Do you remember the last time when you fell asleep, and your system remained switched on overnight? I am sure everyone is guilty of this. But, if it happens frequently, then the health and battery performance of your system degrades day by day. Soon, the efficiency factors will be affected. No worries, Windows 10 sleep timer could help you to get rid of this problem. We bring to you a perfect guide that will help you enable Windows 10 sleep timer.
Table of Contents
How to Set a Shutdown Timer in Windows 10
Method 1: Use Command Prompt to Create Windows 10 Sleep Timer
You can time your system to shut down after a particular period of time by setting a shutdown timer on your Windows 10 computer. The easiest way to do so is using Command Prompt. Windows 10 sleep command will help you to create Windows 10 sleep timer. Here’s how to do it:
1. Type cmd in the Windows search bar as depicted.
2. Type the following command in Command Prompt window, as shown below, and hit Enter:
Shutdown –s –t 7200
3. Here, -s denotes that this command should shut down the computer, and the parameter –t 7200 denotes the delay of 7200 seconds. This implies that if your system is inactive for 2 hours, it will shut down automatically.
4. A warning notification will be prompted titled ‘You’re about to be signed out. Windows will shut down in (value) minutes,‘ along with the date and time of the shutdown process.
Method 2: Use Windows Powershell to Create Windows 10 Sleep Timer
You can perform the same task in PowerShell to shut down your PC after a specified period of time.
1. Launch the Windows Powershell by searching for it in the Windows search box.
2. Type shutdown –s –tvalue to achieve the same result.
3. Like we explained above, replace the value with the specific number of seconds after which your PC should shut down.
Method 3: Create Windows 10 Sleep Timer Desktop Shortcut
If you want to create Windows 10 sleep timer without using Command Prompt or Windows Powershell, you can create a desktop shortcut that opens the sleep timer on your system. When you double-click on this shortcut, Windows 10 sleep command will be activated automatically. Here is how to create this shortcut on your Windows PC:
1. Right-click on the blank space on the home screen.
2. Click on New and select Shortcut as depicted below.
3. Now, copy-paste the given command in the Type the location of the item field.
Shutdown -s -t 7200
4. If you want to turn off your system and force close any open programs, use the following command:
shutdown.exe -s -t 00 –f
5. Or, if you want to create a sleep shortcut, use the following command:
rundll32.exe powrprof.dll, SetSuspendState 0,1,0
6. Now, type a name in Type a name for this shortcut field.
7. Click Finish to create the shortcut.
8. Now, the shortcut will be displayed on the desktop as follows.
Note: Steps 9 to 14 are optional. If you want to change the display icon, you can follow them.
9. Right-click on the shortcut you just created.
10. Next, click on Properties and switch to the Shortcut tab.
11. Here, click on Change Icon… as highlighted.
12. You may receive a prompt as depicted below. Click on OK and proceed.
13. Select an icon from the list and click on OK.
14. Click on Apply followed by OK.
Your icon for the shutdown timer will be updated on the screen, as depicted below.
Pete is a Senior staff writer at TechCult. Pete loves all things technology and is also an avid DIYer at heart. He has a decade of experience writing how-tos, features, and technology guides on the internet.
Is there a way to do this to make my computer go to ‘Sleep’ instead of shut down?