How to Shutdown, Restart, and Schedule Windows 10 with CMD

While shutting down or restarting your Windows 10 PC can be done quickly from the Start menu, using the Command Prompt (CMD) provides you with more options and flexibility. With CMD, you can schedule actions such as shutdown, restart, or hibernation, as well as display personalized messages when running them. You can even shut down or restart other remote computers on the same network. In this article, we will explore how to utilize CMD to its fullest potential.

Shutdown/Restart Your PC With Command Prompt

With Command Prompt, you can shut down or restart your Windows 10 PC using a timer or by displaying a custom message. Here's how:

1. Open the Start menu and type “Command Prompt” in the search box. Then click on “Run as administrator” to open it with admin rights.

2. Type the following command and press Enter:

   shutdown /s

Your PC will power off after a minute. If you wish to modify the timeframe after which the PC should turn off, use the following command instead:

shutdown /s /t COUNTDOWN

Replace “COUNTDOWN” with the number of seconds after which the PC should shut down.

In addition to a timer, if you wish to shut down your PC with a custom dialog message, use the following command:

shutdown /s /t COUNTDOWN /c CUSTOM MESSAGE

Replace “CUSTOM MESSAGE” with any text to let the user know the reason behind powering off the PC.

Similarly, to restart the PC with Command Prompt, replace the letter “s” with “r” in the commands above to perform a restart, restart with a custom countdown, or restart with a custom message.

If you decide to abort the scheduled shutdown at any point during the countdown, use the following command:

shutdown /a

Apart from adding a timer and message, there are several other options available while shutting down or restarting your PC. To get the full list of commands available, type the following in the Command Prompt and press Enter:

shutdown /?

You'll be presented with a list of all the shutdown commands you can perform, along with a brief description.

How to Shutdown a Remote Computer with Command Prompt

One of the best features of the shutdown command-line tool is the ability to shut down or restart a computer remotely. However, to enable this feature, you need to first configure the remote computer to receive commands from other PCs.

Set Up Remote Shutdown on Remote Computer

To set up remote shutdown or restart on a computer, you need to disable the User Account Control (UAC) in it. Here's how to do it:

1. Open the Start menu and type “Command Prompt” in the search box. Then click on “Run as administrator” to open it with admin rights.

2. Type the following command and press Enter:

   reg add HKLMSoftwareMicrosoftwindowsCurrentVersionPoliciessystem /v LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

That's it! Now you're all set to receive commands remotely from an authenticated PC.

Perform a Remote Shutdown

Once you've disabled UAC in the remote computer, follow these steps to remotely turn off that computer:

1. Open the Start menu, type “Command Prompt,” and click on “Run as administrator” to open it with admin rights.

2. Type the following command and press Enter:

   shutdown /i

3. This will open up the Remote Shutdown Dialog. Under “Computers,” you can add or browse the remote computers connected on the same network as yours to shut down or restart them.

4. Once added, you can choose to shut down or restart from the drop-down menu. Additionally, you can modify the number of seconds for which a warning should be displayed before shutting down the remote computer. Press OK to save changes.

And voila! You can now shut down or restart a remote computer without physically accessing it. By following the steps above, you can add multiple computers to the list and perform shutdown actions remotely.

Closing Remarks: Shutdown/Restart Windows 10 PC with Command Prompt

Using the command prompt to shut down or restart your PC unlocks a whole range of options. It is particularly useful when you have multiple computers set up in different rooms. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility, so use these commands wisely.

Also Read: Run Cmd Prompt as Administrator With This Desktop Shortcut