Automatic shutdown is a useful Windows function through which we can choose a specific time for our computer to turn itself off, without our direct intervention. In this post we are going to see how you can program the automatic shutdown in windows 11 and the advantages that this will bring us.
Before we begin, it should be noted that there is no native option in Windows 11 to carry out this action on a scheduled basis. That means we have no choice but to resort to another system tool. Within Windows 11 itself there is a very good option that will allow us to schedule the automatic shutdown of the operating system and other tasks. We talk about all this in the following paragraphs.
As you will see, we are going to have a lot of flexibility when programming the automatic shutdown. For example, we can configure the shutdown every certain number of days or weeks or specify the exact time. Everything according to our needs.
Why is automatic shutdown so important?
There are powerful reasons to use the automatic shutdown feature in Windows 11 and any other version of Microsoft's operating system. These are the most outstanding advantages:
- The drives in most computers are not designed to work continuously. and without pause for many weeks. They are not like server hard drives. An automatic shutdown will provide a necessary "rest" for the hard drive.
- Like other operating systems, Windows periodically performs updates and other essential procedures for its operation between the process of shutting down and turning on the PC. The automatic shutdown will favor their execution.
- Shutting down your computer from time to time, either manually or automatically, is a good way to save energy and, therefore, take care of the environment.
- It is also a good way to prevent excessive heating of our PC, with the risk that the components burn, deteriorate and stop working properly. Turning off the computer from time to time will help it to cool down and its components have a longer life.
Task Scheduler
The tool with which we will be able to schedule automatic shutdown in Windows 11 is the Task Scheduler. The process is a bit complex and consists of two phases. We explain all the steps to follow:
First phase
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- First, we open the Start Menu of Windows 11. There we write Developer in the search box and, among the options that Windows shows us, we choose the application of "Task Scheduler".
- Within the application, we select the option "Create basic task".
- When the process starts, a series of windows open to configure the automatic shutdown process step by step:
- Name and short description of the task (for example, "auto shutdown") + "Next".
- Shutdown frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) + «Next».
- Shutdown date and time + «Next».
- Finally, we select the option «Start program» on the last screen, since Windows considers the automatic shutdown task as one more system program and we validate it by clicking "Next", as shown in the image above.
Second stage
Once the first phase is completed, the process must be completed with the second phase (the most important one). In it, we will choose the program to run, the Windows 11 automatic shutdown program. This is what we must do:
- First we open the Windows File Explorer.
- In it, we look for the following address: C: \ Windows \ System32, which we must copy and paste into the top bar of the file explorer.
- Once in it, we double click on the application shutdown.exe and confirm by clicking "Next".
- The last step is to review all the information displayed in the last window and confirm it by clicking on the "Finish" button.
Once the two phases have been completed, the automatic shutdown function will be definitively activated with the parameters we have selected.
All we have explained is valid for Windows 11. If your computer works with other previous versions of the Microsoft operating system, you can consult our posts about how to schedule automatic shutdown in windows 10 y how to schedule automatic shutdown in windows 7.
WinOFF application
Finally, we will mention an external application that allows us to configure our computer so that it turns off automatically in certain circumstances. For example, when the CPU does not exceed a minimum percentage of use or when the Internet connection is interrupted. That app is called WinOFF and it's possible download here.
In addition to automatic shutdown, WinOFF allows you to perform other tasks such as restart (normal or as administrator), shutdown, lock or suspend session, simple shutdown, etc. It is an application widely used by those parents who leave their computers to their children in a timely manner and who want to have more control over their hours of use. Very practical.