Simple Tricks To Wake Your Computer From Sleep Mode

Sleep mode is a power-saving feature on computers that shuts down most components while keeping the system state in memory for quick resumption. While it is usually easy to wake up a computer from sleep mode, sometimes, the keyboard or mouse may not work. This could be due to USB selective suspend, which prevents USB-connected devices from working when the PC goes to sleep. To change this, go to the Control Panel and change the advanced settings for your power plan so that USB selective suspend settings are disabled. You can also try restarting your computer, pressing any key on the keyboard, clicking the mouse, or pressing the power button.

Methods to wake a computer from sleep mode

Change power and sleep settings

If you're having trouble waking up your computer from sleep mode, you can try a few things to get it going. Firstly, check if your computer is in sleep or hibernation mode by moving the mouse or pressing any key on the keyboard. If that doesn't work, try pressing the power button once. If your device still won't wake up, try a simple restart by locating the power button and choosing the "Restart" option. If you can't access the menus, press and hold the physical power button for a few seconds until the device shuts off.

If you're using a Windows computer, you can adjust the power and sleep settings to prevent this issue from recurring. Here's how:

Windows 11:

• Select "Start" > "Settings" > "System" > "Power & Battery" > "Screen, Sleep, & Hibernate Timeouts".
• Under "Turn my screen off after", select how long you want your device to wait before turning off the screen when inactive.
• Under "Make my device sleep after", choose how long the device should wait before going to sleep.

Windows 10:

• Go to "Start" > "Settings" > "System" > "Power & Sleep".
• Under "Screen", set the duration for your device to wait before turning off the screen.
• Under "Sleep", specify how long the device should wait before entering sleep mode.

Additionally, you can explore "Additional power settings" in the Power Options to further customize your device's power usage, such as changing the behaviour of power buttons and optimizing for performance or power efficiency.

Hibernate Mode:

If you want to conserve power even more, you can enable hibernate mode, which uses less power than sleep mode. Here's how to set it up:

• Go to "Start" > "Control Panel" > "System and Security" > "Power Options".
• Select "Change what the power buttons do" > "Change settings that are currently unavailable".
• In the "Shutdown settings" section, select the "Hibernate" checkbox (if available) and click "Save changes".

Now you can hibernate your device by going to "Start" > "Power" > "Hibernate".

USB Selective Suspend:

If you find that your keyboard or mouse won't wake up your Windows computer, the issue might be due to USB selective suspend, which prevents USB devices from functioning when the PC sleeps. To change this:

• Go to "Control Panel" > "Power Options" > "Advanced settings" for your selected power plan.
• Change the USB settings > "USB selective suspend setting" to "Disabled".

By following these steps, you can adjust power and sleep settings on your Windows computer and effectively wake it up from sleep mode.

Restart your computer

Restarting your computer is a simple process that can be done in a few ways. Firstly, you can try interacting with your computer by wiggling your mouse, striking a few keys on your keyboard, or pressing the power button once. If this does not work, you can try to restart your computer by pressing and holding the physical power button for around five seconds until it shuts off.

If you are still unable to restart your computer, you can try adjusting your power settings. On a Windows computer, you can do this by searching for "Power Options" in the Control Panel and changing the advanced settings for your selected power plan. You can also create a new power plan that suits your specific needs, such as maximising battery life or ensuring high performance.

Additionally, you can try to disable USB selective suspend, which prevents USB-connected devices from working when the computer goes to sleep. To do this, search for "Power Options" in the Control Panel, and then change the advanced settings for your selected power plan so that USB settings > USB selective suspend settings is set to Disabled.

If your computer is a Dell, you can try going to Start > Settings > System > Power & Battery > Screen and Sleep. From there, you can adjust how long you want your device to wait before turning off the screen and going to sleep when you are not using it.

It is important to note that if you cannot access the menus on your computer, you may need to check the power source to ensure it is receiving power. If it is not receiving power, your computer is not asleep, but completely dead. In this case, you should plug in your laptop or check for disconnected power cables for a desktop computer.

Check power sources

If your computer is not waking up from sleep mode, it is important to check the power sources. This is because a computer that is not receiving power is not asleep but dead.

For a laptop, ensure it is plugged into a power source. Check the power cable is properly connected to the laptop and the wall socket. If the laptop is connected to a power strip, ensure the power strip is switched on. If the laptop is plugged in but not charging, the power source is likely the issue. Try plugging the laptop directly into a wall socket.

For a desktop computer, check for any disconnected power cables. Ensure the power cable is properly connected to the computer and the wall socket. If the computer is connected to a power strip, ensure the power strip is switched on.

If your computer is a laptop that you cannot open the lid of (for example, because it is in a docking station), or if it is plugged into an external power source, you can change the Power settings in Windows to not go into Sleep mode when plugged in.

If your computer is not waking up from sleep mode, it could be due to USB selective suspend. This prevents USB-connected devices from working when the computer goes to sleep. To change this, search for Power Options in the Control Panel and change the advanced settings for your selected power plan. Ensure that USB settings > USB selective suspend settings are set to Disabled.

If your computer is not waking up from sleep mode, it could be due to a scheduled event that is allowed to wake your machine. Open the Start menu, search for "Edit Power Plan," and click on Change Advanced Settings in the Edit Plan Settings window. Head to Sleep > Allow Wake Timers and change Battery and Plugged In to Disabled.

If your computer is not waking up from sleep mode, it could be due to your keyboard or mouse. To ensure that your keyboard or mouse can wake your computer from sleep, navigate to the Device Manager and find your device. Go to its properties and under the 'Power Management' tab, check the box next to 'Allow this device to wake the computer'.

If your computer is not waking up from sleep mode, it could be due to a specific hardware device. Open the Start menu and search for "Device Manager." This will help you find the offending device.

Disable USB selective suspend

If you are using Windows 10 or below, you can disable USB selective suspend by searching for "Power Options" in the Control Panel and changing the advanced settings for your selected power plan. Change the USB settings so that "USB selective suspend" is set to "Disabled".

If you are using Windows 11, you can disable USB selective suspend in the device manager.

Disabling USB selective suspend will allow you to wake up your computer from sleep mode by using your USB-connected devices, such as your keyboard or mouse. To ensure that your keyboard or mouse can wake your computer from sleep, navigate to the Device Manager, find your device, and go to its properties. Under the "Power Management" tab, check the box next to "Allow this device to wake the computer".

If you are unable to wake your computer from sleep mode, try restarting your computer. This can be done by pressing and holding the physical power button for around five seconds until it shuts off. If this does not work, check your power source and ensure that your computer is plugged in and receiving power.

Change multimedia settings

If you're having issues with your computer randomly waking up from sleep mode, you may need to change your multimedia settings.

First, check your power settings. You can do this by accessing the Control Panel or System Settings, where you can modify how your computer enters sleep mode and what actions can wake it up. Adjusting settings like the 'sleep after' time and enabling 'wake timers' can make your computer more responsive and tailored to your usage patterns.

Next, you should check your BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) settings, which can significantly impact how your computer wakes from sleep. To access BIOS settings, you usually need to press a key like F2 or DEL during startup. Once in the BIOS setup, you can check and adjust power management settings and sleep mode settings, which may resolve any wake-up issues.

If you're using a wireless keyboard or mouse, ensure that they are not the cause of the issue. Wireless devices can sometimes cause complications with sleep mode due to connectivity issues or power-saving features.

To ensure your keyboard or mouse can wake your computer from sleep, navigate to the Device Manager and find your device. Go to its properties and under the 'Power Management' tab, check the box next to 'Allow this device to wake the computer'. Don't forget to click 'OK' to save your changes.

Finally, you can create a custom power plan in the Control Panel under 'Power Options' to optimise your power consumption and system behaviour. This can be useful if you want to maximise battery life or ensure high performance.

Frequently asked questions