How to Automate PC Shutdown in Windows 11

Do you often forget to turn off your PC? Do you want it to automatically shut down every day, once a week, or once a month at a specific time? Just as you can schedule your phone to automatically turn on/off, you can do it on your PC. Today we'll walk you through this step-by-step. How to automate PC shutdown in Windows 11.

What you need to automate PC shutdown in Windows 11

For Automate PC shutdown in Windows 11 we can resort to a tool designed to schedule different tasksSo, in Windows Settings, you won't find a native function to have your PC shut down automatically. But don't worry! You won't have to download any third-party apps or programs.

The tool we are talking about is Windows 11 Task Scheduler And you already have it on your PC. From there, you can schedule different tasks to run without you being present. Among them is the ability to automate the PC's automatic shutdown in Windows 11.

Also You can run commands using the Command Prompt (CMD) to have your PC perform a specific action automatically or within a specified number of seconds. First, we'll look at how to use Task Scheduler, and then we'll teach you how to use Command Prompt. Let's get started.

Steps to schedule automatic PC shutdown in Windows 11

To schedule your PC to shut down automatically in Windows 11, you need to know how to use Task Scheduler. Although there are several steps involved, if you follow them carefully, you'll find it's very simple. Below are the steps: Steps to make your PC turn off automatically at a specific time.

Launch Windows 11 Task Scheduler and select Create Basic Task

To access Task Scheduler, type "Scheduler" in the Windows search bar. Select the first option. Task scheduler to enter the tool. In the Actions section, on the right side of the screen, you will find the option Create basic taskThis option allows you to schedule a simple task on your PC.

Assign a name, description, and how often the task will be repeated.

A window will open where you have to put the Name of the task which can be “Automatically turn off PC” and in Description you can put “Automate PC shutdown in Windows 11” and click Next.

At that point, you will have to choose how often the scheduled task will repeatYou can choose whether to repeat it daily, weekly, monthly, once… it's up to you how often you want the automatic shutdown to occur. Click Next.

Select the start date and time of the task

If you want it to automatically turn off on the day you are scheduling the task, enter the date and time for that day. Choose how many days you want the action to be repeatedIf you set it to 1 day, your PC will shut down every day at the set time. Tap Next.

Start a program and write the name it will have

At that moment you will get the question “What action do you want the task to perform?”. You will have to select the option Start a program and, again, tap Next. In the bar you have to copy the following program address “C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe” without the quotes. Tap Next to continue.

Confirm the information entered

Finally, you'll see a summary of the task you want to schedule: name, description, trigger, action. Confirm that the information entered is correctFinally, click Finish and you're done. You've now scheduled your PC to shut down automatically in Windows 11.

What if you want to remove the automatic shutdown of the PC later? To delete the task you scheduled and prevent your PC from shutting down automatically, go to the Task Scheduler Library. Right-click on the auto-shutdown task and select Delete. Confirm by clicking Yes and that's it, the task will be deleted.

How to Automate PC Shutdown in Windows 11 Using Command Prompt (CMD)?

Ahora bien, si lo que quieres es Schedule automatic PC shutdown in Windows 11 in a few minutes or hours, you can do it using commandsFrom the Command Prompt (CMD), you'll need to define the amount of time that should elapse before shutting down. The steps to execute the command are as follows:

1. Abre el Símbolo del sistema: In the Windows search bar, type Command Prompt or CMD and select it.
2. Type the following command: shutdown /s /t (seconds) and press Enter. For example, if you want the PC to shut down in one hour, which is 3600 seconds, the command would be like this shutdown /s /t 3600
3. Confirma el apagado: Windows will notify you that your PC will shut down at the scheduled time. Confirm the shutdown and you're done.

In case you want cancel auto-off that you just scheduled, go to Command Prompt (CMD) and run the following command: shutdown /a. You can also use the following commands to perform actions such as:

• shutdown /r command: will restart your PC.
• shutdown /l command: will log the user out.
• shutdown /f command: will force programs to close before shutdown.
• shutdown /s command: instantly shuts down the computer.
• The shutdown /t command specifies the time in seconds in which you want the computer to perform any of the aforementioned actions.

Which method is best to automate PC shutdown in Windows 11?

So, which of the two methods above should you use to schedule your PC to shut down automatically in Windows 11? Well, this will depend on what you actually need. On the one hand, if you want your PC to shut down in a while, The quickest and easiest way is to run the shutdown command from the Command Prompt. Select the seconds and that's it.

But, If you want your PC to automatically shut down daily, weekly or monthly at a set time, It is best to use the Task SchedulerUsing it will give you greater control over shutting down your PC, ensuring it won't be left on even if you forget to turn it off or have to leave it on for some reason.