How to Schedule Automatic Shutdown in Windows 10
It’s very common for people to forget to shut down their PCs. And the computer keeps draining the battery for no good reason. In such cases, automatic shutdown can be helpful. But, Windows 10 doesn’t provide any native options to schedule automatic shutdown.
So, we will use the Windows built-in Task Scheduler tool to shut down your computer at a specified time. You can even use Task Scheduler to automatically shut down your computer on any specific event from the event log. The process is also straightforward.
SEE ALSO: How to Automatically Turn On Your PC on a Schedule?
Schedule Automatic Shutdown in Windows 10 using Task Scheduler
Task Scheduler can also be used to automate other tasks, programs, scripts, etc. But in this tutorial, we are going to use Task Scheduler to automate Windows 10 shutdown at a specific time. So, let’s check the steps.
Step 1: Open Task Scheduler in Windows 10
Search for task scheduler on Start and open Task Scheduler from the search results.
Step 2: Click ‘Create Basic Task’
After opening Task Scheduler, select Task Scheduler Library from the left pane. Now, you will see the list of all the tasks already created in the middle pane.
Click Create Basic Task… on the right pane to create a new task which we will use to schedule automatic shutdown in Windows 10.
SEE ALSO: How to Automatically Empty Recycle Bin in Windows 10?
Step 3: Name Your Task
Now, the Create Basic Task wizard will start. On the first page, you will need to provide a name for your task. We have named our task as Automatic Shutdown as we are going to schedule an automatic shutdown. You can also provide an optional description of your task.
Step 4: Select Schedule and Time for your Automatic Shutdown Task
After you click Next, the wizard will move to the Trigger tab. Here, select Daily and click Next.
Now, you will see an option to select the Start date and time for your task. So, select the date and time when you wish to trigger the automatic shutdown. You can also set the frequency of the task, which is set to recurring every 1 day for daily tasks.
In this tutorial, we have set the schedule for automatic shutdown at 11:00 PM every day.
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Step 5: Set Shutdown Program to Run on Schedule
Now, you will be on the Action tab. Select Start a program and click Next.
It’s time to set the actual program which will trigger automatic shutdown at the scheduled time. We will use the Windows native shutdown.exe command.
So, type shutdown.exe in Program/script: field and type /s /f /t 60 in Add arguments (optional): field.
Explanation:
/s | Shut down the computer. You can use the /r switch to reboot the computer. |
/f | Force close all running programs. |
/t 60 | Shut down in 60 seconds. You can set time according to your requirements |
Step 6: Click Finish to Create the Task
Finally, click Finish to close the wizard. Our task is now ready to perform automatic shutdown on the selected schedule.
Step 7: Test the Automatic Shutdown Task
You will see your newly created task in the Task Scheduler library. It will run automatically on the time we have selected in the schedule. But you can also run it right now if you wish to test it. Make sure to close all your programs before testing the task.
Simply, right-click on our Automatic Shutdown task and select Run to run it now.
Automating Shutdown in Windows 10 using Task Scheduler
Now, this Automatic Shutdown task will run every day at the scheduled time we have selected. You can always change the task schedule or other settings from task properties. Simply, right-click on it and select Properties. Then, you can make the necessary changes to it. Besides that, you can also Disable or Delete the task when no longer required.
Hope you won’t have any trouble following this tutorial. However, if you face any issues or have any questions, you can write them down in the comments down below. You can also subscribe using your email ID and get the latest tutorials directly into your inbox.
