6 Ways to Put up an Automatic Shutdown for Your Windows 10 PC

Windows operating system can make your life more organised and convenient if you know the right tricks. Among them, scheduling an automatic shutdown on a Windows 10 system is something that can make your PC more secure.

With an automatic shutdown scheduling, your PC will turn off if you don’t touch it for a specific time. Therefore, your computer is protected against unwanted access. On the other hand, it’s better to set up an automatic shutdown in case you forget to do so. 

Thus, your Windows 10 laptop doesn’t have to stay on for hours and exhaust its battery. Manage your computer’s energy and time with ease by turning on an automatic shutdown timer. Let’s check out how you can set up an automatic shutdown schedule for your Windows 10 device.

How to Schedule the Automatic Shutdown Timer for Windows 10

As reported by Laptop Repair Dubai, your Windows 10 computer will deactivate on its own after a specific period with the shutdown timer on. You have to keep in mind that your unsaved files can get lost after a scheduled shutdown timer.

Hence, you have to save your data before you leave your Windows 10 system to be on the safe side. However, experts from a laptop repair near me have shared how to set a shutdown timer on Windows 10. Moreover, Windows 11 users can follow the same procedures to get the same results.

1. Schedule Shutdown Timer with Windows Search

This particular shortcut process comes in handy when you don’t want to run a Command Prompt window or anything else. Technicians from Laptop Repair Services Dubai have guaranteed that this method will work fine for your Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs. here’s what you have to follow:

• Bring the Windows Search bar by using the key combination of Windows + S.
• Afterwards, type ‘shutdown -s -f -t’ followed by the time in seconds. For example, you want an automatic shutdown in 600 seconds or 10 minutes after you last touched your computer. In that situation, you will type ‘shutdown -s -f -t 600’.
• Hit the Enter key from the keyboard to execute the command.

You can also abort the shutdown timer by typing the command ‘shutdown -a’ followed by a press on Enter.

2. Set up Shutdown Timer with Command Prompt

Instead of executing the previous command with a shortcut, you can use the Command Prompt and execute a similar text-line command for effective results. According to experts in laptop repair in Dubai, here’s how to use Command Prompt to schedule a shutdown timer on your Windows 10 device:

• Press the Windows and R keys together to bring up a Run utility.
• Next, type ‘cmd’ in the box and use the following key combination to open a Command Prompt window with admin rights: Ctrl, Shift, and Enter.
• Type in the following command where [time] will be replaced by the actual time you want to set for an automatic shutdown: shutdown -s -t [time] -f. Well, ensure you mention the time in seconds.

However, you can also specify a particular time for the automatic shutdown. For instance, you can use the command ‘at [time] shutdown/s’. Replace [time] with the exact time you want your device to turn off. For example, you can input ‘at 23:00 shutdown/s’ and your Windows PC will turn off at 11:00 p.m. sharp.

On the other hand, you can modify the ‘shutdown -s -t [time] -f’ command to get an automatic restart. In that situation, replace the ‘-s’ with a ‘-r’ in the same command. Whatever shutdown command you type, make sure you press Enter to apply it. Otherwise, changes won’t be saved.

3. Try Power Options to Schedule an Automatic Shutdown

Windows 10 is now available with efficient Power configurations to make the overall experience faster and more convenient. Using these Power options, you can set up an automatic shutdown with an advanced alteration to the Hibernate option.

Here’s what you need to abide by:

• Bring up the Windows Search panel with the Windows + S key shortcut.
• Afterwards, type ‘edit power plan’ and click on the first match.
• Under the menu window, click on the option that says, ‘Change advanced power settings’.
• From the Power Options, click on Sleep followed by the ‘Hibernate after’ option in the dropdown menu. You can also specify the ‘On battery’ and ‘Plugged’ options and their respective periods there.
• Once you are done with that, hit the OK button.

4. Use the Run Dialogue Box Alone to Set up the Shutdown Schedule

Another alternative as suggested by a laptop repair service near me, you can use the Run dialogue box along with a command. However, this will work as a one-time shutdown timer. So, you should check out the Command Prompt and Power option methods for permanent effects.

Otherwise, you can go through the guidelines below:

• Press the windows and R buttons at the same time. Shortly, a Run dialogue box will appear on your Windows 10 system screen.
• Type ‘shutdown -s -t [time]’ in the box of the Run dialogue box. Don’t forget to replace [time] with the period in seconds you require.
• Then, hit the OK button or the Enter key.

A pop-up window will appear and confirm that the system has granted your command and your PC will shut down after the specified time.

5. Utilise Task Scheduler for Automatic Shutdown Timer

Reportedly, the Task Scheduler utility on Windows 10 can give you daily or weekly shutdowns instead of a one-time thing. As per Laptop Repair Dubai, you can easily set up an automatic shutdown timer with the following steps:

• Press the Windows logo icon from your keyboard and start typing ‘scheduler’.
• After that, click on ‘Task Scheduler’ from the search results. 
• Navigate to Actions and select the option that says, ‘Create Basic Task’.
• Input a name and description of your task in the Name and Description boxes, respectively.
• Then, click on Next and choose the Trigger option from the left panel of the ‘Create Basic Task Wizard’ window.
• Again, hit the Next option and provide the date and time as required using the prompts that appear on the wizard.
• Proceed with a hit on the Next button. Go back to the Action window and check the circle next to ‘Start a program’. Click the Next option.
• Use the Browse button from the Start a Program window and choose the shutdown program of your Windows 10 computer. The program is typically named ‘shutdown.exe’ or something else, based on your computer build and variant.
• By now, you must have selected the shutdown program. Then, hit the Open button.
• Click Next from the window called ‘Start a Program’.

Finally, you can click the Finish button from the Summary window. 

6. Opt for PowerShell for an Emergency Shutdown

Are you looking for an immediate shutdown for your Windows 10 PC? Then, you should try specific PowerShell scripts to shut your device down after a particular period. PowerShell will help you accomplish the task with Start-Sleep and Stop-Computer cmdlets.

Well, the Start-Sleep cmdlet prohibits activities in a script for the mentioned time. Whereas the Stop-Computer cmdlet will turn off your device, as confirmed by a laptop repair near me. Let’s check out how you can put these 2 cmdlets in use for an automatic shutdown timer on PowerShell:

• Open up the Windows Search bar and look for ‘PowerShell’. Now, select Windows PowerShell ISE or Windows PowerShell from the search result.
• Once the prompt opens up, type ‘Start-Sleep -s [time]; Stop-Computer – ComputerName localhost’. Here, ‘-s’ indicates Seconds and [time] represents the number of seconds you need.

If it’s a local computer then use ComputerName localhost. Otherwise, specify the exact name of the computer in the connected network. Furthermore, hit the Enter key to execute the cmdlet. Before you proceed with this particular trick, you should save all your ongoing tasks as this will shut down your device immediately.

Summing up…

Hopefully, the methods mentioned above will set up an automatic shutdown timer on your Windows 10 PC. however, you can contact laptop repair Dubai experts in case you face any kind of inconvenience with your device software and hardware.