Surely many people miss an option in Windows 10 that allows programming the automatic shutdown of the computer , in this way, we could leave doing any task on the computer, schedule the automatic shutdown and leave without having to wait for it to finish. However, although Microsoft has not included this option in the system menu, the truth is that it offers a tool that allows us to program the shutdown of the PC easily. Next, we are going to show you how to schedule automatic shutdown and startup of Windows 10.
Schedule automatic shutdown in Windows 10
To schedule the automatic shutdown of Windows 10 , we will have to use the system task scheduler . A tool that Microsoft has offered with the operating system for a long time and that is still a great unknown for many users. However, it can be very useful for programming or automating certain things.
In this sense, we can use it to program the automatic shutdown of the computer and thus we will not have to stay in front of the computer until something has finished downloading or running or even having to ask someone to turn off the computer when it is finished.
With task scheduler
To do this, the first thing we have to do is open the Windows 10 task scheduler, something we can do simply by typing ” task scheduler ” in the search box on the taskbar and clicking on the tool in the window of results.
Automatically, we will see how the tool opens on the desktop and we can begin to create the task that allows us to program the automatic shutdown of Windows 10. The first thing is to click on the option Create basic task that we find in the right panel of the programmer . This will open a new window with the wizard to create our tasks.
In the first step we have to indicate the name that we want to give to the task, for example Automatic PC shutdown , and a description to indicate that the task has been created to schedule the automatic shutdown of Windows 10. Once this is done, click in Next and then, we will be asked to indicate when we want this task to start . There we will be able to choose between Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Once, When the equipment starts, When logging in or When a specific event is registered.
If we want the shutdown to be done automatically every day, then we choose Daily and click Next. Next, we will have to indicate the start date and time for the task we are creating. In this case, we can put the one for today and yes, correctly indicate the time at which we want the PC to turn off. In this same step, we also have to indicate how many days we want the task to be repeated. By putting a one, we will be saying that we want it to be repeated every day.
We click on Next and now what we have to indicate is the action we want the system to perform when the time comes. To schedule the automatic shutdown of Windows 10, what we have to do is mark the option Start a program and click Next to later click on the Browse button and select the Shutdown.exe process . In the Windows explorer window, we will find this process under the path C: WindowsSystem32 and all we have to do is double click and it will automatically be shown in the task scheduler window.
If everything is correct, click on Next and finally we will see a summary of the task that we are about to create and that will be in charge of programming the automatic shutdown of Windows 10. We only have to click on Finish and the task will be created automatically. From that moment on, each day at the indicated time the PC will automatically shut down.
From the command prompt
To program the shutdown of our computer in certain minutes or even hours, it is also possible to use the command that the system offers us. We refer to the shutdown.exe command, a command that we can use from the command prompt or from the Windows 10 Run window itself, and which allows us to order the computer to turn off after a certain time.
Therefore, if we want to schedule the shutdown of the equipment within an hour, all we have to do is:
- We open a command prompt window or Run window (Win + R).
- We write the shutdown command and then we add the / s / t parameters, which indicate that we want to shut down the computer (not restart it) and that we want to delay its shutdown for a certain time. Therefore, next we must specify the time in seconds. That is, if we want to schedule the shutdown of the computer in two minutes, we will have to execute the command shutdown / s / t 120 . Whereas if we want to schedule it for within two hours, then it will be within 7200 seconds.
As soon as the command is executed, a window will appear indicating that the system will automatically shut down within the established period of time. Now, if at any time we need to cancel the schedule, then we must execute the shutdown / a command in the same way .
In order not to have to remember or write this same command every day, it is also possible to create a shortcut on our desktop from which we can quickly schedule the shutdown of our PC. For it:
- We click with the right mouse button on a free area of our desktop.
- We select the option New> Direct access .
- We write the command shutdown.exe / s / t followed by the time we want to delay the shutdown.
- We give a name to the shortcut and finish the process.
Now we can see how a new icon appears on our desktop with which, simply by double clicking on it, we will schedule the computer to shut down for the established time. We can change the time at will so that it turns off sooner or later, as we want.
Schedule Windows 10 Auto Power On
From BIOS
To program the automatic start of Windows 10 we cannot use the task scheduler as well as to program the shutdown, since when the system is off, it is not possible to execute any task. In this case, what we can do is use a function that we can find in the BIOS of our PC.
Therefore, the first thing we have to do to program the automatic start of the PC is to restart the computer and enter the BIOS , something that we can do if we repeatedly press the F2, F8, Del key or the one that corresponds according to the manufacturer. In any case, once we have entered the BIOS of our PC, we have to look for the option Resume by alarm or Turn on by RTC alarm , which is usually within the Power Management Configuration .
By activating this function, we can indicate the time we want the equipment to turn on automatically each day. Once this is done, we save the changes, exit the BIOS, and allow Windows 10 to start normally. From that moment on, our PC will automatically turn on every day at the time set in the BIOS.
Third party tools
The option mentioned above in the BIOS allows us to configure the automatic start of our PC for a day or every day at a certain time. Therefore, if we are looking for something that offers us greater flexibility, then we will have to resort to a third-party tool such as WakeupOnStandBy .
It is a software that we can get from the following link to the developer’s official website and that, as its name indicates, allows you to easily configure the power-on time of your computer. To do this, the first thing we have to do is download the tool and run it on our desktop.
As we can see, it has a very simple interface and quite intuitive to handle. At the top we find the section Specify time to wake up computer, which is where we can specify the day and time for the first automatic start of the computer. Once this is done, we go down to the Repeat these tasks section and that is where we can establish the repetition configuration that we want. That is, we will be able to choose if we want it to be repeated every day for the next few weeks, only on certain days, etc.
With everything configured to our liking, all we have to do is click on the Start button and everything will automatically be configured with the programming of the PC power for the dates, time or frequency established.
We also have RTC Ninja Shutdown to perform these same actions. Its interface is simple, without any adornment or spectacularity, but it is extremely effective. We can put the hour, minute and second in which we want to shut down, restart or log out of our computer. Once we have put it, all we have to do is click on the button that says SET so that the configuration is saved and it is executed at the time we have set it and in the way that we have established. Something that we have found curious and that we think you should know is that, if we do not complete all the fields that the program has, turning off, turning on or closing the session will not work, so we must complete everything, even the seconds.
