Automatically shut down and boot at certain times

[sultanoflondon]

Hi all,

I was wondering whether it is possible to set my iMac (running macOS Sierra) to automatically boot (at say 5:00 am) and shut down (at say 10:00 pm)?

Also, it would be handy to be able to automatically cancel the shut down process at 10:00 pm if I am using the computer (say, only shut down at 10:00 pm if the iMac is in sleep mode)? I'm not sure if this is possible, but any pointers would be very helpful.

Thank you!

 

[fisherking]

why not just sleep it? i don't know anyone these days who shuts off their mac often. seems easier (and more logical) to just sleep it when you're not using it. just a thought...

anyway... if you HAVE to do this, go to system preferences>energy saver, and there are options under "schedule".

 

[sultanoflondon]

why not just sleep it? i don't know anyone these days who shuts off their mac often. seems easier (and more logical) to just sleep it when you're not using it. just a thought...

anyway... if you HAVE to do this, go to system preferences>energy saver, and there are options under "schedule".

Thank you for your reply!

Uh, well I have been letting it sleep for the past few years. Recently, it has developed a fault with its power supply or logic board (Apple is still investigating) and so I suspect that keeping it on for the past four years has probably killed it. I thought that shutting it down at night may help?

 

[fisherking]

Thank you for your reply!

Uh, well I have been letting it sleep for the past few years. Recently, it has developed a fault with its power supply or logic board (Apple is still investigating) and so I suspect that keeping it on for the past four years has probably killed it. I thought that shutting it down at night may help?

i doubt that keeping it in sleep should cause a power supply or logic board issue (just a guess, of course). you can set a schedule, but really, why not just turn it on in the morning, off when you're done? anyway, if it were me, i'd just sleep it, and see what apple says about the problem. good luck!

 

[chrfr]

Thank you for your reply!

Uh, well I have been letting it sleep for the past few years. Recently, it has developed a fault with its power supply or logic board (Apple is still investigating) and so I suspect that keeping it on for the past four years has probably killed it. I thought that shutting it down at night may help?

Turning computers on and off is actually fairly stressful for the components.

 

[Gregg2]

i don't know anyone these days who shuts off their mac often.

Now you do!
[doublepost=1487009240][/doublepost]

Turning computers on and off is actually fairly stressful for the components.

I've heard that claim often. Going by my experience keeping my Macs for up to ten years, it's an urban legend.

 

[fisherking]

Now you do!
[doublepost=1487009240][/doublepost]
I've heard that claim often. Going by my experience keeping my Macs for up to ten years, it's an urban legend.

the question is, why? seriously, just curious about why you shut your mac down regularly...

 

[Gregg2]

Why not? (see urban legend) I turn everything else off when I won't be using it. Saves gas in my car, saves electricity with the TV and other electric/electronic devices, etc.

 

[fisherking]

Why not? (see urban legend) I turn everything else off when I won't be using it. Saves gas in my car, saves electricity with the TV and other electric/electronic devices, etc.

you can investigate this, but sleeping your mac uses less electricity than powering it on every day... still, whatever works.
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/10/should-you-shut-down-your-computer-or-put-it-sleep

 

[VanNess]

You can set a schedule via energy saver in system preferences. Details here https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201988

 

[fisherking]

You can set a schedule via energy saver in system preferences. Details here https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201988

post #2....

 

[fischersd]

The only way that leaving it powered on would cause more stress than power cycling daily is if you don't have your system on a UPS. If you're in an apartment building or high rise, you most definitely have dirty power. In a standalone home, it should be considerably cleaner (but, me, I'd still have my electronics all on UPS power - amongst other things, it's the only way they may survive a lightning strike or some other significant external power surge).
They've really come down in price over the years.

 

[Gregg2]

you can investigate this, but sleeping your mac uses less electricity than powering it on every day... still, whatever works.
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/10/should-you-shut-down-your-computer-or-put-it-sleep

Interesting, but, from the link:

First things first: Turning your computer off, then on again does not use more power than leaving it on in "sleep" mode. "That's a myth," says Bruce Nordman, an energy efficiency researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Another myth: Turning your computer on and off is bad for the machine. "In order to do any real damage, you'd have to turn it on and off far more frequently than anyone would ever want to," says Nordman. That said, trying to remember to shut down your machine every night isn't necessarily the most effective energy-savings strategy.

It doesn't really explain the last sentence I quoted very well. Time is also a factor (the number of hours the machine will be off or left in sleep mode). It gives some energy data in watts, but now watts per hour, or better yet kW. But at least it validates my experience that turning it off does no harm.

 

[Tech198]

Turning computers on and off is actually fairly stressful for the components.

more stressful ya, but it's not gonna kill it. No one will say "The reason you have issues is you keep shutting your computer down when you don't really need to"

never heard anyone say that ever.