How to automate tasks with Windows Task Scheduler

Windows Task Scheduler is the counterpart to cron jobs on Linux. It lets you run scripts and programs on a schedule.

Create a task:
1. Open "Task Scheduler" (via Windows Search).
2. Click "Create Task…" on the right (not "Create Basic Task…").
3. Enter a name (e.g. "Daily Backup").
4. Under "Triggers" → New → set the schedule (e.g. daily at 3:00 AM).
5. Under "Actions" → New → "Start a program" → enter the path to the script.

Using PowerShell:
$action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "powershell.exe" -Argument "-File C:\Scripts\backup.ps1"
$trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Daily -At 3am
Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName "Backup" -Action $action -Trigger $trigger

Common use cases:
• Automatic backups
• Server restarts
• Log cleanup
• Update checks