Q: MacBook Pro will not shut down.

Hello there, Steve840!

Thanks for reaching out to the Apple Support Communities! It sounds like you are having an issue shutting down the Mac. I know how important it is to be able to turn off and restart the computer as well. Here are some troubleshooting steps that you can try. Go through each one at a time and see which step solves the problem:

• Try to determine if one particular app is causing the problem. If one app always freezes when you shutdown, and cancels the shutdown process then update it or delete and reinstall the app. There might be a message that pops up saying an app has cancelled the restart or shutdown. Check out this article to Force an app to close on your Mac.
• Perform a software update (open App Store and click Updates > Update All).
• Update any software that you installed outside of the App Store. Typically open the App and choose Help > Update  > Update Software.
• Check that you have FileVault turned off (System Preferences > Security & Privacy > FileVault > Turn Off FileVault).
• Open Disk Utility. Choose the main hard drive and click Verify Disk. If there are any problems click Repair Disk.
• Follow these steps to Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac. This will remove startup items and perform checks to see if something in the background might be causing the issue. Remember you can always hold down the power button on the MacBook until it shuts off to get it totally powered off for the restart.
• Follow these steps about How to Reset NVRAM on your Mac.

Cheers!