How to Enable and Disable Scheduled Tasks on Windows

The Task Scheduler service comes built-in with the Windows OS and can be quite handy if users know how to use it properly. Through Task Scheduler, you can set tasks such as shutting the system down or a restart that will take place at a particular date and time. 

The interface of the service also shows the status of each scheduled task (whether it is enabled or disabled). You can adjust the status of each listed task manually, according to your personal preferences. To do so follow the steps:

1. Open the search field on the taskbar.
2. Type task scheduler and open the top result.
3. Once the Task Scheduler window opens, locate the 'Task Scheduler Library' folder located in the left-side panel.
4. Select the folder you need.
5. Select the particular task that you wish to modify.
6. Right-click it and select 'Disable' to stop it. Alternatively, select 'Enable' to activate an already stopped task.

Using Command Prompt and the Windows PowerShell

Another method to enable/disable scheduled tasks on Windows systems is by using Command Prompt with admin privileges.

1. Start an elevated Command Prompt window.
2. To disable a task type the following command and press Enter to execute it:

schtasks /Change /TN "\FolderName\TaskName" /Disable

3. If you wish to enable a task instead, use this command:

schtasks /Change /TN "\FolderName\TaskName" /Enable

Keep in mind that you will need to substitute 'FolderName' and 'TaskName' with the actual names as they are shown in Task Scheduler. 

In Windows PowerShell, the commands are a bit different:

1. To disable a scheduled task use:

Disable-ScheduledTask -TaskPath "\FolderName\" -TaskName "Enter TaskName"

2. To enable a task, you need this command:

Enable-ScheduledTask -TaskPath "\FolderName\" -TaskName "Enter TaskName"

Again, you must use the real folder and task names for the commands to work properly.

Disabling Task Scheduler is not Recommended

The Task Scheduler Service is a core component of the Windows OS. As such, disabling it completely will stop several system tasks from operating and lead to general system instability, critical errors or other issues.