How to Automatically Shut Down Windows 10 at Scheduled Time

You can automatically shut down Windows 10 at scheduled time. While there is no explicit option in the OS to specify the desired shutdown time, you can use a combination of the shutdown command and the Task Scheduler tool to get the task done.

If you are not going to use your computer for some time, then you could shut down Windows 10. A shutdown will close all the running software, documents, sign out all currently signed users, and then completely turn off the device.

Additionally, you can make Windows 10 automatically shut down your PC at a scheduled time you specified. It will display a warning message to users before the shut down. For example, you can set it to automatically turn off at 11 PM daily.

This post will show you how to create a special task to automatically shut down your Windows 10 computer at a specific time. Your account must have administrator rights and password protection to create and delete such a computer shutdown task.

Automatically Shut Down Windows 10 at Scheduled Time

1. Press the Win + R keys on the keyboard and type taskschd.msc into the Run box, then hit Enter.
2. Select Task Scheduler Library in the left pane.
3. In the right pane, click on Create task under Actions.
4. In the General tab, specify the desired name for you task, e.g. Shut down computer.
5. Optionally, you can fill in the Description box, e.g. "Shut down computer daily at 11 PM".
6. Select the option Run whether user is logged on or not.
7. Also, check the Run with highest privileges box.
8. Switch to the Triggers tab, and click on the New... button.
9. Select On a schedule in the Begin the task drop-down list. Also, select  Daily under Settings, and specify start time, e.g. "11:00:00 PM you want for the task. Click OK to create the trigger.
10. Switch to the Actions tab, and click on the New... button.
11. Select Start a program for the action. Enter shutdown.exe in the Program/script box.
12. In the Add arguments text box add the following: /s /t 300 /c "Shut down in 5 minutes".  /t 300 is seconds, i.e. 5 minutes. The /c "<text>" message will appear as a desktop notification for signed in users before Windows will perform the shutdown.
13. Finally, switch to the Conditions tab, and uncheck the Start the task only if the computer is on AC power option. This is important for laptops as the task does not start by default when your device is running on battery power.
14. Click OK in the Create Task window. Enter your account's password, and click on OK.

You are done! Your Windows 10 computer is now set to turn off automatically at 11 PM every day.

Disable automatic shutdown of Windows 10 on schedule

If you change your mind and do not want to automatically turn off your computer any longer, you have two options. You can simply disable the task you created, or delete it. The disabled task can be easily re-enabled later. Use this option if you want to temporarily stop automatic Windows 10 shutdowns.

Disable or delete the scheduled shutdown task

1. Press the Win + R keys on the keyboard and type taskschd.msc into the Run box, then hit Enter.
2. In the Task Scheduler library, find your shutdown task.
3. Select the task, and click Disable or Delete in the right pane under Actions > Selected items.
4. Alternatively, you can right-click the task and select Disable or Delete from the context menu.

Once you delete or disable the task, Windows 10 will no longer shut down your device at the scheduled time.