When you are away from your computer, you can remote shutdown Windows directly from your Android phone or tablet. Here’s how to do it.
It may not be every time, but there will be situations where you need to shutdown Windows remotely. For example, you forgot to shut down the system before going to bed, and you are too lazy to do it now. In those kinds of situations, you can use your Android device to shutdown Windows remotely. Since Android and Windows have an application for almost anything, it is not that wild that you can remotely shutdown your PC from Android.
To make this happen, we are going to use the good old client-server architecture. Though it sounds cryptic, all you have to do is install applications on Windows and Android and tap a button. The good thing is, you don’t even have to enable Remote Desktop to shutdown your computer remotely. In fact, the application we use lets you remote shutdown, restart, hibernate, log off, and much more. Additionally, you can even control your PC.
So, without further ado, let me show you how it’s done.
Note: For this to work, both your Windows computer and Android phone should be on the same network. It will not work over the internet.
How to Remote Shutdown or Restart Windows from Android
To remotely shutdown or restart your PC from your Android phone, we will use a free application called Unified Remote. For this to work, you must install the Unified Remote server application on your Windows computer and then install the Unified Remote client app on your Android phone. Once you do that, you should link both these applications to shutdown your computer from your Android device. Here’s how to do it.
1. Install Unified Remote server on Windows
First, you should install the Unified Remote server on your Windows computer. Follow the link given below and download the server application.
Download link: https://www.unifiedremote.com/download
After downloading the server application, double-click on the file and follow the installation wizard to install the Unified Remote server application.
After installing, search and open Unified Remote from the Start menu.
Once opened, the application starts running in the background. You can see it in the taskbar.
2. Install the Unified Remote app on Android
Now, we need to install the Unified Remote app on your Android phone. Open the Play Store app on your Android device, search for Unified Remote, and install it. You can also follow the link given below and click the install button.
Download link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Relmtech.Remote
After installing Unified Remote on your Android device, open it.
As soon as you open it, it will ask if you want to install the server. Since we’ve already done it, tap on the “I’ve installed the server” button at the bottom.
Now, the app will scan the network and lists all the available devices. Select your computer from the list of devices.
Note: If your computer has Bluetooth enabled, you might see double entries. Make sure you select the WiFi entry.
3. Remotely shutdown your PC from Android
Once you link your computer with your Android phone, you will see a list of remote functions you can perform. Since we want to shutdown or restart Windows from Android, select the Power option from the list of available options.
Now, tap the Shutdown button to shutdown your computer from your Android device. To restart your computer remotely from Android, tap on the Restart button. You can also perform other remote power actions such as lock Windows, log off, sleep, wake on LAN, hibernate, and abort.
As soon as you tap on shutdown or restart, Windows gives you 30 seconds to save your work. After 30 seconds, the system will shutdown. Of course, if you choose to restart, the system will restart.
Update: This article is updated with new instructions because the previously shared app (Shutdown Start Remote) is abandoned and no longer available in the Play Store.
Shutting down Windows from Android — Wrapping Up
As you can see, though the feature is not built into Windows, you can easily shutdown or restart your Windows computer from any Android device. All you have to do is install an application and tap a button to do the magic. The good thing is, the Unified Remote app is so versatile that you can perform several useful things like accessing the Windows file system from Android, controlling media, controlling mouse and keyboard, and more. Explore the app, and you will find several interesting things you can do remotely on your Windows PC.
I hope this simple and easy Windows how-to guide helped you.
If you are stuck or need help, email me, and I will try to help as much as possible.
When shutting down your PC remotely, it is good to track Windows shutdown activity and know how to cancel the scheduled shutdown in Windows. Do give them a read.
Image credit: Brett Morrison – Windows 10 Battle Station