Can I schedule My Cloud to auto power off at night and back on in the morning?

Western Digital (WD) My Cloud devices are popular personal NAS (Network-Attached Storage) systems that allow users to back up, store, and access data remotely. They are energy-efficient and designed for 24/7 operation. However, some users wonder whether it's possible to schedule their My Cloud device to automatically power off at night and power back on in the morning to save energy, reduce wear, or improve security.

Let’s explore the possibilities, limitations, and alternative solutions to this commonly asked question.

Native Scheduling Features on My Cloud Devices

Out of the box, WD My Cloud devices do not support scheduled power on/off operations. The firmware and web interface (dashboard) provide settings for sleep mode, drive standby, and LED control, but there is no option to schedule full shutdowns or startups.

Here’s why:

Most NAS devices, including My Cloud, are designed to run continuously and are not intended for frequent power cycles.

There is no built-in RTC (Real-Time Clock) mechanism in most models to turn the device back on at a scheduled time after a complete power-down.

Sleep Mode vs Power Off

While scheduled shutdown isn't supported, WD My Cloud offers HDD sleep mode, which reduces power usage during periods of inactivity:

You can enable drive sleep mode from the dashboard.

When there’s no access for a certain amount of time, the drive spins down, entering a low-power state.

However, the device remains powered on and connected to the network, ready to wake up when accessed.

This is a good compromise if your main goal is power saving without completely shutting the system down.

Manual Power Off and Wake Options

You can manually shut down your WD My Cloud via:

The web dashboard, by selecting the “Shutdown” option.

An SSH command, if SSH access is enabled.

But powering it back on must be done manually by:

Pressing the physical power button, if your model has one.

Unplugging and replugging the power cable (on models that power on automatically when connected to power).

There is no Wake-on-LAN (WoL) feature on most WD My Cloud models, which further limits the ability to wake the device remotely or on a schedule.

Using a Smart Plug as a Workaround

One workaround is to use a Wi-Fi smart plug or smart outlet timer:

You can schedule the plug to turn off power at night and restore power in the morning.

This may work on some models that automatically boot up when power is restored.

However, caution is advised:

Powering off a My Cloud device without a proper shutdown can cause data corruption or filesystem errors.

You should use SSH or the dashboard to shut down the device before the smart plug cuts power.

This method is not officially supported and may void your warranty or cause long-term damage.

Alternative Options

If power-saving is your priority but full shutdown isn't feasible, consider:

Limiting remote access or network shares at night to improve security.

Scheduling router-level access restrictions to disconnect My Cloud during certain hours.

Enabling drive sleep mode to save energy without risking data integrity.

Conclusion

While WD My Cloud devices do not support scheduled auto power off and on, there are ways to reduce power consumption through sleep mode or smart plug workarounds. However, using smart plugs or hard power cycles should be done with extreme caution due to potential risks. If scheduling power cycles is critical to your workflow, you may want to consider more advanced NAS systems, such as those from Synology or QNAP, which offer better support for scheduled tasks and automation.