How to Remove or Show the Power Button on Windows 8.1 Start Screen

After upgrading to Windows 8.1 Update, Microsoft adds several enhancements to Windows 8.1 user experience, where one of them is the Power button now available by default on the Start screen on the top right corner, together with a Search button and user account name.

If you’re content with the options which are currently available to shutdown, restart, sleep, hibernate your computer or switch user, such as via Charms bar and Quick Access Power User menu, you may not want another Power button on the Start screen.

Furthermore, there may be cases where the Power button on the Start screen should be showing after installing Windows 8.1 Update, but for some reasons, it’s not appearing.

Whatever the case may be, the following trick may be useful for you who want to show or hide the Power button on the Start screen.

How to Hide the Windows 8.1 Start Screen Power Button

1. Run Registry Editor (RegEdit).
2. Navigate to the following registry key:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ImmersiveShell
3. Right click on ImmersiveShell and select New -> Key to create a new key named Launcher.
   
4. Right click on Launcher and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value to create a new value named Launcher_ShowPowerButtonOnStartScreen.
5. Set the value data of “Launcher_ShowPowerButtonOnStartScreen” to 0 to disable and remove the Power button on Start screen.
   
6. Restart the computer when done.

Alternative

Download and apply the following registry registration file to automatically remove and hide the power button on the Start screen without messing with the registry:

Win8-PowerStart-Hide.reg

How to Show and Display the Windows 8.1 Start Screen Power Button

1. Run Registry Editor (RegEdit).
2. Navigate to the following registry key:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ImmersiveShell
3. Right click on ImmersiveShell and select New -> Key to create a new key named Launcher.
4. Right click on Launcher and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value to create a new value named Launcher_ShowPowerButtonOnStartScreen.
5. Set the value data of “Launcher_ShowPowerButtonOnStartScreen” to 1 to enable and display the Power button on Start screen.
6. Restart the computer when done.

Alternative

Download and apply the following registry registration file to automatically remove and hide the power button on the Start screen without messing with the registry:

Win8-PowerStart-Show.reg

Windows 8.1 Start screen with no power button is shown in figure above.