How to boost your Windows 11 PC with this built-in automation tool
Windows 11 can automate your PC routine more than its aging Task Scheduler interface suggests.
Task Scheduler has been a part of Windows for years, but it’s so old-school that you may have abandoned it. Ignore the gray menus, though, and there’s a surprisingly capable automation tool underneath. Microsoft explains that Task Scheduler waits for a trigger that you configure, then runs the associated task when it triggers. This trigger could be a specific time, Windows startup, your connection, or even a system event.
Task Scheduler won’t magically make your processor faster, and that’s not its goal. What it can do is rid you of repetitive tasks, delay applications that normally flood Windows the moment you log in, and run commands or scripts while you’re busy with something more fun. These are pretty neat tricks for a tool that seems to have been absent from the last ten years of Windows redesign meetings.
Setting up Task Scheduler is simpler than it looks
To get started, type “Task Scheduler” into the Start menu and click on it. You will be greeted with a fairly busy interface; ignore most of them for now. Select Create a task in the Actions pane on the right. Avoid Create a basic task; It’s more user-friendly, but the full option reveals which controls are worth using in Task Scheduler.
From there, here’s how to configure a task:
- Below Generalgive the task a Name.
- Open Triggersselect New and choose when to run it. Options include According to a schedule, At startup Or When connecting.
- In Actschoose NewSO Start a program. You can point Windows to a program, a command line tool, or PowerShell.
- Goodbye Terms And Settings To determine if the task can run on battery power, you must wait until the PC is idle or catch up after a missed run.
- Save it, then right-click the task in Task Scheduler Library and select Run to test it once and make sure it works.
These conditions are of particular concern for those who use a laptop. According to Microsoft, a task running every five minutes will prevent a PC from entering a low-power idle state. Instead, you should use event, idle, or maintenance triggers for tasks that don’t require constant polling.
Do not activate Run with highest privileges unless the task really needs to be run as administrator. Automation is a good thing, but the less work you do as an administrator, especially without your explicit input, the better.
Three automations that are definitely worth implementing
An example of using Task Manager wisely is to keep supported applications up to date with WinGet. Microsoft’s Package Manager can check for newer versions of installed software and winget upgrade --all will attempt to upgrade eligible installed packages that it recognizes.
You can make it a weekly task with this:
winget upgrade --all --silent --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements --disable-interactivity
Run the command manually before scheduling it. Not all applications are managed by WinGet and pinned packages are ignored by default. Some installers may still require elevation.
Another option responds to the well-known startup frenzy. Removing unnecessary startup apps can speed up the login process, but Task Scheduler gives you a happy medium: disable an app’s normal startup entry, then launch it with a delayed login trigger instead. A cloud storage client or other commonly used application might appear a few minutes later, rather than competing with everything else to get your desktop ready to go.
Task Scheduler also works well with PowerShell if you’ve already tested scripts, like copying files to another location or doing your own maintenance on your PC. Conditions can ensure that work waits for idle time or AC power instead of intervening midway through something important.
Power Automate for desktop is best suited for automations that require clicking through applications or interacting with interfaces. However, larger cloud and unattended automation may require paid licenses.
Additionally, there’s no reason to automate maintenance that Windows already does itself. Storage Sense can automatically delete temporary files and items from the Recycle Bin, while Windows automatically optimizes hard drives and SSDs.
