Guide

Set a shutdown timer on your PC with one command

Published 21 October 2026

A dark PowerShell window showing shutdown /s /t 3600, the command that turns the PC off in one hour

Short answerOpen a terminal and type shutdown /s /t 3600 to switch the PC off in one hour (the number is seconds). shutdown /a cancels it. Save your work first, because Windows closes your apps when the timer ends, even ones with unsaved changes.

Watching a movie in bed, or leaving a big download running at night? You do not need an app to switch the PC off later. Windows has a timer built in.

Step 1: Set the timer

Open PowerShell, Terminal or Command Prompt and type:

PowerShell

shutdown /s /t 3600

/s means shut down, and /t is the wait in seconds. Windows shows a notice saying when it will shut down.

Wait	Type
30 minutes	`shutdown /s /t 1800`
1 hour	`shutdown /s /t 3600`
90 minutes	`shutdown /s /t 5400`
2 hours	`shutdown /s /t 7200`

Save your work first

When the timer ends, Windows closes every app, including ones with unsaved changes. Windows' own help for the command says that any wait longer than zero forces apps to close. Save documents before you set it.

Step 2: Cancel it

Changed your mind? This cancels the timer:

PowerShell

shutdown /a

To change the time, cancel it and set a new one.

Restart straight into the BIOS

Need the BIOS or UEFI settings? Instead of pressing F2 or Delete at just the right moment, open the terminal as administrator (right-click Terminal, then Run as administrator) and run:

PowerShell