How to Access the Power User Menu on Windows 11

Everyone knows you can press Ctrl+Alt+Del to access Task Manager, but what about the Power User menu? The Power User Menu provides a convenient way to access important utilities, key locations, and useful menus. Here’s how to access it.

There are two convenient ways to access the power user menu.

Access the power user menu with a keyboard shortcut

One way to access the Power User menu is to press Windows+X, which is why it’s sometimes referred to as the “WinX” menu. The Power User menu appears in the lower left corner of your screen, just above the Start button.

Access the power user menu with the mouse

If you prefer, you can also access the Power User menu using just your mouse. Right-click the Start button and it will open immediately.

What does the power user menu do?

The Power User menu gives you access to almost everything you’ll ever need to manage a computer. Each option listed in the power user menu also has a corresponding hotkey that you can press to select it. If you find yourself using some options a lot, it might be worth remembering the key required to access them.

For example, the Terminal option can be selected by opening the Power User menu and then pressing the i key. This will show up as Terminal (i) in the list.

• Apps and Features (F) – Allows you to remove installed programs and customize program installation settings.
• Mobility Center (B) – Provides access to a window that centralizes all the settings you might want to tweak on a mobile device.
• Power Options (O) – Provides access to settings related to power saving features, device performance and battery usage history.
• Event Viewer (V) – Allows you to view important events occurring within the operating system, your device’s drivers, or programs running on your PC.
• System (Y) – Provides an overview of the system specifications.
• Device Manager (M) – Allows granular control over all hardware components and peripherals connected to your PC.
• Network Connections (W) – Allows you to control all your network settings.
• Disk Management (K) – Allows you to format drives and manage partitions.
• Computer Management (G) – Gathers a variety of management utilities and functions into one window.
• Windows terminal (i) – Opens a Windows terminal
• Windows Terminal (Admin) (A) – Opens a Windows terminal with administrator rights
• Task Manager (T) – Opens Task Manager, where you can view running applications and services, monitor your hardware, and select startup programs.
• Settings (N) – Opens the settings window.
• File Explorer (E) – Opens File Explorer, which you can use to browse files on your PC.
• Search (S) – Opens the start menu and takes you directly to the search bar.
• Run (R) – Opens a run window. Enter an executable name in the window to run it.
• Shut down or log out (U) – Opens a flyout menu that allows you to shut down, restart, log off or hibernate your PC.
• desk (D) – Minimizes all desktop applications and shows your desktop.

The Power User menu is one of the least used menus in Windows considering how handy it is. It’s often the most efficient way to access things like Terminal or Disk Management.

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