1. Disable the Screensaver
Did you set any screensaver on your Windows computer? If you did, it will prevent your PC from going to sleep, so you need to disable it from Settings.
2. Check Power Requests
Sometimes an external application or process will prevent your PC from going to sleep by sending out power requests. To find out if this is the case, run some commands from the Command Prompt. The “caller_type” is the process, service or driver, while the “name” specifies the caller name returned in the previous step. Finally, “request” indicates the power request type that can have any of these values: Display, System, Awaymode. Tip: did you know that game controllers are versatile devices? Find out how you can use your controller as a mouse in Windows.
3. Turn Off Peripherals and Accessories
Have you connected an external device like a printer or scanner to your Windows computer and it’s powered on? That may also be a reason for the sleep mode issue on your PC. Just turn off the external device(s) and check whether your PC goes to sleep. If you are using an external keyboard or mouse, however, you need not bother, as they won’t interfere with the sleep mode on your computer.
4. Double-Check Sleep Settings
If your computer still isn’t going to sleep as it should, verify whether you’ve enabled the right sleep settings.
5. Turn Off Hybrid Mode
Hybrid Mode is a combination of hibernation and sleep mode. Though the functionality of both modes is very similar, there is a key difference between the two. When your PC goes to sleep, all of the opened files and applications are saved to the RAM. In hibernation mode, they are stored on the hard drive. If sleep mode is not working properly for you, you can disable the Hybrid Mode and see if it helps.
6. Disable Wake Timers
A Wake Timer will wake up your computer from sleep or hibernate mode to perform a certain task at a specific time. Disable all the wake timers on your Windows computer to ensure sleep mode works correctly. Trying to limit your home’s energy expenditure this season? Find out how to measure your PC’s power consumption.
7. Restore Default Power Plan Settings
Do you install many third-party applications on your computer? It is possible that one of them might have messed with the Power Settings on your PC and is keeping it awake. Since it is almost impossible to find out which one caused the issue, the best option is to restore the default power settings.
8. Run Windows Troubleshooter
Are you unable to determine why your PC is not going to sleep? You can make use of the built-in Troubleshooter tool available on your Windows computer to fix the issue. Implement the suggested fixes and check whether the sleep mode issue has been resolved. Hopefully, your PC should be able to sleep immediately after the lapse of the time interval you’ve opted for in sleep settings. If you have managed to get sleep mode working properly but can’t get your PC to stay in sleep mode, we have a few fixes for you. Image credit: Pixabay. All screenshots by Meenatchi Nagasubramanian. To get a clear idea whether sleep mode or shutdown is better, read our discussion on the subject.
