diff --git a/src/DiffEngineViewer.Windows.Tests/GlobalUsings.cs b/src/DiffEngineViewer.Windows.Tests/GlobalUsings.cs
index 0b4fd261..bc3662c4 100644
--- a/src/DiffEngineViewer.Windows.Tests/GlobalUsings.cs
+++ b/src/DiffEngineViewer.Windows.Tests/GlobalUsings.cs
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
 global using System.Buffers.Binary;
-global using System.IO.Compression;
\ No newline at end of file
+global using System.IO.Compression;global using System.Reflection;
diff --git a/src/DiffEngineViewer.Windows.Tests/ViewerFormClosingTests.cs b/src/DiffEngineViewer.Windows.Tests/ViewerFormClosingTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..df610c12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/DiffEngineViewer.Windows.Tests/ViewerFormClosingTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+/// <summary>
+/// Who gets to refuse a close.
+/// <para>
+/// The form cancels a user close because whether closing means hide or exit is ViewerProgram's
+/// rule, not the form's. It used to cancel every close, including the one Windows sends when the
+/// session is ending — and WinForms answers WM_QUERYENDSESSION with !e.Cancel, so the viewer
+/// reported itself as preventing shutdown.
+/// </para>
+/// <para>
+/// Driven through OnFormClosing by reflection, because CloseReason is set by the message that
+/// started the close and there is no way to ask a form to close as though Windows had.
+/// </para>
+/// </summary>
+[NotInParallel]
+[TUnit.Core.Executors.STAThreadExecutor]
+public class ViewerFormClosingTests
+{
+    [Test]
+    [Arguments(CloseReason.UserClosing, true)]
+    [Arguments(CloseReason.None, true)]
+    [Arguments(CloseReason.WindowsShutDown, false)]
+    [Arguments(CloseReason.TaskManagerClosing, false)]
+    public async Task Cancels(CloseReason reason, bool expected)
+    {
+        using var form = new ViewerForm("title", 800, 600);
+        var args = new FormClosingEventArgs(reason, false);
+
+        Raise(form, args);
+
+        await Assert.That(args.Cancel).IsEqualTo(expected);
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// And CloseForReal still wins, whatever the reason, since that is the loop answering its own
+    /// question.
+    /// </summary>
+    [Test]
+    public async Task CloseForRealIsNeverCancelled()
+    {
+        using var form = new ViewerForm("title", 800, 600);
+        form.CloseForReal();
+        var args = new FormClosingEventArgs(CloseReason.UserClosing, false);
+
+        Raise(form, args);
+
+        await Assert.That(args.Cancel).IsFalse();
+    }
+
+    static void Raise(ViewerForm form, FormClosingEventArgs args) =>
+        typeof(ViewerForm)
+            .GetMethod("OnFormClosing", BindingFlags.Instance | BindingFlags.NonPublic)!
+            .Invoke(form, [args]);
+}
diff --git a/src/DiffEngineViewer.Windows/ViewerForm.cs b/src/DiffEngineViewer.Windows/ViewerForm.cs
index b497800e..fe3a3456 100644
--- a/src/DiffEngineViewer.Windows/ViewerForm.cs
+++ b/src/DiffEngineViewer.Windows/ViewerForm.cs
@@ -312,9 +312,16 @@ public void CloseForReal()
 
     protected override void OnFormClosing(FormClosingEventArgs e)
     {
-        // Always cancelled, because whether closing means hide or exit is ViewerProgram's rule and
-        // it needs a tray check to decide. CloseForReal is how the answer comes back.
-        if (!closingForReal)
+        // Cancelled for a close the user asked for, because whether that means hide or exit is
+        // ViewerProgram's rule and it needs a tray check to decide. CloseForReal is how the answer
+        // comes back.
+        //
+        // Never for a close the session is ending: WinForms answers WM_QUERYENDSESSION with
+        // !e.Cancel, so refusing made Windows report the viewer as preventing shutdown, and with a
+        // tray running the loop only hid the window - leaving the process blocking until the user
+        // chose "Shut down anyway". Letting it through is safe because the loop watches for a
+        // disposed form and returns, which runs the same shutdown it would have run anyway.
+        if (!closingForReal && !EndsTheSession(e.CloseReason))
         {
             closeRequested = true;
             e.Cancel = true;
@@ -323,6 +330,13 @@ protected override void OnFormClosing(FormClosingEventArgs e)
         base.OnFormClosing(e);
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The process is going away whatever this form says. Task Manager's End Task is here with
+    /// shutdown because refusing it buys the same nothing: the user has already decided.
+    /// </summary>
+    internal static bool EndsTheSession(CloseReason reason) =>
+        reason is CloseReason.WindowsShutDown or CloseReason.TaskManagerClosing;
+
     /// <summary>
     /// ProcessCmdKey rather than OnKeyDown, because Tab and Escape are consumed by focus
     /// navigation and the default button before a key handler would ever see them.