--- title: "How to Edit the Self-Shutdown Timer in Virtualizor" description: "Edit a scheduled start, stop, restart or power off timer for your VPS in Virtualizor, and avoid the month-first date and timezone traps." url: "https://docs.noiz.ie/virtualizor/how-to-edit-the-self-shutdown-timer-in-virtualizor/" section: "Virtualizor" categories: - "Control Panels > Virtualizor" last_reviewed: "27 July 2026, against the current Virtualizor release" --- # How to Edit the Self-Shutdown Timer in Virtualizor A self-shutdown timer in Virtualizor is a scheduled power action: at a date and time you choose, Virtualizor automatically starts, stops, restarts or powers off your VPS. This guide shows you how to change an existing timer on a Noiz VPS, so you can move the scheduled time, correct a wrong date, or switch the action without deleting the timer and starting again. You may see this feature referred to as the self-shutdown timer, a scheduled power action, or simply a VPS timer. In the Virtualizor end-user panel it is always listed under **Self Shut Down**. **Last reviewed:** 27 July 2026, against the current Virtualizor release. This guide is written for Noiz VPS hosting and is kept current against Virtualizor. It complements, and does not replace, the official Virtualizor documentation linked below. ### Official Documentation Reference - [Virtualizor: Self Shutdown](https://www.virtualizor.com/docs/enduser-api/self-shutdown): the reference section covering the self-shutdown feature. - [Virtualizor: Start Self Shutdown](https://www.virtualizor.com/docs/enduser-api/start-self-shutdown): documents the exact fields a timer holds, including the four action values and the expected date format. - [Virtualizor: VPS Management](https://www.virtualizor.com/docs/enduser-api/vps-management/): the wider VPS management reference, covering the other actions available against a VPS. ## Prerequisites - Your Virtualizor end-user panel login details for the VPS, supplied by Noiz when the service was provisioned. - At least one self-shutdown timer already saved against the VPS. If none exists yet, create one first: [How to Set Self Shutdown/Start/Reboot Timer for Your VPS in Virtualizor](/virtualizor/how-to-set-a-self-shutdown-start-or-reboot-timer-for-your-vps-in-virtualizor/). ## Edit an Existing Self-Shutdown Timer ### Step 1: Open the VPS list Log in to your Virtualizor control panel, then click **List VPS** in the left-hand menu. ![The Virtualizor left-hand navigation menu with the List VPS entry highlighted](/img/Virtualizor-list-vps-menu.gif) ### Step 2: Open the VPS you want to change Hover over the row for the appropriate VPS. The row highlights and its action icons appear. Click the **Manage** icon on that row. ![The Virtualizor List VPS table with a server row highlighted and the Manage icon showing](/img/Virtualizor-click-manage-vps.gif) ### Step 3: Open Self Shut Down Click **Self Shut Down**. ![The Self Shut Down icon on the Virtualizor VPS management screen](/img/Virtualizor-self-shutdown-icon.gif) ### Step 4: Choose the timer to edit Virtualizor lists every timer saved against the VPS. If more than one is listed, hover over the row you want. The row highlights, then click **Edit** on that row. ![The Virtualizor self-shutdown timer list with a timer row highlighted and the Edit option showing](/img/Virtualizor-edit-self-shutdown-timer.gif) Check the action and time on the row before you click **Edit**, not after. Timers are listed by their stored values rather than by any name you gave them, so on a VPS with several timers it is easy to open the wrong one. ### Step 5: Change the values and save Adjust the fields as needed, then click **Edit** to save. A timer holds only these values: - **Action**: one of `Start`, `Stop`, `Restart` or `Power Off`. These are four distinct actions in Virtualizor, so re-read the selection after changing it: `Stop` and `Power Off` are not interchangeable, and picking the wrong one on a live server is the difference between a clean stop and an abrupt one. - **Date**: the calendar date the action runs. - **Hours** and **Minutes**: the time of day, on a 24-hour clock. Editing updates the timer in place. It does not create a second one. If you want the VPS to perform two actions, for example stop at night and start in the morning, save a separate timer for each rather than editing one back and forth. ## Things Worth Knowing Before You Save ### The date format is month first Virtualizor stores self-shutdown dates in `mm/dd/yyyy` order, which is the opposite of the `dd/mm/yyyy` convention used in South Africa and Ireland. A timer entered as `09/03/2026` means 3 September, not 9 March. Use the date picker rather than typing the date freehand, and read the saved value back once to confirm it lands where you expect. ### The clock that matters is Virtualizor's, not your laptop's Virtualizor carries the action out at the time specified on the server hosting your VPS. That time is not taken from your browser or your operating system, so a timer set from a device in a different timezone will not necessarily run at the local hour you had in mind. If you are working from a different timezone to the server, convert the time before you save. The end-user panel also has a timezone option: click your name, choose **Settings**, and it sits alongside the language and theme choices (see [Virtualizor: User Settings](https://www.virtualizor.com/docs/enduser/account-settings/)). Because that setting may change the times the panel shows you, check the current time Virtualizor displays before you convert, rather than assuming it matches the server or your own clock. ### A self-shutdown timer is not a maintenance plan A scheduled stop or power off takes the VPS offline at the appointed moment regardless of what is running on it. If the server hosts a database, a queue worker or anything mid-write, schedule the action for a genuinely quiet window and make sure your own backups have completed first. Virtualizor will carry out the action you asked for; it will not wait for a busy application to finish. ## Troubleshooting - **The Edit option does not appear when you hover**: the row only exposes its controls on hover, and very narrow browser windows can push the controls out of view. Widen the window or scroll the table horizontally. - **The timer ran a day earlier or later than expected**: almost always the `mm/dd/yyyy` date order. Reopen the timer and read the date back in month-first order. - **The timer ran at the wrong hour**: the timer runs on server time rather than your local time. Convert the hour you intended into server time, then re-save the timer. - **Your changes do not appear in the list**: the save is only committed when you click **Edit** on the form itself. Navigating away from the form, or closing it with the browser back button, discards the changes. - **You no longer need the timer at all**: remove it rather than setting it to a far-future date. See [How to Delete the Self-Shutdown Timer in Virtualizor](/virtualizor/how-to-delete-the-self-shutdown-timer-in-virtualizor/). ## Related Guides - [How to Set Self Shutdown/Start/Reboot Timer for Your VPS in Virtualizor](/virtualizor/how-to-set-a-self-shutdown-start-or-reboot-timer-for-your-vps-in-virtualizor/) - [How to Delete the Self-Shutdown Timer in Virtualizor](/virtualizor/how-to-delete-the-self-shutdown-timer-in-virtualizor/) If a timer is not firing as scheduled, or you are unsure whether a stop action is safe for the workload on your VPS, open a ticket with the Noiz support team and include the VPS hostname and the timer you set. Noiz can check the action from the server side and advise on a safer schedule. --- Source: https://docs.noiz.ie/virtualizor/how-to-edit-the-self-shutdown-timer-in-virtualizor/