How To Schedule Automatic Shut Down Windows 10

Introduction

One of the functions of the Windows operating system that keeps your computer safe and secure is automatic shutdown in Windows 10. In general, we want our system to shut down properly each time to extend the life of the operating system. However, there are instances when working on your computer late at night makes it quite difficult to remember to shut it down. In these situations, you should make use of your computer’s automatic shutdown scheduling.

This guide will demonstrate several methods for scheduling automatic shutdown in Windows 10.

Method 1 – Auto Shutdown via Run

Follow the instructions below to proceed.

Step 1

Open the Run dialog box from the Start menu, or press the “Window + R” key to open the RUN window.

Step 2

Type “shutdown -s -t <number in seconds>” and press Enter Key.

For example, to shut down your PC/laptop after 10 minutes, use shutdown -s -t 600.

In this case, 600 symbolizes the amount of seconds, therefore your computer will shut down automatically after 10 minutes. You can play about with the values to find the one that works best for you.

Following completion of this setting, the system will prompt you about the auto-shutdown time, as shown in the screenshot below.

Method 2 – Auto Shutdown via Command Prompt

The “Command Prompt” allows the user to arrange the automated shutdown. To proceed, follow the steps outlined below.

Step 1

Open Command Prompt.

Step 2

Type “shutdown -s -t <number in seconds>” and press enter key.

For example, if you want to shut down your PC/laptop after 15 minutes then, type: shutdown -s -t 900.

In this case, 900 denotes the amount of seconds, therefore your computer will shut down automatically after 15 minutes. You can also experiment with different values to find the one that works best for you.

Method 3 – Auto Shutdown via Task Scheduler

Follow the instructions below to proceed.

Step 1

Open Start, Search for Task Scheduler, and press enter to open Task Scheduler.

Step 3

Provide the Task Name such as Shutdown and click next.

Step 4

Choose when would you like your task to start and click next.

Step 6

Select “Start a program” option from a various list of actions and then click on the “Next” button to proceed.

Step 7

Click on Browse Button and choose “shutdown.exe” from C/Windows/System32.

Step 8

Enter “-s” as the argument and click on the “Next” button to proceed.

Step 9

Click the “Finish” button to complete the task.