Shutdown via CMD: An overview of windows shutdown commands

How one shuts down their PC via the Windows user interface is known by every Windows user. The user interface, however, only provides users with limited options. Less known is the fact that computers can be shut down in highly variable and very different ways by entering specific shutdown commands in the prompt. As an operating system shell, this enables an interaction between the user and Windows.

The Windows command prompt is a powerful tool from the old days of MS-DOS which today still accepts countless commands for special purposes. Behind the designation there is ultimately an executable program: the cmd.exe, which provides a line for the command input (the actual prompt). For shutting down your computer, another program addresses the command line tool: the “shutdown.exe”, for example, shuts off the computer immediately after the program is called up, restarts it or logs off the current user.

The advantages of command-based control are obvious: through Windows shutdown commands, you save yourself mouse clicks and don’t have to surf through menus. Detours across the Windows user interface are avoided. Should one issue a shutdown command, the computer can be shut down directly and quickly.

Other advantages include flexibility and adaptability. One can select from various shutdown options and as a result proceed in a number of various ways. A fine adjustment of the desired mode occurs through the addition of further control parameters. Each mode is intended for a specific use case. Due to their adaptability, shutdown routines play an important role in the administrative field. This means that geographically-remote PC and servers are remotely time-controlled via manual command entries. Also, special shutdown scripts are used for the automation of routines that are at times relatively easy to prepare.

Below, we will show you where one enters CMD commands and the specific syntax that one must observe. Furthermore, we will provide info on several shutdown options.

If one would like to use cmd.exe for entering Windows shutdown commands, two methods are available depending on your preferences for operating the computer:

• Call-up via mouse click and entry of “cmd”
• Call-up via keyboard combination and entry of “cmd”

3. Press the enter key or click on “Open” with the mouse.

As you can see in the screenshot, there are various options. You can launch the prompt with restricted privileges or “Run as Administrator”. In the latter case, the cmd.exe operates with extended access rights. However, one requirement is that administrator rights in the active user account must be expressly permitted.

The Windows command line can process numerous shutdown codes. To this end, the exact designations and control parameters must be entered in accordance with the appropriate (command) syntax. The standard syntax is the following:

Shutdown commands, thus, combine the basic “shutdown” command and additional control parameters. The latter decide whether a system should be, for example, shut down (/s) or restarted (/r). In doing so, the combination of several parameters is always possible.

Below you obtain a tabular overview of the most important Windows shutdown command that can be run using the command prompt.

These commands function immediately. In other words, without any further formulation. Sophisticated shutdown procedures require a more comprehensive syntax. Some examples:

A remote computer [MY REMOTE PC] is supposed to be shutdown remotely after 60 seconds. In the countdown phase of the shutdown, a text box with the comment “Please finish your work” is supposed to be shown. The following syntax implements the task:

Ambitious users of Windows shutdown commands can define highly complex procedures for very specific purposes. The Windows command prompt lists the fundamental syntax building blocks for this if one enters “shutdown/?” (without quotation marks) in the command line.

It is not mandatory that you rely on the command prompt in order to shut down Windows in different ways. Shutdown routines can also be initiated via a script (batch file) which immediately runs the desired commands without a CMD call-up. One can easily create these types of files with the Windows Text Editor notepad, save them as a *.bat file and launch them via mouse click.

Example file name: Shut off_PC.bat

When creating and testing batch files, there are a few things to keep in mind. In this video the necessary preparations are thoroughly demonstrated: