How to Enable and Disable Sleep Mode on Windows 7/10/11 on PCs and Laptops

What to do to prevent your computer from going into sleep mode, how sleep differs from hibernation, how to disable sleep mode when closing a laptop lid, and other common questions.

Sleep mode is a kind of alternative to completely turning off your computer or laptop. If you need to return to work after a while, it's easier not to turn off the computer, but to put it into sleep mode. In this mode, the PC consumes less energy and is silent, but when it wakes up, all open windows and programs will be in the same state.

Sleep and hibernation are very similar, but they work differently:

Each mode has its pros and cons. The drawbacks of hibernation are a slightly longer wake-up time and the need for free space on the hard drive, the drawback of sleep is the loss of unsaved data in case of a power outage. This happens because RAM requires constant power to store data.

First and foremost, sleep and hibernation modes are used for energy saving. If you do not plan to use your laptop for some time, but do not want to turn it off because many programs are open and work is not yet finished. The same scenario applies to a desktop PC, with the only difference being that you simply save electricity, not battery charge.

However, sleep mode and hibernation can malfunction: the computer may suddenly wake up, not go into sleep mode, or not turn off at all. There may also be conflicts with certain software or hardware. The most trouble-free mode is complete shutdown.

In Windows 10, you can disable sleep mode through Windows settings. There are two ways to get there: press the Win + I key combination or right-click on the Start button and then select Settings.

Select the System option and then, in the left part of the window, Power and Sleep. Here you can adjust the sleep mode for the monitor and the computer itself. If you have a laptop, there will be separate settings for power from the network and from the battery.

For more detailed sleep mode settings, you can go to the control panel. To get to the right window, go to Power and Sleep and click on the Additional power settings link. You can also access this section by entering the command powercfg.cpl in Windows search or the Run utility (invoked through Win +R).

Here you can configure the power scheme. Click on the link Adjust power plan next to the current active plan.

In this window, you will be able to enable or disable sleep mode for the computer and monitor. But you can go even further. Click the link Change advanced power settings. Pay attention to the Allow wake timers option. If you encounter problems when the computer spontaneously exits sleep mode, then the timers should be disabled.

In Windows 7, disabling sleep mode is not much different. You need to click Start and go to Control Panel. Find the Power Options item. Then go to Edit Plan Settings. You can also access this menu through search: enter Adjust sleep mode settings.

Adjust the display turn-off and sleep mode settings to your liking. You can go to advanced power settings, where there are also settings for sleep mode.

To prevent the laptop from turning off, going into sleep mode, or hibernation when closing the lid, you need to change the settings for this action. Go to the power options. The easiest way would be to press Win + R and enter the command powercfg.cpl, but you can also use the longer method from the previous sections of the article.

On the left side of the window, find the links Choose what the power buttons do and Choose what closing the lid does. Click on either. In the window that opens, you can adjust the settings to your liking.

If your keyboard has a separate button for entering sleep mode, you can assign this action specifically to it. There may also be an option with a combination of keys. Typically, it's the Fn function key, which is present on almost all laptops, but it can also be on desktop computer keyboards.

If your device does not have a special button or combination of keys, you can go into sleep mode by pressing the power button. To reassign actions, you need to go to the power options and repeat the actions from the previous section of the article.

To prevent the system from exiting sleep mode when moving the mouse or pressing keyboard keys, you need to go to Device Manager. Then right-click on the Start menu, and then go to Device Manager.

Find the Mice and other pointing devices section, double-click on the desired device, and in the window that opens, go to the Power Management tab. Uncheck Allow this device to wake the computer. This method also works on other devices that can wake the computer from sleep.

If your computer does not enter sleep mode or immediately exits it, try the following: