4 Ways to Set Auto Shutdown in Windows 10 PC

1. With Command Prompt

First, we’ll use a complicated way to set auto shutdown on Windows 10. It involves executing a command with the Command Prompt program.

If you’ve used Command Prompt for any other actions on Windows 10, you’ll know how easy it is to get things done with it. You can simply feed the command and press the Enter key to let Windows do the rest.

To set auto shutdown with Command Prompt,

• Go to the Start menu
• Type ‘ cmd ’ in the search box
• Select the Command Prompt program from search results
• Double-click on it to open the window
• Now, type “ shutdown –s –t 1200 ” as the command

• Press the Enter key

Save all your data and wait for the next 20 minutes. Your Windows 10 computer will automatically shut down.

2. Via Run Dialog

The above step never fails to work. But, it isn’t quite necessarily the quickest way to set auto shutdown on Windows 10.

For the fastest way to set auto shutdown on Windows, you may need to use the Run dialog program.

• Press ‘ Windows ’ and ‘ R ’ keys on the keyboard
• Once the Run dialog box appears, type ‘ shutdown –s –t 1200 ’ in the Open field

• Click on OK or alternatively tap the Enter key

Immediately after this, a Blue Screen prompt window appears. It says – You’re about to be signed out and shows you the exact date and time for the auto shutdown.

3. By Task Scheduler

Wasn’t that quite detailed? Well, apart from the Run dialog and Command Prompt, you can also use Task Scheduler to set the auto shutdown.

All you need to do is create a basic task – shutdown – on Windows with the Task Scheduler program. It can be used multiple times, just by changing the scheduled time and date.

To open Task Scheduler,

• You can go to the Start menu , search for ‘ schedule ’ and click on ‘ Schedule tasks ’

Or,

• Right-click on Start menu button, open Control Panel , go to Administrative Tools and click on Schedule tasks

Now, after opening the Task Scheduler,

• Go to the right pane
• Click on Create Basic Task (under Task Scheduler Local )

• Type the name of the task as ‘ Shutdown ’
• Click on Next

• Select the time for auto shutdown by choosing from a few options
• For now, you can select ‘ One time ’
• Click on Next to continue
• Now, set the date and time for auto shutdown
• Click on Next and select ‘ Start a Program ’
• Again, click on Next to create a task
• Now, click on the Browse tab in Task Scheduler window
• Go to C:/Windows/System32
• Find an executable (.exe) file called shutdown.exe
• Select it and click on Open
• Here, enter “ -s ” in the field for Add arguments (optional)
• Click on Next and Finish to complete the schedule

Now, after this long process, you’ve scheduled the auto shutdown on Windows 10.

4. With Windows PowerShell

We don’t want to leave you with such a lengthy method. There’s one last easy way of setting auto shutdown on Windows 10.

Just like Command Prompt, you can Windows PowerShell as a tool to set the auto shutdown.

• Go to the Start menu
• Type ‘ powershell ’ in the search box
• Double-click on the Windows PowerShell program from search results
• Now, type the command “ shutdown –s –t 1200 ”

• Then, press the Enter key

Wait for another 20 minutes, and your Windows 10 will shut down automatically. Purpose fulfilled!

Now, if you know any other way to set auto shutdowns on Windows 10, do let us know. Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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