That’s where scheduling your device to shutdown comes in. It’s not an official feature of Windows 10, but can easily be configured without downloading any additional software.
How to schedule Windows 10 shutdown – Command Prompt
The easiest way to set a shutdown timer is to use the Command Prompt program built into Windows 10: This won’t affect anything you can do on the device, and you can close the Command Prompt window if you’d like. If you’d like to restart your device with a delay, use shutdown -r -t XXXX, with the ‘XXXX’ again referring to the number of seconds before your device will begin restarting. To cancel either, just open the same window, type shutdown -a and hit enter. You’ll get a confirmation that the shutdown timer has been cancelled.
How to create a Windows 10 shutdown shortcut
If you often need to leave your device for a while before shutting it down, it’s worth creating a shortcut for the process listed above. The process is relatively simple: You may also want to create a similar shutdown-a shortcut, to allow you to quickly cancel the shutdown timer. Right-clicking either icon and choosing ‘Properties’ will also allow you to give it a custom font and design. If you’d prefer to use third-party software, the likes of PC Sleep and Sleep Timer are great options. Both are free, and work in a similar way to the Command Prompt method. PC Sleep also allows you to schedule sleep and hibernate modes, so it’s the one to go for if you’re looking for that functionality. Otherwise, you might also be interested in how to fix a laptop that won’t turn on, while we have plenty more Windows How-Tos available on the site. As the resident expert on Windows, Senior Staff Writer Anyron’s main focus is PCs and laptops. Much of the rest of his time is split between smartphones, tablets and audio, with a particular focus on Android devices.
