Automatic shutdown of the computer after a certain period of time is a function of the operating system. Windows systems, which is not obvious to users. Moreover, it is implemented in software from Microsoft, but not everyone knows about it. Also set a timer to turn off Windows computer 10 or earlier versions of operating systems are possible using third-party programs that have a more user-friendly interface, but they must be downloaded separately. We suggest looking at a way to set a scheduled shutdown of your computer after a certain period of time using the command line.
How to set a timer to shut down your Windows 10 computer using the command line?
Attention: The method of automatically turning off the computer after a certain amount of time, described below, works not only on the Windows 10 operating system, but also on more earlier versions– Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows XP.
Microsoft, when developing the Windows operating system, assumed that users may need to turn off their computer after a few hours or minutes. At the same time, even an experienced Windows user does not always know that operating system Built-in timer to turn off the computer. This is due to the fact that it does not have a graphical interface, shortcuts, and can only be accessed through the command line. To set a computer shutdown timer using standard Windows tools:
The Windows command line also supports a number of other commands related to the shutdown function. We suggest you familiarize yourself with them, since a combination of commands allows you to achieve the desired results in automating the process of turning off your computer in certain time or after a specified period.
Windows Command Line Options
When using the shutdown command to shut down the computer, you should be aware of the parameters entered after it, which are specified by letter keys. The key can be written after the dash symbol (examples: -a, -p, -h) or slash (examples: /a, /p, /h). It is important to remember that all letters entered into the command line along with the shutdown function must be written in Latin characters (that is, in English).
Windows command line options for the shutdown command:
Please note: you can check it yourself full list parameters that are supposed to be used with the shutdown command. To do this, just enter the following combination of functions “shutdown /?” on the MS DOS command line. To do this, launch the standard Windows command line (Windows + R key combination), enter the cmd.exe command in it, and then in the MS DOS command line window that opens, write “shutdown /?”. 
How to create a convenient timer to shut down your computer on Windows 10 after a certain time?
If you regularly have to use the function of turning off the computer after an hour, two, or any other period of time, then the process of starting the countdown timer until shutdown can be automated as much as possible. Instead of regularly remembering the values of functions for the command line, you can write them down once in a separate shortcut, by double-clicking on which the computer will begin counting down to the shutdown time.
Creating a computer shutdown timer shortcut on Windows 10 is simple:
By double-clicking with the left mouse button on the created shortcut, you can easily run the command that is written in it. Thus, you can automate the process of setting a timer to turn off the computer after a certain time - 10 minutes, an hour, 5 hours or more. Often such shortcuts are created system administrators for employees who need to leave their computers turned on at the end of their shift to process certain tasks.
Teaching your computer to shut down on its own is useful for many users. If you leave the latest season of the series downloading at night, want to limit the time of computer games for your child, or simply save as much as possible on electricity, you need a computer shutdown timer for Windows 7, 8 and 10. Let's consider the tools and programs from third-party manufacturers built into Windows.
Automatic shutdown of the computer in Windows 7 or 10 can be configured using the OS itself, without installing other applications. But there is no beautiful shell for this action; you will have to specify a number of parameters on the command line or scheduler.
Command line
To launch the command line, in the “Start” menu, find the “System Tools” section and click on the item of the same name. A window will appear with a black background and a blinking cursor. You can also open “Run” or hold down Win + R, you will see a small line. Enter the command shutdown /s /t N into it. Here “shutdown” is the name of the function, “/s” is the parameter to completely shut down the PC, “/t N” indicates that the shutdown will take place in N seconds.
If you need to shut down the computer via the command line after 1 hour, enter shutdown /s /t 3600 and click “OK”. A system message will appear indicating that the PC will be turned off after the specified period of time. Before shutting down, you will be prompted to manually close running applications.
To force close all programs without your participation, add the /f parameter to the formula. If you decide to remove the timer, enter the command shutdown /a, then the automatic shutdown of the computer will be canceled. To end the session, use the /l parameter instead of /s; use the /h parameter to send the PC to sleep.
If you regularly need to shut down your computer via the command line, prepare a shortcut for the operation. To do this, right-click on the desktop, in the “Create” menu, go to “Shortcut”. In the window, enter the path to the program “C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe” with the necessary parameters. Automatic shutdown after 1 hour with the closing of all applications will correspond to the command “C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe /s /f /t 3600”.
Next, set a name for the icon and click “Done.” To change the picture, select “Change icon” in the shortcut properties. Then, to activate the timer, you only need to double-click on the shortcut, and the computer will turn off after the specified number of seconds.
You can use the Task Scheduler tool to shut down your computer in Windows 10 or another version. It is hidden in the “Administrative Tools” section of the “Start” menu; you can also open the application by entering taskschd.msc by pressing Win+R.
How to set a computer shutdown timer in Windows 7 or 10: in the “Action” submenu, click on “Create” simple task" Enter an arbitrary name, select the frequency of execution - daily or once. In the next step, set the computer shutdown timer: here you don’t have to count seconds, set the date and exact time. Set the action to “Start a program” and enter shutdown with the /s argument in the settings.
The task will be created and run in set time. If your plans change, you can always edit the task settings by moving the auto shutdown to another hour.
Third party programs
Unlike Windows system tools, other programs for automatically turning off your computer have more extensive settings. You don't have to count down time in seconds and manually enter parameters to start the timer.
A laconic Smart Turn Off utility designed to automatically turn off a computer running Windows 10, 8, XP or Vista. Only basic settings are available: ending the session or completely shutting down the PC, after a specified period or at a certain time.
Switch Off program knows how to turn off your computer after a certain time. The utility has flexible settings: schedule by day of the week and specified time, choice of action - shutdown, reboot, sleep, disconnect VPN connections. Switch Off may close applications and show a warning before the function starts. Also, auto shutdown can be triggered not by the clock, but when there is no processor or user action for a certain period.
You can download the utility in full version or portable - it does not require installation, it can be launched from any media. The application adds its icon to the Windows notification area; to start the task, just click on it and select the desired function. Switch Off also has a web interface - you can use it to turn off your computer online in a browser from any device.
The program knows how to set a shutdown timer for a Windows 10 computer. The utility provides several action options to choose from; the time can be set - exact, after an interval, daily or when idle.
Before auto-shutdown, a reminder will be shown from which you can snooze the specified action.
The multifunctional PowerOff application for Windows 7 or 10 has a huge number of timer settings for turning off the computer. Select an action and set the trigger time to start the standard mode. The function can be associated with the processor load level or music playback by the Winamp player. The utility can manage your Internet connection by calculating traffic volumes.
Please note that when you close PowerOff, the timers will be reset. Therefore, set in the settings so that the utility is minimized instead of exiting completely, then the PC will turn off after specified time.
Conclusion
Tune automatic shutdown computer using a timer is not difficult. Use Windows Commands - it's fastest - or other applications if you need more flexible settings.
1. Using the Run menu
To activate the shutdown timer, the only command you need is shutdown -s -t xxx . Instead of three X's, you need to enter the time in seconds after which the shutdown will occur. For example, if you enter shutdown -s -t 3600 , the system will shut down after one hour.
Press the Win + R keys (open), enter the command in the field and click Enter or OK.
If you want to cancel the shutdown, press Win + R again, enter shutdown -a and click OK.
2. Using the “Task Scheduler”
This way you will not start the timer in the literal sense: the computer will not turn off after a certain period of time, but exactly at the specified time.
First, open the Task Scheduler menu. To do this, press Win + R, enter the command taskschd.msc in the field and press Enter.
Now schedule the shutdown. Click “Create a simple task” in the right panel, and then specify its parameters in the wizard window: any name, repetition mode, execution date and time. Select “Run program” as the task action. In the Program or Script field, enter shutdown and then enter the -s argument on the adjacent line. After this, click “Done”.
If you want to cancel the shutdown, open Task Scheduler again. Then click “Task Scheduler Library” in the left panel, select the created task in the list that appears and click “Disable” in the right panel.
3. Using third-party software
If you don’t want to remember commands and delve into , use third-party programs. For example, the PC Sleep utility can turn off the computer using a timer or exactly at a specified time. It's free and very simple.
To activate the shutdown timer in PC Sleep, launch the program and select Shutdown from the Function Select menu. Then check Shutdown in and specify the time after which the system should turn off. After this, click Start to start the countdown.
To cancel the shutdown, just expand the program window and click on the Stop button.
PC Sleep can also be configured to turn off your computer at a specific time. To do this, instead of Shutdown in, select Shutdown at. In addition, you can schedule not only shutdown, but also other actions: reboot, hibernate, hibernate, and log off. These options are also available in the Function Select list.
If you want your computer to fall asleep after finishing movies, you can also read about the program.
How to set your macOS computer's shutdown timer
1. Using “Terminal”
The command sudo shutdown -h +xx shuts down the Mac after a specified amount of time. Instead of X's, enter the number of minutes. For example, typing sudo shutdown -h +60 will cause the shutdown timer to expire after one hour.
To enter a command, open the Terminal application, manually type or copy the characters above, and press Enter. If prompted, enter administrator. After this, the countdown to shutdown starts. To cancel it, open Terminal again, type sudo killall shutdown and press Enter.
2. Using the "Energy Saving" menu
In this section, you can schedule the computer to turn off at a specified time. Pull down the Apple menu and click System Preferences → Energy Saver → Schedule. In the window that opens, select the “Turn off” option, specify the day of the week and time.
When the time is up, a shutdown warning will appear on the screen. If you do not use the cancel button, the system will turn off after 10 minutes.
Turning off a computer is a fairly typical procedure that rarely causes any difficulties for anyone. However, if you need to turn off the computer not right now, but after some time, then everything is a little more complicated. Now we will tell you how to turn off your computer after a certain time.
Turn off the computer after a certain time using the command line
The easiest option is to use the shutdown command. This command can be entered into, but the easiest way is to open the Run window (using the Windows-R key combination) and enter commands into it.
The shutdown command has many options. If you want to get acquainted with them all, then run the command “shutdown/?”. We will consider only a few of the most basic of them:
- /s – shutdown:
- /h – hibernation:
- /f – forcefully closes all open programs without warning the user;
- /t – setting the timer in seconds;
So, in order to turn off the computer after a certain time, we need to run the shutdown command with the /s (shutdown the computer) and /t (set a timer) parameters. Thus, the final command to shut down the computer will look something like this:
- shutdown /s /t 60
After executing this command, the computer will turn off after 60 seconds. Naturally, you can specify not 60 seconds, but any other time you need (in seconds). If necessary, you can use the shutdown command to restart your computer or put it into hibernation. To do this, change the /s parameter to /r (reboot) or /h (hibernate).
Turn off the computer after a certain time using a scheduler
Another option is to use the Task Scheduler. To launch Task Scheduler, open the Start menu and enter the phrase “Task Scheduler” into the search. You can also start the Task Scheduler by running the taskschd.msc command.
After starting the Task Scheduler, you need to create a new task and configure it to turn off the computer after a certain time. To do this, click on the “Create a simple task” button.
After this, a window for creating tasks will appear in front of you. At the first stage, you just need to enter the name of the task and click on the “Next” button.
Next we need to select the trigger frequency for our task. If you want to turn off the computer only once, then select the “Once” option. If necessary, you can select the “Daily” or any other option.
The next step is to select the action that will be performed when the task is triggered. Here you need to select the “Run a program” option.
After this, you need to enter the shutdown command and parameters for it. For example, let's enter the /s parameter (shutdown the computer) and the /t parameter (60-second timer).
At this point, the creation of the task is completed; at the last stage, simply click on the “Finish” button.
After this, the task you created will appear in the Scheduler Library.
Turn off the computer after a certain time using programs
You can also use specialized programs to turn off your computer after a certain time. For example, we will consider two popular programs this kind.
Airytec Switch Off is a small system program that allows you to automatically turn off your computer at a certain time. This program has a small number of functions and a fairly simple interface. Thanks to this, anyone can handle it. It should also be noted that this program has a WB interface. This allows you to turn off your computer local network or even via the Internet.
A powerful program to turn off your computer. This program has many settings, which allows you to adapt it to any task. Among the shortcomings of this program, one can highlight the very confusing interface, which can scare away inexperienced users.
I will give a few examples; they will be relevant for all versions of Windows.
I don’t know about you, but I like to fall asleep with the TV on, music on the player and “Preparing to set up Windows, do not turn off the computer.” I was joking with the last one :)
Automatic computer shutdown- a function that, sooner or later, will always come in handy, and you need to know about it. Fortunately, this can be done very quickly, without resorting to installing additional software. Well, first things first...
Automatic computer shutdown
Consider the following options:
- using the command line
- using the task scheduler
- shortcut
- creating a *.bat file
- by installing a special program
Command line
Using the +R hotkey, in the Run window, enter the following Windows command shutdown -s -f -t 320.
Where 320 (5 minutes 20 seconds) is the time in seconds before shutdown.
All. All that remains is to click the “Ok” button. A small reminder will appear when completed.
To cancel, use the shutdown -a command. If you entered everything correctly, a corresponding notification will appear in the tray.
Job Scheduler
Open the “Start” menu, at the bottom, in the search bar, just enter the first three letters “pla” so that the scheduler is displayed at the top, which you actually need to click on with the left mouse button.
In the window that opens, create a simple task.
Enter any name, for example “ Shutdown Windows 10 «.
The “Description” section can be left blank.
We note when the procedure needs to be performed. In our case, - Once.
Set the date and time.
Check "Run program".
We enter the shutdown command we are already familiar with in the “Program or script” field, and in the “Add arguments” field the value s -f.
Finally, click “Done”.
We have created the task, now it will be completed automatically at the specified time.
To change or disable, enter the scheduler library, find the created task and right-click to make changes or delete.
Using a shortcut
Using the right mouse button on the desktop, create a shortcut. In the “Object Location” enter the following - C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe -s -t 320.
Now, as soon as you launch the shortcut, after a specified period of time, and for us it is 5 minutes and 20 seconds, the timer will start.
*.bat file
Create a text document anywhere. Paste the following code into it
