Create scheduled tasks on a Windows server

This article describes how to create scheduled tasks on a Microsoft® Windows® server.

Access the Task Scheduler

Perform the following steps to access the Task Scheduler:

1. Open the Windows Run command by pressing the Windows key and r together.

2. In the Run window, enter taskschd.msc and press Enter.

Create a scheduled task

Perform the following steps to create a scheduled task:

1. Optional If a folder for custom tasks does not exist already, create one to separate automatically created tasks from custom tasks. Right-click Task Scheduler Library in the left-hand pane, click New Folder, enter a name such as My Custom Tasks, and click OK.

2. To select the folder in which to store the task, such as the previously created My Custom Tasks folder, click the folder.

3. To create a new task, right-click the chosen folder and click Create Basic Task to launch the Create Basic Task Wizard.

   Note: For more advanced options, choose Create Task, which provides additional tools beyond the common options.

4. On the first screen, enter a Name and Description and then click Next.

5. On the Trigger screen, choose when you want the task to run. You can trigger tasks on a schedule or by a computer event, such as when Windows starts or when a user logs on. Click Next.

6. Depending on the trigger you choose, the next screen might ask you for more trigger configuration details, such as recurrence frequency or request details about the event that triggers the task. Click Next.

7. Choose an action to perform after the trigger event occurs. You can set an action to launch a program or script, send an email notification, or display a message to users. Click Next.

8. Configure the specifics of the action such as the email address or the application you want to launch and click Next.

9. Review the details of the task and click Finish to finalize task creation.