How to Schedule a Windows Computer to Shut Down Automatically

Has there ever be a time when you wanted your PC to shut down at a specific time? You may want to leave it on to download a large file at night or while you're away from home.

It is in these situations when it becomes very practical to know how to program it to turn itself off. There is no official feature that allows you to do it in Windows 10, but it is easy to do even without downloading any additional software .

 

How to schedule automatic shutdown of Windows 10: Command Prompt

The easy way to set your computer to shut down automatically is by using the Command Prompt program included in Windows 10:

1. In the search bar next to the Start menu, search for 'cmd' and click on the appropriate result.

2. In the window that appears, type 'shutdown -s -t XXXX', replacing 'XXXX' with the number of seconds you want to pass before your PC shuts down. For example, if you want it to shut down in an hour, type 'shutdown -s -t 3600'.

3. Hit 'Enter' and an alert should appear to confirm that you want your PC to shut down after that specified time.

That won't affect anything you do on your device, and you can even close the Command Prompt window with no problem. In case you want the computer to restart (and not shut down), use the command 'shutdown -r -t' and the corresponding seconds.

To cancel one or the other action, open the same Command Prompt window, type 'shutdown -a' and hit 'Enter'. You will be confirmed that the scheduled automatic shutdown (or restart) has been canceled.

How to create an automatic shutdown shortcut in Windows 10

If you often need to leave your computer on before it shuts down, it is worth creating a shortcut to the process described above. The process is relatively simple:

1. Right click on any free space on your desktop.

2. Select 'New', and then 'Shortcut'.

 

3. In the window that appears, type the same command as before 'shutdown -s -t (number of seconds) and then click' Next '.

4. On the next screen, give that shortcut a name (for example, Shutdown 1 hour) and click 'Finish'.

5. This icon will now appear on the desktop. If you double click, that command will be performed.

You may also want to create a similar shutdown shortcut to quickly cancel that shutdown. Clicking on that icon and choosing 'Properties' will allow you to customize its font and design in order to differentiate them.

On the other hand, you may want to use external software , such as Sleep Timer . This program is completely free and works similar to the Command Prompt method.

For more tips on Windows automations, check out our tips on how to manage programs that run automatically . 

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