How to Automatically Turn On a Computer at a Specified Time

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: March 29, 2024 Fact Checked

This wikiHow teaches you how to make your PC or Mac computer start up at a specific time. If you're using a PC running any operating system (Windows or Linux), you can schedule automatic startups in the system BIOS. If you're using a Mac, you can set up automatic boot-ups in your System Preferences.

Things You Should Know

For PCs, reboot your computer into BIOS and use the ‘Power on Alarm’ option to set a power on time.
Note that you’ll need administrator access on Windows to create a startup task.
On macOS, go to the Energy Saver menu in System Preferences to use the Schedule feature.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using a PC

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1
Reboot your PC into the BIOS. The option to start your PC on a particular schedule is available in the BIOS, which you can access by pressing a specific key at boot time. This key is usually Del, F8, or F12, or F10. If you're using a newer Windows 10 PC, try using these steps to enter the BIOS:^{[1]
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- Right-click the Start menu and select Settings.
- Click Update & Security.
- Click Recovery.
- Click Restart Now under "Advanced Startup."
- When the computer comes back up, click the Troubleshoot menu.
- Click Advanced Options
- Click UEFI Firmware Settings and click Restart.
The name of this menu varies by manufacturer and may be in a menu called Advanced.

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3
Select a schedule frequency. The steps to do this vary by PC, but you'll usually use the arrow keys on the keyboard to highlight the day of the week on which you want the computer to start at a certain time, then press a key to toggle on Enable or Disable for that day.
- Depending on the BIOS, you may have the option to choose a broader option like Every Day.
You'll usually use the arrow keys to select an option called Time, though some BIOS settings require you to enter the hour, minute, and second separately.^{[2]
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If your BIOS has a menu running along the time of the screen, you can usually save an exit by selecting the File menu and choosing Save Changes and Exit. If not, the Save or Save and Close key should be clearly marked on the screen. Once you've exited the BIOS, the PC will restart as normal and your changes will be saved.^{[3]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using a Mac

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It's in the menu bar at the top-left corner of the screen. ^{[4]
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It's near the middle of the menu.
This is a light bulb-shaped icon.^{[5]
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It's in the bottom-right corner of the window.
This option is at the top of the Schedule window.
To do so, click the drop-down box to the right of "Start up or wake", then select a frequency (e.g., Every Day, Weekends, etc.).
You'll do this by adjusting the time in the box in the top-right side of the Schedule window.
It's at the bottom of the window. Your Mac will now start itself at your specified time.

Community Q&A

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Question

Is there a way to make a network computer activate?

Community Answer

It depends what you mean by activate. If you mean power on, then yes. Check the computer's BIOS for "Wake on Lan" settings. Then through an app or other magic packet software, you can send a signal that will turn the computer on. These settings will keep the network interface powered on while the rest of the computer is off.

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The BIOS settings on some Windows computers will allow you to schedule a start-up time, but this is not a consistent setting across Windows machines.

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Warnings

If you don't have administrator access on a Windows computer, you will be unable to create a task that starts up your computer.

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