Remember when you used to fall asleep while watching TV in the living room? If so, you likely used the Sleep Timer feature on your TV to automatically turn it off after an hour or so (to prevent it from playing all night).
Well, what if you no longer use the TV? More and more of us are accessing entertainment on laptops or desktops. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a sleep timer option for the PC?
Well there it is! Here’s how to use Windows’ built-in shutdown feature to set the sleep timer.
How to set Sleep Timer Shutdown in Windows
You can set the Windows sleep timer to shut down your computer after a certain period. The easiest way to set your computer to shut down on the timer is through the command prompt, using Windows close Command.
First, launch the command prompt. Type Command in the Start menu search box and select Best Match.
Now, type the following command:
Shutdown -s -t 3600The -s The parameter indicates that this should shutdown your computer, and -t 3600 The parameter indicates that there should be a delay of 3600 seconds, which is equal to 1 hour. Once you type this command, you can schedule a one-time shutdown – the perfect sleep timer.
The sleep timer runs in seconds. If you want to set the timer for 2 hours, enter 7200, and so on.
Create a shortcut on the desktop Sleep Timer
Now, if you want to use the sleep timer regularly, you can save a few clicks with the sleep timer shortcut. You can create a shortcut that starts the sleep timer without having to open a command prompt.
Even better, you can also create a shortcut that cancels the sleep timer for those moments when you realize you’re not quite done.
First, create a new shortcut. Right-click on the desktop and select New > Shortcut. Copy and paste the following:
Shutdown -s -t 3600Name the shortcut and click on it finish. There you have it: a dedicated sleep timer to turn off.
For the final touch, right-click the sleep timer shortcut, and select Properties, Then change icon. Click Warning, and you can select a custom icon for your sleep timer.
Another option is to assign a keyboard shortcut to the sleep command – just make sure you don’t press it unexpectedly or without realizing it!
Create a shortcut to cancel the sleep timer
What if you start counting down your sleep timer and then realize you need to keep using your computer for over an hour?
Fortunately, you can also create a shortcut that cancels the sleep timer.
Right-click on the desktop and select New > Shortcut. Copy and paste the following:
Shutdown -aGive the abbreviation and name and click finish. You can add a custom icon for the cancel sleep timer shortcut — make it a different icon so you can detect the difference.
Dedicated app to turn off sleep timer for Windows 10
If you don’t want to use a shortcut or simply prefer a graphical user interface, you have several options for turning off the sleep timer app.
1. SleepTimer Ultimate
SleepTimer Ultimate It is a free sleep timer software with a wide range of functions.
You can use SleepTimer Ultimate to set a wide range of sleep timers, each with different output actions. For example, you can set a specific time and date in the future for your computer to shutdown or to log out of a Windows account if the CPU load reaches a certain level.
Another great feature of SleepTimer Ultimate is the program’s timer trigger. You can set a program to run after a specified period of time has elapsed. Also, you can add customizable sleep timer overlays to your desktop to keep track of the timer, making sure you know when your time is up.
download: The ultimate SleepTimer for windows (free)
2. Sleep timer
From the comprehensive functionality of SleepTimer Ultimate to the basic approach of sleep timer. However, Sleep Timer does what you want: you set the timer, leave your computer, and it will shut down in time.
The app developer originally envisioned Sleep Timer as the perfect tool for those who want to listen to music while they sleep, but don’t leave their PC running all night, which it does.
There are also options for timed restart or hibernation, and you can set the shutdown sequence to start after a set amount of time or a period of inactivity.
download: sleep timer for windows (free)
3. Bye
Name it appropriately Farewell It is a free sleep timer for Windows with an intuitive and easy-to-use user interface. There are options for timed shutdown, restart, user logout, and screen off. You can use the up and down arrows to set the time, which can extend to days if you require it.
You’ll also find an option to enable a sound notification for the shutdown timer, which is an interesting option.
Like SleepTimer Ultimate, you can use Adios to run a program on a timer. Moreover – and this is really cool – you can use Adios to set the download to start at a specific time.
download: farewell to windows (free)
Change the sleep timer on your laptop
Windows 10 has a sleep timer, and you probably already use it. When you leave your computer, laptop, or tablet unattended, it will automatically go into sleep mode after a certain period of time.
To adjust the amount of time before bed, type asleep in the Start menu search bar and select Best Match. You can edit sleep timers from this menu.
There are two things to know about these options:
- Monitor: Configure when the screen goes to sleep
- asleep: Configure when the computer goes into hibernation
The first option, then, does not put the entire computer to sleep. Instead, it just turns off the screen. You can use the second Sleep option to initialize a certain amount of time before shutting down the system in hibernation.
The same sleep and power settings are available in Windows 11, although the settings menu looks different than in Windows 10.
If you’re using a portable device, you’ll find additional options for your device on the battery or plugged into an electrical outlet. There are other options as well, like using your laptop’s power button as a sleep control.
You can easily set Windows Sleep Timers
You now have multiple options to set the sleep timer on Windows 10. The shortcut option gives you a basic shutdown timer, while the dedicated sleep timer apps for Windows 10 give you extensive shutdown timer functionality.
Image Credit: Junpinzon /stock struggle
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