Sometimes I’m working late, either exporting a video or rendering something, or waiting for updates to finish. I don’t want to sit there waiting for the PC to finish before I can go to bed.
At the same time, I don't like the idea of leaving my computer on all night. It’s noisy, not great for energy use and basically unsustainable.
So I put together a small shell script that solves this exact problem.
- You specify how long it should wait, in minutes or seconds depending on the version.
- It then starts a shutdown timer.
- If you change your mind, you can quickly cancel it.
It's a simple idea, but it's been surprisingly useful.
What it does:
✅ Schedules a shutdown after a set amount of time
✅ Allows you to abort/cancel the shutdown (so you’re not stuck with it)
✅ Ideal for updates, exports, lengthy installations and overnight 'finishing tasks'
How I use it (real-world example)
- It’s late.
- I start an update or an export.
- I estimate: 'This should take about 25 minutes.'
- I start the script and set a timer for 30 minutes.
- I go and brush my teeth, get ready or fall asleep.
- The PC shuts itself down automatically once the timer hits zero.
No waiting! No more saying, 'I'll just stay up for 40 more minutes.' No leaving your PC running until morning.
Download
You can download it here:
Download: Shutdown Timer Script – Download
(I'll keep it in the 'My Games' section of the site, as that's where I also store my smaller tools and experiments.)
Quick notes / safety
- Save your work first!
- A shutdown is a shutdown — unsaved open files can be lost.
- If you’re rendering or exporting, make sure you allow enough time.
- Depending on your system, the script may require the correct permissions (as is normal for shutdown commands).
