Switch is off

The Switch is off condition is useful when an automation should continue only if a switch is not currently activated. Use it to avoid sending repeated off commands, prevent starting a device that is already powered down, or only act when a power plug is known to be off.

Using this condition from the user interface

If you prefer building automations visually, Home Assistant walks you through this condition step by step. You pick what to check, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To use this condition in an automation:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open an existing automation, or select Create automation > Create new automation.
3. In the And if section, select Add condition.
4. Select what you want to check. Under By target (see Targets), pick the switch you want to check. You can also select an area, a floor, a device, or a label.
5. From the conditions shown for that target, select Switch is off.
6. Under Condition passes if (see Behavior), pick Any or All.
7. Under For at least, set how long the switch must have been off.
8. Select Save.

Options in the UI

Using this condition in YAML

If you work directly in YAML, or you want to know exactly what Home Assistant does under the hood, this section has the technical reference. It lists the field names you use in YAML, their types, and which ones are required.

In YAML, refer to this condition as switch.is_off. A basic example looks like this:

condition: switch.is_off
target:
  entity_id: switch.porch_light

This passes when switch.porch_light is off.

Options in YAML

Targets of the condition

This condition requires a target. The target is the object that Home Assistant will check. You can point the condition at a single entityAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more], a device, an area, a floor, or a label, and Home Assistant will evaluate every matching switch entity behind that target.

• Entity: one specific switch entity, such as switch.living_room.
• Device: every switch entity that belongs to a device.
• Area: every switch entity in a room or area.
• Floor: every switch entity on a floor.
• Label: every switch entity that shares a label.

You can also select different target types in one condition. For example, you can add a specific entity and an area as targets in the same condition to check both of them at once.

Behavior with multiple targets

When you target more than one entity (or select an area, floor, or label that contains several), the Condition passes if option controls how the results combine:

• Any (default): the condition passes if at least one of the targeted entities matches. For example, if you check three smoke sensors and only one of them detects smoke, the condition still passes. This is useful for questions like “is there smoke anywhere in the house?”
• All: the condition passes only when every targeted entity matches. For example, if you check the same three smoke sensors, the condition passes only once all three report cleared. This is useful for “is the entire house safe now?” checks, so your automation does not send an all-clear while one room still has a reading.

Good to know

• A switch in the unknown or unavailable state does not count as off.
• With All, every targeted switch must match. With Any, one matching switch is enough.
• To check for the opposite state, use Switch is on.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Go to Settings > Automations & scenes, open an automation, and add this condition. Trigger the automation with and without the condition met, and watch whether it continues or stops.

More examples

Real scenarios where this condition gates an automation. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Automation: start the coffee machine in the morning only if it is off

When your morning routine runs, this avoids sending another start command if the coffee machine’s power plug is already on.

• Trigger: Time: 07:00
• Condition: Switch is off
  • Target: Coffee machine power plug
• Action: Turn on switch
  • Target: Coffee machine power plug

alias: "Start coffee machine at 07:00 if off"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "07:00:00"
conditions:
  - condition: switch.is_off
    target:
      entity_id: switch.coffee_machine
actions:
  - action: switch.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id: switch.coffee_machine

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the condition you’re using and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related conditions

These conditions work well alongside this one:

• Switch is on: Tests if one or more switches are on.