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How to schedule Windows startup, shutdown and restart

To turn on a fully shut-down PC at a set time, look for an alarm in its BIOS or UEFI firmware. Once Windows is running, Task Scheduler can shut down or restart the PC, run a backup, or launch a program on a schedule.

1. Schedule a power-on time in BIOS or UEFI

  1. Restart the PC and enter firmware setup. The key varies by model, but Delete and F2 are common.
  2. Look under Power Management for a setting such as Resume by RTC or Power On By Alarm. Check your model’s manual for the exact name and supported power states.
  3. Enable the alarm, set the time, save your changes, and test it a few minutes ahead with the PC shut down and connected to power.

If your model has no RTC alarm, check whether it supports a Windows wake timer from sleep. In Task Scheduler, an individual task can request this under Conditions → Wake the computer to run this task. Firmware and power settings can still prevent wake-up.

2. Schedule a Windows shutdown

  1. Open Task Scheduler and choose Create Basic Task.
  2. Choose Daily, set the time, then select Start a program.
  3. Enter shutdown.exe as the program and /s /t 0 under Add arguments. Save your work before testing.

A task using /s /t 0 requests an immediate shutdown. Adding /f forces applications to close and can discard unsaved work. If a shutdown has a countdown, shutdown /a can cancel it before the timer ends.

3. Schedule a restart, backup or cleanup

Use the same task setup with /r /t 0 to restart instead. For a backup or cleanup, select the relevant program or script. Run it manually first, verify the destination and access permissions, then set a trigger such as Daily, Weekly or At log on. For Disk Cleanup, save your choices with cleanmgr /sageset:1 and schedule cleanmgr /sagerun:1.

4. Check why a scheduled task did not run

  • Power-on alarm: Check the firmware clock and whether the model supports automatic power-on. Leave the computer connected to power.
  • Windows task: Check whether the task is enabled, its Last Run Result, the trigger and the account it runs under. On a laptop, check conditions that require AC power.
  • Missed run: If appropriate, enable Run task as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed. Only schedule disruptive work for times when the computer can safely shut down or restart.

References: Microsoft shutdown command and Disk Cleanup options.