The automatic shutdown feature in Windows 10 is one of the capabilities of how to create a shutdown timer in windows 10. Automatic shutdown is one of the features in the Windows operating system which keeps your PC secure and safe. We generally prefer that our system be properly shut down each time to prolong the operating system’s life. Sometimes, however, when you are working at your computer late at night, Keeping your computer closed takes a lot of effort. When that happens, you must make use of the automatic shutdown program on your computer.
How to Create a Shutdown Timer In Windows 10
Windows can be set to set your computer to go to sleep after just a few minutes of inactivity. However, if you prefer to close your computer throughout the day or If it has been idle for a prolonged period of time, then you can use the Task Scheduler to program an automatic shut-off instead. This guide will demonstrate different methods for how to create a shutdown timer in windows 10.
Set up Automatic Shutdown Timer Using the RUN Command
Take these actions to utilize the command prompt to perform a one-time shutdown.
- Within the Windows search box, type RUN.
- Select Enter.
- On the Run dialog box, Enter shutdown -s and the amount of time you’ll need.
- Select OK.
- A pop-up window will appear telling you that it has received your request. The computer will shut down when you request it.
Create a Shutdown Timer Using the Command Prompt
Use these instructions to utilize the command prompt to initiate a one-time shutdown.
- Within the Windows Search Box, type CMD.
- Enter
- Inside the Command Prompt window, type shutdown -s -t, and then the number of seconds you wish to run for.
- Enter
- A pop-up window will warn you that Windows will be shut down within the specified time.
That’s it. Your computer will automatically shut down when you set the time. You’ll be notified just a few minutes before shutting down to remind you.
Create a Shutdown Timer Using the PowerShell
If you’d like a quick shutdown of Windows, then utilize Windows PowerShell, the Start-Sleep, and Stop-Computer cmdlets. The Start-Sleep command suspends all activity in a script for the duration. This shuts down applications or shuts them down. Likewise, the Stop-Computer cmdlet shuts down the computer specified.
- When you go to Windows Search, enter PowerShell and choose either Windows PowerShell or Windows PowerShell ISE.
- When prompted, enter Start-Sleep -s #; stop-computer -computer name localhost. In this case, -s is Seconds, and ## represents how many seconds. In our case, we are using 1800.
- To access the local computer for the local computer, you can use ComputerName localhost or enter the computer’s name that you would like to close down.
- Press Enter.
How to Schedule Regular Shutdowns On Windows
If you’re required to set a timer for shutdown to be used for multiple purposes (i.e., weekly or daily automatic shutdowns), it is best to utilize the Task Scheduler so that you don’t need to set it up every day. Take these actions:
- Launch the Task Scheduler by entering Schedule in the Windows search box.
- Select Enter.
- The Task Scheduler will prompt you to select Actions and Create Simple Task.
- In the Description and Name boxes in the Name and Description boxes, type in a name and a description of your job.
- Select Next.
- On the Create Basic Task Wizard window, you can select the trigger.
- Select Next.
- Add Dates and Times required using the prompts provided by the Wizard.
- Select Next.
- On the window for Action, choose to start an application.
- Select Next.
- When in the Start a Program window, Your computer’s shutdown program can be selected by clicking Browse. It may say shutdown.exe or another type of shutdown based on the model of your computer.
- After selecting the file to shut down, click Open.
- Within the Start a Program window, choose Next.
- In the Summary tab, click Finish.
Create a Timer for Shutdown on Windows
To manually set up a timer for shutdown, you must open Command Prompt and type the command shutdown -s XXXXX XXXX. The “XXXX” should represent the number of seconds you would like to pass before shutting down your computer. For instance, if, for example, you need the computer to shut off within two hours, the command would be something like shutdown -s –t 7200.
If you’d like to start your computer over an interval, you can use shutdown -r XXXX instead.
To stop the timer, open your Run Window or the Command Prompt to enter shutdown -a.
Create a shortcut for a shutdown timer
If you must utilize a shutdown timer frequently, By creating a desktop shortcut for the application, you can take things a step further.
- Right-click the desktop, hover your mouse over New, and choose Shortcut from the menu on the side.
- In the field for path, type “shutdown –s -t” and then click Next.
Give a name to the Shortcut (for instance, “Shutdown 1 Hour”) and then click Finish. - When you double-click the shutdown shortcut, the timer will begin. To stop the timer, create a second shortcut with shutdown -a, or enter the shutdown -a command inside Command Prompt.
To alter the time of the timer for shutdown, right-click on the shortcut-like icon, select Properties, and then change the value of seconds within the Target field. You can select a different picture from Properties to serve as the icon.
Conclusion
You can utilize Command Prompt and Task Scheduler to automate the shutting down of the system on Windows 11 and 10 computers. However, how to create a shutdown timer in windows 10 in contrast to Command Prompt, Task Scheduler provides better task automation and can handle more situations. You can also set it to automate Windows starting up.
