SandGlass

Chances are you fall asleep at night watching a movie and leave the computer running, or you’re simply not around to turn it off when an automated task is done. Windows doesn’t come with an automatic shutdown feature, but there are various applications out there like SandGlass which can do this for you.

Set timer for one of several power options

The application’s core function is to trigger one of your computer’s power options at a specified time, just in case you’re not around. You can easily select the power option to trigger, such as power off, log off, reboot, standby, or hibernate. This comes in handy in case the program performing a lengthy task can’t take care of this for you.
A fast method is to instantly trigger one of the selected modes, but just be sure to save all your work to prevent accidentally losing any data. On the other hand, a more practical approach is to configure the timer put at your disposal. You can either add or subtract five minutes, or manually write down values for hours, minutes, and seconds until shutdown.

Extra settings and program launcher

Additional options can be used to make the application minimize to the tray when the timer is activated. In case you decide to keep the main window on the desktop, it’s possible to have the timer shown in the titlebar to so you get an idea how much is left until to shutdown to be able to save all your work.
The timer doesn’t start until you hit the “go” button, with the possibility to reset the timer just in case. Furthermore, there’s the possibility to have an application launched right before the power option is triggered, which comes in handy for running cleaning tools and such.

In conclusion

Taking everything into consideration, we can say that SandGlass is a handy application you can use to make sure that your computer goes to sleep or powers itself off when you go to bed. Any power option can be triggered at a custom time, with the possibility to have an app launched right before the trigger moment.