We’ve all done it, opened way too many tabs, left the charger plugged in, then walked away telling ourselves, “I’ll shut it down later.” Spoiler: later never comes. If your Mac could talk, it’d probably sigh every night as it burns energy in vain.
But here's the good news, macOS has a built-in way to handle your forgetfulness. You can schedule your Mac to shut itself down, no apps, no coding, just a few clicks and your laptop becomes a responsible adult all on its own. Here's how to do it.
Ogbonda Chivumnovu
How to Schedule Laptop Shutdown on Mac
- Step 1: Click on the Apple menu () in the top-left corner of your screen, and select System Preferences
- Step 2: In the System Preferences window, click on the Battery icon
- Step 3: You'll see an option, Schedule... in the bottom-left corner. Click it
Video Script & Editing: Kelechi Edeh / Techloy.com | Content Research: Ogbonda Chivumnovu / Techloy.com
- Step 4: Check the box allows you to Sleep, Restart, or Shut Down your computer
- Step 5: Use the dropdown menu next to it to select Shut Down. Then, use the next dropdown menu to choose the frequency: Weekdays, Weekends, Every Day, or Specific Day. Then finally, click on Apply
Ogbonda Chivumnovu
Conclusion
Scheduling automatic shutdowns on your Mac is a simple fix for a common habit: forgetting to turn it off. Whether you want to save power, reduce wear on your device, or just keep things tidy, using macOS’s built-in scheduling feature does the job quietly and effectively. It’s one of those small tweaks that makes your setup smarter, without needing another reminder sticky note on your desk.
