Do you want the computer to shut down itself, without your participation? You can configure this in a couple of clicks in several ways.
Modern computers, especially stationary computers, consume a lot of electricity. Some PC users work around the clock, which leads to increased costs for “light”. Cooling systems are losing their resource. To remedy this state of affairs, a sleep regimen was invented. But it does not turn off the PC altogether. It only turns off the peripheral devices. If this is not enough, you will need instructions on how to set the computer on the timer.
Using the Run menu
This method is universal and is suitable for both outdated Windows 7, 8, XP, and the most current version. We need to use the services of a special shutdown command, which is responsible for shutting down the computer after a particular time. Follow these steps:
- Press the key combination Win + R.
- In the field that appears, enter the shutdown -s -t 300 command.
After that, in the lower right corner, you will see a notification after what time Windows will be shut down. You can set any numerical value in the command, at your discretion. It is calculated in seconds. That is, with a value of 300, the computer will shut down after 5 minutes. You can also add the -f parameter, which is responsible for forcing all programs to close. Indeed, you have come across a situation when open utilities prevent Windows from shutting down correctly, and the computer remains turned on. So this parameter allows you to solve the problem (although you will have to forget about unsaved data).
The shutdown command in Windows 10 is not strictly a task that can be quickly canceled. If you change your mind, press the Win + R combination again and enter the shutdown -a command in the field that appears. After that, the computer will not shut down by time.
If you regularly use the shutdown timer, typing the command every time is not very convenient. You can do the same thing, just with a shortcut. Create any shortcut and in the field that is responsible for the location of the object, enter the following address: C: \ Windows \ System32 \ shutdown.exe -s -t 300. You can choose any label and name.
Using the task scheduler
In this way, you will not start the shutdown timer: the computer itself will turn off without any user action at the specified time. To do this, follow the instructions:
- Press the already familiar Win + R key combination.
- In the field that appears, enter the taskschd.msc command. After that, the utility will start.
- In the right part of the window, select the item ” Create a simple task .” You can set any name. It is only needed to be displayed in the general list of tasks.
- Then choose the frequency of the task—for example, daily, weekly, once, and so on.
- In the next window, you need to select the date and time when the task will start for the first time.
- In the most recent settings window, in the Program or script field, enter shutdown. And in the ” Arguments ” box, enter -s. Other parameters can also be specified here. For example, -f, which we talked about above.
After all the above steps, the one you just created will appear in the general list of tasks. If you decide to disable the task, click on the right button of your mouse and select the appropriate option. You can also remove it altogether.
Using third-party software
If you don’t want to mess around with commands and parameters, then you can look at the side of software from third-party developers, since there is a considerable amount of it. One of the most straightforward utilities to automatically shutdown a Windows computer is Wise Auto Shutdown. The Program is free and fully supports the Russian language. And during installation, it doesn’t offer any third-party software.
The functionality of the software is much broader than that of those built into the operating system. Timed computer shutdown is just one of the few options. In addition to shutting down, you can also reboot your PC. Or even send him to sleep or standby mode. The utility will notify the user about this 5 minutes before the execution of the task. And we can postpone execution for the desired time. The Program can be configured to the preferred “mode” once and in the settings set the launch together with the system.
If for some reason the above methods did not suit you, you can use other software with similar functions—for example, Auto Power Off, SM Timer, Airytec Switch Off, or PowerOff.
