Information technology's skillful to to power off your PC when you're not using it, only exercise you ever forget and get out it on? Here's how to configure Windows to automatically power downwards at night, but merely if y'all're non using the PC at the time.

We really recommend putting your PC to sleep rather than shutting it down as a normal grade of action. Sleep and hibernation have both come a long way since the early days of Windows and if you avoid using them because you used to have problems, yous might be pleasantly surprised with how well they piece of work at present. And if you however have trouble with your PC waking up prematurely, we have some communication for keeping that from happening.

Of course, if you'd really like to close your PC downwards automatically instead, we understand. And it isn't hard to do. You but need to set a scheduled task with rules to foreclose the shut down if you lot're up tardily using the PC.

RELATED: PSA: Don't Shut Downward Your Figurer, Just Utilize Sleep (or Hibernation)

Click Kickoff, blazon "task scheduler," then click the "Task Scheduler" app.

In the Task Scheduler window, in the "Actions" pane, click "Create Task."

On the "General" tab of the Create Task window, requite the new chore whatever name you want. Nosotros like putting a "z_" before any user-created tasks just so that they're easier to find later with a quick alphabetical sort. Select both the "Run whether user is logged on or non" option and "Run with highest privileges" options. On the "Configure for" drop-down, select your version of Windows.

Side by side, switch to the "Triggers" tab. Click "New" to create a new trigger.

In the New Trigger window, make certain the "Begin the task" dropdown menu is prepare to "On a schedule." Set up whatever schedule y'all like. Here, nosotros're going with every dark at midnight. When you're done setting upward your schedule, click "OK."

Back in the "Create Task" window, switch over to the "Actions" tab and click "New" to create a new activeness.

In the "New Action" window, set the "Action" drop-down menu to "Commencement a plan." Type "shutdown" into the "Programme/script" box. In the "Add arguments (optional)" box, type "/Southward" to have take the job start a bones shutdown control—the same as if you'd clicked the Shut Downwardly button yourself. If yous desire the command to also forcefulness any running applications to close without alert users, blazon "/Southward /F" into the "Parameters" box instead. When yous're washed, click "OK."

Back in the "Create Task" window, switch over to the "Conditions" tab. Enable the "Get-go the task just if the computer is idle for" pick and ready the timing y'all'd similar. Hither, we're setting the task to boot in but if the computer has been idle for 15 minutes when the shut downward time arrives. We're also setting the chore to wait upward to ane hour for that idle time to happen.

You also take 2 other options to consider hither. Enable the "Stop if the computer ceases to be idle" option to stop the job if you lot showtime using your PC. And enable the "Restart if the idle state resumes" to have the task begin measuring idle time again when you lot cease using your PC. We recommend going ahead and enabling both those options.

Next, switch to the "Settings" tab. Here, y'all tin can set your task up and then that it will run again every so frequently if it fails to run successfully. This lets the task shut down your PC if you're upwardly using it for much longer than you expected to be. Enable the "If the task fails, restart every" option and then set your preferences. Here, we're having the chore restart every thirty minutes and nosotros're letting it try restarting up to 3 times. When you're done, click "OK" to create the chore.

Notation that you volition likely be asked to enter your user account countersign to finish creating the task. And you can now leave Task Scheduler. From this point on, your PC should close down automatically at whatever time you scheduled—unless you're using the PC at that time.