How to Schedule Python Scripts to Automate Tasks Using Windows Scheduler on Windows 10 & 11

Blog

Working with Windows Scheduler on Windows 10 & 11.

Published

December 16, 2020

In this post, I go over the steps necessary to schedule a Python script using Windows Scheduler. This can be particularly useful if you want to re-run a particular programme at a prescribed time — for example, a web scraper.

This assumes you already have Python set up and running on your machine.

Step 1: Create your Python script

Let’s assume we want to run the following script called my.py, which does nothing but print today’s date:

####################
# Content of my.py #
####################

import datetime

# Get date and time
todaysDate = datetime.datetime.today();
# Change display format (optional)
todaysDate = todaysDate.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
# Print
print(todaysDate)

Save the script — in this case, on the Desktop (C:\Users\<Your Name>\Desktop).

Step 2: Create a batch file to run the Python script

Open Notepad and use the following generic structure:

"<Path to python.exe>" "<Path to my.py>"
pause

In our example, the batch file reads:

"C:\Users\<Your Name>\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python38\python.exe" "C:\Users\<Your Name>\Desktop\my.py"
pause

If you also want the batch file to run Git to automatically add, commit, and push to GitHub, see this follow-up post.

Save the file with a .bat extension — here, run_mypy.bat. Double-click it to check that it triggers the Python script correctly; a command prompt should open showing the date and time.

Step 3: Schedule the script using Windows Scheduler

Open Control Panel and search for Administrative Tools, then select Task Scheduler. Choose Create Basic Task… in the right panel.
Give the task a name (e.g. Run mypy) and define how often and when it should trigger.
Define the Action: Start a program.
Click Next, then Browse, and navigate to the batch file (C:\Users\<Your Name>\Desktop\run_mypy.bat).
Important: if the script saves or appends data, also set Start in (optional) to the project folder (e.g. C:\Users\<Your Name>\Desktop\) so the Scheduler can access all the relevant files.
Click Next, review the summary, and click Finish.
To test it, open the Task Scheduler Library, select the task, right-click, and choose Run — it should behave exactly like double-clicking the batch file.