Turn off the computer using the Windows 10 keyboard. How to set a timer to turn off the computer? How to turn off your computer using a timer using the command line
The article describes instructions on how to set a computer shutdown timer in the operating room. Windows system 10. We will set the timer using a standard OS tool called shutdown .
Automatic shutdown of the computer is mainly used after technical operations, such as scanning for viruses, downloading third-party software, etc.
1st method. The easiest way and can be used in earlier Windows versions. Press the Win + R hotkeys and enter the following command in the “Run” window
shutdown -s -t 60
where 60 is the seconds after which the computer will automatically turn off. The user can set any value.
After clicking the “OK” button, the system will notify you that the session will end after the scheduled time.
To cancel a scheduled shutdown, you need to enter the command shutdown/a
2nd method. In order to use this method, you will need to use the Windows Task Scheduler. To call it, press the Win+R keys and enter the command in the “Run” window taskschd.msc, or in the regular search engine of the system we drive in the name itself.
In the right part of the window, select “Create a simple task”, specify any name for it and click “Next”.
In the next paragraph, select “One time”, then set the date and time. At the “Action” item, leave “Run a program” as it is, then in the “Program or script” field enter the command shutdown, and in the “Arguments” field - -s.
Windows 10 has undergone certain changes in its interface, although the logic of its use remains similar to previous versions OS. Because of this, some users may experience problems even with the most basic operations, such as shutting down the computer correctly. The process is actually not much more complicated than in earlier versions of Windows.
How to turn off your computer in Windows 10
In fact, operating systems of the Windows NT family implement many methods that allow you to shut down your computer correctly. You should not try to turn off your PC using a button or, worse, by unplugging the power cord. This should only be done in the most urgent cases when other options do not work. If you frequently shut down your PC this way, you may experience multiple crashes in the future.
Option 1: Start Menu
This is the most common and easiest way to shut down a computer and is used in almost all versions of Windows. The instructions for it look like this:
Option 2: Keyboard shortcuts
Windows also provides an option to shut down operating system using key combinations. Let's look at the most common one as an example:
This key combination has an alternative that is only relevant for Windows 10. Press the Win+X combination. A menu will open where you will need to select the “Shut down or sign out” option. Another small menu will appear there, in which click on the “Shut down” item.
Option 3: "Command Line"
“Command Line” allows you to perform almost all operations in the system using special commands. However, most users may find this method difficult. Its essence is as follows:
- Call "Command Prompt" in any way convenient for you. For example, this can be done by clicking on the magnifying glass icon in the taskbar and entering the name of the desired object. In the search results, simply click on the appropriate option.
- Type the command shutdown /s and press Enter to apply it.
Option 4: Slidetoshutdown
This method can also be called unusual. According to the logic of its actions, it is somewhat reminiscent of the previous version, but there are still differences. Using this option to shut down the computer involves the following steps:
Option 5: Turn off a locked PC
You can also turn off your computer from the lock screen if, for example, you need to enter a password to log in. To do this, simply click on the power icon at the bottom right of the screen. From the context menu, select the Shutdown option.
As you can see, there is nothing difficult about shutting down in Windows 10. There are several ways to do this operation, although almost always only the first one discussed is used.
After installing Windows 10 OS or updating to this version, the user may find that the system interface has changed significantly. Based on this, a lot of questions arise, among which is the question of how to correctly turn off a computer based on the installed operating system.
It’s worth noting right away that there are several ways to shut down a PC on the Windows 10 platform; it is with their help that you can correctly shut down the OS. Many may argue that this is a trivial issue, but shutting down your computer correctly can reduce the likelihood of failure of both individual programs and the entire system.
Method 1: Using the Start Menu
The easiest way to turn off your PC is to use the menu "Start". In this case, you only need to perform a couple of clicks.
Method 2: Using a Keyboard Shortcut
You can also shut down your PC using a keyboard shortcut "ALT+F4". To do this, you just need to go to the desktop (if you don’t do this, only the program you are working with will close), click the above set, select the item in the dialog box "Shutdown" and click on the button "OK".
You can also use the combination to turn off the PC "Win+X", causing the opening of a panel containing the item “ Shut down or log out".
Method 3: Using the Command Line
For lovers of the command line (cmd), there is also a way to do this.
Method 4: Using the Slidetoshutdown utility
Another rather interesting and unusual way to shut down a PC running Windows 10 is to use the built-in Slidetoshutdown utility. To use it, you need to follow these steps:
It is worth noting that you can turn off your PC by simply holding down the power button for a few seconds. But this option is not safe and may cause damage as a result of its use. system files processes and programs that run in the background.
Turning off a locked PC
To turn off a locked PC, you just need to click the icon "Switch off" in the lower right corner of the screen. If you do not see such an icon, then simply click on any area of the screen and it will appear.
Follow these rules and you will reduce the risk of errors and problems that may arise as a result of incorrect completion of work.
Automatic shutdown of the computer is an extremely useful option that will help you out more than once. It comes in handy in cases where your PC or laptop is busy with a long process and you need to leave. In this case, you can configure the computer to turn off - when the desired operation is completed, it will turn off on its own. And you can calmly go to bed, go to work or do your other things.
Most often, configuration is required if you:
- check your PC for viruses;
- convert video files;
- install a computer game;
- download large files;
- copy important data, etc.
There are many options here, but the point should be clear.
The first is using built-in Windows tools. The second is using additional software. Read about the last method here:. And this article describes everything possible ways configure the computer to turn off at a specified time using built-in Windows tools.
All the methods below are universal and work on Windows 7, 8 and 10. Therefore, no matter what operating system you have, you can schedule your computer to shut down in any convenient way.
Setting your computer to turn off automatically
The first method on how you can enable automatic shutdown of a computer or laptop is to use the “Run” section. For this:
The following window will appear confirming that everything was done correctly.
The number 3600 is the number of seconds. It can be anything. This particular command activates the automatic shutdown of the PC after 1 hour. The procedure is one-time only. If you need to turn it off again, you must do it again.
Instead of the number 3600, you can write any other number:
- 600 – shutdown after 10 minutes;
- 1800 – after 30 minutes;
- 5400 – in an hour and a half.
I think the principle is clear and you can calculate the required value yourself.
If you have already activated the computer to shut down and for some reason changed your mind, then call this window again and write the line shutdown -a . As a result, the scheduled automatic shutdown will be cancelled. If everything is done correctly, the following message will appear.
Shutting down the computer via the command line
Another very similar method is through the command line. To enable this option:
If you suddenly change your mind about performing this operation, then open this window again and enter – shutdown -a.
This command only works when you have already set the time to turn off the computer, but it has not yet arrived.
By the way, if this procedure needs to be performed regularly, then there is an easier way. To avoid opening the Run window or Command Prompt, create a shortcut (for example, on your desktop). And in the “Object Location” field write the following line C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe -s -t 5400(the number can be any). Click Next, then enter a name for the shortcut and click Finish.
Now, when you need to set your computer to shut down, just click on this shortcut. And this option is immediately activated (you will see a confirmation message).
For convenience, you can create another shortcut to remove turning off the computer (in case you need it). But here you need to write down the following: C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe -a(no period at the end).
Turn off the computer according to schedule
And the last method is to turn off the computer by time using the “Scheduler”. Suitable if you need to perform this procedure regularly: daily, weekly, etc. In order not to constantly launch the command line, you just need to set the time to turn off your computer or laptop once and that’s it.
To do this:
- Go to Start – Control Panel – Administrative Tools.
- Select Task Scheduler.
- In the right column, click on “Create a simple task”.
- Enter a name that you understand - for example, “Automatic shutdown of PC”.
- Indicate how often this procedure should be performed (if once, then it is better to choose one of the methods for automatically turning off the computer described above).
- Configure the shutdown of your computer or laptop (specify the start time and date).
- Select the first item - “Run program”.
- In the “Program” field, write shutdown , and in the “Arguments” field - -s -f (the -f switch forces programs to close in case they suddenly freeze).
- Click the "Done" button.
This is how you can set the computer shutdown time. Daily or monthly settings are carried out in approximately the same way. Some fields will be different, but there is nothing complicated there - you'll figure it out.
What should I do if I need to edit or delete this task? In this case, go back to the “Scheduler” and open the “Library” tab. Find your task in the list here (by name) and double-click with the left button.
In the window that opens, go to the “Triggers” section and click on the “Edit” button.
If you no longer need to shut down your PC on a schedule, then go to the “Library”, select your task, right-click, and then click “Delete”.
A few words in conclusion
Many modern programs have a checkbox “Turn off the PC after finishing the procedure.” Most often, it is available in those utilities that take a long time to complete their work - for example, disk defragmentation, scanning a laptop or computer for viruses, etc.
Be sure to check that each program has this checkbox. If it is, then you will not need to configure the PC to turn off at a time. It's much easier and more convenient. If it is not there, then you will have to configure it manually.
By the way, how to correctly calculate the time when you need to turn off your PC? Usually programs show an approximate value when a specific procedure (virus scan or defragmentation) will be completed. Look at it and add another 20-30% (or more) on top. In any case, your PC will be turned off before you wake up in the morning or come home from work in the evening.
Users often encounter the auto-shutdown problem. It occurs when you need to download large files at night, when it is profitable to do this, since providers provide unlimited traffic at this time. If the download ends at three in the morning, then the computer is uselessly idle until the morning.
You may also need to turn off your computer when you are at work, for example at 11 pm or later. It may well be that you want to watch a movie in the evening, but it needs to be converted to another format. This task may take time. Then, before leaving for work, you launch the converter and a program that somehow instructs the computer to turn off after a certain time.
Some programs that run for a long time have a function to shut down the computer, but unfortunately, not all. Here we will look at how to solve this problem, first using the operating system itself. It's very simple.
How to set a sleep timer using Windows
Windows 10 OS has a shutdown utility that can be launched from the command line. This program is included in the system out of the box; you don’t need to search for or install it. You can use this method at any time if you have administrator rights, and for any home user this is always the case. The command itself in this case looks like this:
shutdown -s -t 3600
shutdown /s /t 3600
and means the computer turns off after an hour (the time is indicated in seconds. To make it clearer, let’s look at a practical example of shutting down using shutdown. You don’t have to rack your brains, it’s all very simple.
Let's say that in the evening you gave your computer the task of downloading large files. Knowing the size of the files and the speed of your network, you confidently expect that everything will be ready at three in the morning. Someone needs to turn off the computer. But at this time you will be sleeping and do not want to be disturbed. Then you need to do the following.
Look at the clock:
Since the shutdown utility requires time in seconds, there is a slight inconvenience. We need to solve a small arithmetic problem. It's a quarter past ten, or twenty-two fifteen in military style. It's four full hours and another forty-five minutes until three o'clock in the morning. You need to calculate the number of minutes and convert it to seconds:
We set the shutdown after the calculated number of seconds. To do this, in the Start menu, find the command processor cmd.exe and run this program. A window will appear with command line and we are ready to start the timer. Let's enter the command name and specify the keys. The /s switch (or -s as in Unix) tells the computer to shut down. If you want to put it into hibernation mode while saving the session, then just use h (from the word hibernate) instead of s.
The /t (time) switch indicates the delay time, in our case it is 17100 seconds. If we hesitate a little, the computer will turn off a little later, but this does not matter in this case.
It must be said that the same thing could be done using the Windows Task Scheduler by adding a new task to its schedule. But this way is unlikely to be better, even if it saves us from counting time. You will have to click the mouse several times more, and in the end, everything will come down to calling the same shutdown -s, only without specifying the time (it is already known to the scheduler).
Another way to solve the problem on the command line:
at 3:00 shutdown -s
The task will appear in the scheduler. What could be simpler? Unfortunately, the at command is not considered safe because it can be used to schedule unexpected actions. But a home user has nothing to worry about if his system is protected by a firewall and antivirus software.
How to disable auto shutdown
If for some reason you decide to do without auto shutdown, then this is also very easy to do. We cancel the existing task with the command:
shutdown -a
shutdown/a
We proceed similarly to the previous section, launch cmd.exe and issue the appropriate command in its window. The task is canceled and the computer will not turn off, but will continue to work as if nothing had happened.
Review of programs for auto-shutdown of the computer
Surprisingly, many users still have some kind of superstitious fear of the command line. For them, software developers create windowed applications that do the same thing, but from GUI. Such utilities can also have a number of conveniences, for example, not just setting the number of seconds, but indicating the time, which, of course, is noticeably more convenient for users.
Ultimately, they also need to be configured to turn off the PC in the desired manner and at the right time. The PowerOff program is quite popular, but not among those who like simplicity. This program has many functions, but also a rather confusing interface with seven tabs.
If your task is only to turn off the computer at a given time, then you can easily do this using uSleepTimer. This one is very simple program requires you to specify the time AFTER which you need to turn off the computer. Another inconvenience.
The OffTimer program is very simple and requires you to specify the time at which the computer should be turned off. It is very comfortable. Unfortunately, it shuts down the machine without saving application data. But it is better for the user to decide for himself. If he is confident that his task will be solved by the specified time, then he can be calm.
The SM Timer utility does the same as the previous one, but allows you to choose between IN and THROUGH. The time can be set using the sliders or by clicking on the “up” or “down” buttons. This and the two previous utilities do not require installation due to their simplicity. There are a lot of similar programs on the Internet. They help users who want to use computers but are not at all interested in them and want to get solutions to their problems in the simplest ways.
