: ./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_StartMenu/PowerButtonAction
Data type: String
Value:
<enabled/>
<data id="PowerButtonActionDropdown" value="2"/>Intune Remediation
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Change Start Menu power button
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
function Test-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Name,
[object]$Expected,
[ValidateSet('String', 'DWord', 'MultiString')][string]$Kind = 'String',
[switch]$Absent
)
try {
$item = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction Stop
} catch {
return $Absent.IsPresent
}
if ($Absent.IsPresent) { return $false }
$actual = $item.$Name
if ($Kind -eq 'DWord') { return ([int64]$actual) -eq ([int64]$Expected) }
if ($Kind -eq 'MultiString') {
$actualValues = @($actual)
$expectedValues = @($Expected)
if ($actualValues.Count -ne $expectedValues.Count) { return $false }
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $expectedValues.Count; $i++) {
if ([string]$actualValues[$i] -ne [string]$expectedValues[$i]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
return [string]$actual -eq [string]$Expected
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer' -Name 'PowerButtonAction' -Expected 2 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Change Start Menu power button
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
$path = 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'PowerButtonAction' -Value 2 -Type DWordSCCM scripts
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Change Start Menu power button
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7
# SCCM Configuration Item guidance:
# Create a Configuration Item of type "Setting: Script".
# Discovery script: use the Detection script below.
# Remediation script: use the Remediation script below.
# Compliance rule: the Discovery script output equals 'Compliant'.
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Change Start Menu power button
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
function Test-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Name,
[object]$Expected,
[ValidateSet('String', 'DWord', 'MultiString')][string]$Kind = 'String',
[switch]$Absent
)
try {
$item = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction Stop
} catch {
return $Absent.IsPresent
}
if ($Absent.IsPresent) { return $false }
$actual = $item.$Name
if ($Kind -eq 'DWord') { return ([int64]$actual) -eq ([int64]$Expected) }
if ($Kind -eq 'MultiString') {
$actualValues = @($actual)
$expectedValues = @($Expected)
if ($actualValues.Count -ne $expectedValues.Count) { return $false }
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $expectedValues.Count; $i++) {
if ([string]$actualValues[$i] -ne [string]$expectedValues[$i]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
return [string]$actual -eq [string]$Expected
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer' -Name 'PowerButtonAction' -Expected 2 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Change Start Menu power button
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
$path = 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'PowerButtonAction' -Value 2 -Type DWordBuilding a multi-setting collection? Add this setting and generate combined .reg / PowerShell / GPO scripts.