If you’re the kind who usually forgets to turn off your computer before you go to bed, shutting down your computer on a scheduled basis can be a smart move. This can save you power on your electricity bill and keep your computer safe when you’re not around.

In Windows 10, there are a couple of ways you can schedule your computer to shut down automatically. In this article, we’ll show you how to create a shutdown timer in Windows 10 using the command prompt.

Step 1 – Open Command Prompt

The first step is to open the Command Prompt. To do so, click the Start button and search for “cmd.” Right-click on the Command Prompt and select “Run as Administrator” to open it with administrative privileges.

Step 2 – Input the Command

Next, use the shutdown command in command prompt. You can type “shutdown /?” to view the list of parameters you can use with the command.

To create a shutdown timer in Windows 10, use the following command syntax:

shutdown –s –t [seconds]

The –s parameter is used to shut down your computer. Meanwhile, the –t parameter is used to specify the number of seconds before your computer is shut down automatically. You can replace [seconds] with the number of seconds you’d like to set before your computer shuts down.

For instance, if you want your computer to shut down in three hours, which is equal to 180 minutes, and 10 seconds, you would type:

shutdown –s –t 10810

Note: You can still cancel the shutdown whenever you want by typing “shutdown /a” in the command prompt.

Step 3 – Schedule the Shutdown Timer

Creating a shutdown timer through the command prompt is an excellent alternative, but there’s a catch. This setting does not permit you to set a specific time for your computer to automatically shut down.

To create a shutdown timer that allows you to specify a time, open Notepad and type the following:

shutdown -s -t 300

In this example, we’ve specified a timer for 5 minutes (300 seconds). You can replace the “300” with the number of seconds of your choice.

Next, click File > Save As and name your file. Make sure the file extension is .bat.

Step 4 – Run the Program

Next, double-click on your batch file to automatically run it. Your computer will shut down automatically after the timer you have set has elapsed.

Final Thoughts

That’s it! You now know how to create a shutdown timer in Windows 10 using the command prompt. You don’t have to worry about leaving your computer running all night anymore. Creating a shutdown timer will save you energy and money. Just remember to save all your work before running the timer.