Already a NinjaOne customer? Log in to view more guides and the latest updates.

Remote Task Scheduler

reviewed by Ian Crego
  • Last Updated October 24, 2025

Scheduled tasks dashboard

A task scheduler (or scheduled task) is a system utility that automates the execution of actions at predefined times or intervals. On a local computer, it can be used to run scripts, launch applications, or perform maintenance routines—such as clearing temporary files, applying updates, or backing up data—without requiring user intervention. By scheduling these tasks, IT administrators can ensure critical operations happen consistently, even when staff aren’t available to trigger them manually.

A remote task scheduler extends this same concept across multiple devices or networks. Instead of configuring tasks individually on each machine, administrators can centrally define, deploy, and monitor automated actions on remote endpoints. These tasks may include system scans, patch installations, software deployments, restarts, or custom scripts. The remote scheduler communicates with managed devices over secure channels, triggering execution based on the specified time, frequency, or condition, and reporting results back to a centralized console.

In an RMM (Remote Monitoring and Management) system, a remote task scheduler becomes a powerful tool for scalability and consistency. It allows IT teams to automate repetitive maintenance across hundreds or thousands of endpoints, enforce policy compliance, and minimize downtime—all without user intervention. By orchestrating automation remotely, organizations improve efficiency, reduce human error, and maintain proactive control over their IT environments, transforming routine maintenance into a streamlined, hands-free process.

Does NinjaOne have a Remote Task Scheduler?

Yes, NinjaOne has a Remote Task Scheduler. Each scheduled task has two sections or tabs: Details and Targets.

Details: In this section you create a name, description, the schedule and the automation(s) that will be performed at the scheduled time. Here you also define whether the task can be sent to a dynamic group.

Targets: In this section you define what devices will run the automation(s). You can select by

Organization: All the devices belonging to the added organization will run the automation(s).

Device: All individual devices added will run the automation(s).

Group: All devices belonging to the added groups will run the automation(s). Note that since the groups are dynamic, the group membership is calculated at the time of executing the task.

What automations can be run from a Remote Scheduled Task?

A Remote Scheduled Task can include any automation available in the Automation Library, whether it’s a native or custom. It is the responsibility of the person creating the task to ensure that the correct automation type is sent to the appropriate device role—for example, deploying a Windows automation only to Windows devices. NinjaOne does not validate or enforce this compatibility automatically.

How can I create a Remote Scheduled Task in NinjaOne?

Follow the steps below to create a Remote Scheduled Task in NinjaOne:

  1. In the NinjaOne console, navigate to Administration > Tasks. The remote task scheduler page will appear.

Remote task scheduler page

  1. Click +Create task. The task scheduler editor will appear.

Task scheduler editor

  1. Fill out the fields under the Details tab: Name, Description, Schedule and select whether you want to include groups as targets.
  2. Click Add to add an automation. The automation library will appear.

The automation library

  1. Select the automation you want by clicking on it. The automation name will appear in the task scheduler editor. Repeat steps 4 and 5 as needed.
  2. Go to the Targets tab.
  3. Add your target devices by selecting them individually, by organization, or by group. Any combination of these selection methods is allowed.
  4. Click Save. You may be required to confirm using MFA.

Can I set a Remote Scheduled Task to run based on events instead of time?

Yes, this is possible but with some limitations.

  1. The task can be configured to run based on the following events:
    • Once at a certain time
    • Once immediately
    • On system startup
    • On user login.
  2. Dynamic groups cannot be used as targets for the task; this means that the “Alow Groups” option must be disabled in the task settings.

FAQ

Creating and configuring a scheduled task in NinjaOne is easy, just navigate to Administration > Tasks and click create task; fill out the fields and save it.  More details can be found above in this same document.

To run a scheduled tasks in NinjaOne, there are two permissions, and both must be enabled. These permission can be granted via technician role or particularly to a technician.

  1. Automation library permission. This permission allows the possibility to access the automation library in general.
  2. Scheduled Tasks Administrator. This permission can give technicians permissions over scheduled tasks:  The permissions can be:
    • No access
    • View
    • view and update
    • view, update and create
    • view, update, create and delete.

 

Yes, both scripts and targets are configurable in a scheduled task in NinjaOne.

Scheduled task activity appears under the activity log in NinjaOne, this log shows changes to scheduled tasks scheduled task start, scheduled task completion and scheduled task failures.

If a target endpoint is offline at the scheduled execution time, it will not receive or run the automation. NinjaOne does not attempt to execute missed automations once the device comes back online.

Yes. You can schedule the task to run once or set it to repeat at a specific time.

The recurrence options are daily, weekly, or monthly.

If that doesn’t fit your needs, you can also choose to run the task every X hours, where X can be any value from 1 to 23. You can also set an end date or a specific number of occurrences if you don’t want the task to run indefinitely.

This is possible, but it depends on the automation, not the scheduled task itself. When creating a custom automation, you can specify which user account the script will run under, for example, system or a specific logged-in user.

The automations included in a remote scheduled task don’t run simultaneously, they run in sequence from top to bottom. You can change the execution order by dragging and dropping the tasks within the task scheduler editor. There’s no officially documented limit in NinjaOne. In real-world use, technicians have successfully scheduled dozens of automations — even up to around 50 per task — without any performance issues.

While NinjaOne is designed to handle multiple automations efficiently, it’s best practice to keep automation counts organized and purposeful. This ensures easier management, faster troubleshooting, and a cleaner automation strategy across your endpoints.

The NinjaOne activity log keeps track of any scheduled task change, execution, failure and completion.

Scheduled tasks themselves generally don’t fail to run, except in cases of communication issues between NinjaOne and the endpoint. What can fail, however, are the automations included within the task. NinjaOne recommends thoroughly testing the automations before publishing them to the Automation Library.

Additionally, administrators should verify task compatibility before deployment. For example, avoid assigning a macOS automation to Windows devices or vice versa, since NinjaOne does not automatically validate platform compatibility when scheduling tasks. Proper review helps prevent execution errors and ensures consistent, predictable results across all endpoints.

Next Steps