PCs often go to sleep when left alone, but would you prefer it to shut down instead? Here’s how to automate it.
By default, Windows is configured to put your computer to sleep after a few minutes of inactivity. But if you prefer to shut down your computer every day or when idle for a long time, you can use the Task Scheduler to schedule an automatic system shut down instead.
Here we show you how to schedule shut down in Windows 11 and 10 computers.
Task Scheduler is a job scheduling utility available on Windows operating system. You can use it to create a scheduled task to shut down your PC every day at a specified time.
To create a shutdown task:
That’s it. The Task Scheduler will trigger the shutdown action daily at your specified time and power off your PC.
If you want, you can add a trigger condition to your shutdown task to determine when the task should run. This is helpful if you want to run the shutdown task after a specified period of inactivity.
For this guide, we will modify the Shutdown task created earlier. If you want, you can create a new task as well.
To stop automatic Windows shutdown, you can delete the scheduled task in Windows Task Scheduler.
To delete the shutdown task in Task Scheduler:
Task Scheduler is an excellent utility but may feel a little complicated for those who don’t use it often. If you don’t want to go through the learning curve, you can use the shutdown command in Command Prompt.
The shutdown command lets you set a shutdown timer to power off your Windows computer automatically.
To schedule a system shutdown using Command Prompt:
You can create a desktop shortcut with a shut down timer to turn off your PC. Useful if you don’t want to run the Command Prompt each time to set a timer.
To create a shut down timer desktop shortcut:
You can double-click on the ShutDownTimer shortcut to initiate a shut down. To cancel the shut down, use the shutdown -a command in Command Prompt.
You can use Command Prompt and Task Scheduler to automate system shut down in Windows 11 and 10 computers. However, unlike Command Prompt, Task Scheduler offers better task automation and supports more conditions. You can also configure it to automate Windows start-up.
Do you boot your PC at the same time each day? If so, you can put it to sleep or hibernate and then wake it automatically. Here’s how you can do this.
Tashreef is a developer and works as a technical writer at MakeUseOf. With a bachelor’s degree in Computer Applications, he has over 5 years of experience and covers Microsoft Windows and everything around it. When not looking for a missing semicolon or churning out text, you can find him trying FPS titles or looking for new animated shows and movies.
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