Evie Summers
If your Windows PC wakes up from sleep mode unexpectedly, there are several ways to identify the issue and prevent it from happening again. Firstly, you can use the POWERCFG command on Windows Terminal to find out what woke your PC. You can also open the Start menu, search for Device Manager, and locate the Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapter under Network Adapters. From there, you can uncheck the Allow This Device to Wake the Computer option. Additionally, you can open the Start menu, search for Edit Power Plan, and disable the Allow Wake Timers option for both battery and plugged-in settings.
How to check why PC wakes up from sleep
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Check the device | Open the Start menu and search "Device Manager" to find the device in question. |
| Check the power settings | Click on the Windows icon, search for "Power Options", and change the advanced power settings. |
| Check for scheduled tasks | Open the Start menu, search for "PowerShell" or "Command Prompt", and run the following command: powercfg -lastwake. |
| Check for updates | Open the Settings app, select "Windows Update", and check for updates. |
| Check the network adapter | Open the Device Manager and uncheck the "Allow this device to wake the computer" option for the network adapter. |
| Check for USB devices | Remove all USB devices and see if the PC still wakes up. |
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What You'll Learn
Check for network adapter issues
If your PC wakes up from sleep mode due to network adapter issues, there are several methods you can use to address the problem.
Firstly, you can use the Device Manager to fix the issue. Open the Start menu, search for "Device Manager", and locate the Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapter under "Network Adapters". Right-click on the adapter, choose "Properties", and open the "Power Management" tab. Here, you can uncheck the "Allow this device to wake the computer" option. Alternatively, you can keep the box checked and select "Only allow a magic packet to wake the computer".
Another method is to use PowerShell to restart the network adapter. Use the "Get-NetAdapter" command to list the network adapters and note the Ethernet adapter name. Then, use the "Restart-NetAdapter" command to restart the adapter, ensuring that it is run as an Administrator.
Additionally, you can try adjusting your power plan settings. Open the Start menu, search for "Edit Power Plan", and click on "Change Advanced Settings" in the "Edit Plan Settings" window. Navigate to "Sleep > Allow Wake Timers" and change "Battery" and "Plugged In" to "Disabled". Repeat this process for all your power plans.
You can also use the POWERCFG command in the Windows Terminal to find out what is causing your PC to wake from sleep mode. Right-click on the Start Menu and select "Windows Terminal (Admin)". In the Terminal, type or paste the POWERCFG command and press Enter. This will display the reason for your PC waking up.
Furthermore, you can use the Event Viewer app to check for wake-up devices. Type "Event Viewer" into the Windows search bar and click on the result to open it. Double-click on the "Windows Logs" option in the left pane and click on "System".
By following these steps, you should be able to address issues related to network adapters causing your PC to wake up from sleep mode.
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Disable wake timers
If your Windows PC keeps waking up from sleep mode, you can disable wake timers to prevent this from happening. Wake timers are scheduled events that are allowed to wake your machine.
To disable wake timers, follow these steps:
- Open the Start menu.
- Search for "Edit Power Plan" and click on "Change Advanced Settings" in the Edit Plan Settings window.
- Head to "Sleep" and then "Allow Wake Timers".
- Change "Battery" and "Plugged In" to "Disabled".
- Repeat this process for all power plans in the drop-down menu at the top, not just the one you're currently using.
Note that this is a broad setting that will impact all wake timers. If you have specific wake timers that you want to keep turned on, this method may not be suitable. Additionally, this method may not always be effective, and your PC may still wake up from sleep mode even with wake timers disabled.
For a more comprehensive solution, it is recommended to open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run specific commands to identify and disable all tasks that can potentially wake your PC. This will ensure that all wake timers and related settings are properly configured to prevent your PC from waking up unexpectedly.
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Check for USB device issues
If your PC wakes up from sleep mode, Windows will know which device woke it up. To find this out, open the Start menu and search for "cmd", then right-click the "Command Prompt" entry and choose "Run As Administrator". Type the following command and press Enter:
Powercfg -lastwake
If you're lucky, this will give you a clear answer. If a USB device is waking your computer, you'll have to find the offending device. Try removing all your USB devices the next time you put your computer to sleep, and see if it wakes up on its own. If it doesn't, leave one device plugged in the next time you put it to sleep. Keep doing this until you find the problematic hardware. Once you find the device, open the Start menu, search for "Device Manager", and find the device in question. Right-click on it, choose Properties, and open the Power Management tab. Uncheck the "Allow this device to wake the computer" option.
If you're using a Bluetooth device to wake your computer from sleep mode, you may encounter some problems. Many laptop manufacturers will not allow a Bluetooth device to wake the computer from sleep mode because of the power consumption required to keep the Bluetooth radio activated. If you can open the lid of your laptop, use the embedded keyboard or pointing device or an external non-Bluetooth device to wake the computer. If you cannot open the lid, change the Power settings in Windows to not go into Sleep mode when plugged in.
Additionally, if you are using Windows Vista and have not updated to Service Pack 1 or a later version, updating to Service Pack 1 or later may resolve this problem.
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Use the POWERCFG command
If your Windows PC wakes up from sleep mode unexpectedly, you can use the POWERCFG command to find out what woke it up. POWERCFG is a command-line utility that can control the power states of individual devices and analyse the system for common energy efficiency and battery life problems.
To use the POWERCFG command, first, make sure that your BIOS is set to allow the OS to control Sleep/Wake. Then, right-click on the Start Menu and select Windows Terminal (Admin). In the Terminal, type or copy and paste the following command and press Enter:
Powercfg -lastwake
Or
Powercfg -waketimers
This will display the reason your PC woke up from sleep mode, such as a specific device or application. For example, it might be the File Explorer or a USB device like your mouse or keyboard.
You can also use the POWERCFG command to control power plans, also called power schemes, and to use the available sleep states. For example, to enable or disable the hibernate feature and set the hiberfile size, you can use the following commands:
Powercfg /setsecuritydescriptor 381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e O:BAG:SYD:P(A;CI;KRKW;;;BU)(A;CI;KA;;;BA)(A;CI;KA;;;SY)(A;CI;KA;;;CO)
Powercfg /setsecuritydescriptor ActionSetActive O:BAG:SYD:P(A;CI;KR;;;BU)(A;CI;KA;;;BA)(A;CI;KA;;;SY)(A;CI;KA;;;CO)
Once you know what is waking up your computer, you can take steps to prevent it from doing so. This may involve changing settings in the Device Manager or Power Options, or adjusting your power plan settings.
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Update Windows
Windows runs automatic maintenance tasks and updates once per day, which include software updates, security scans, and other jobs. These tasks can wake your PC from sleep mode if the corresponding option is turned on.
To prevent this from happening, you can change the time this runs or prevent it from waking the computer altogether. Here's how:
Changing the Time of Automatic Maintenance
- Open the Start menu.
- Search for "Automatic maintenance" and click on "Change Automatic Maintenance settings" to open the Control Panel.
- From this menu, you can change the time this runs.
Preventing Automatic Maintenance from Waking Up Your Computer
- Open the Start menu.
- Search for "Automatic maintenance" and click on "Change Automatic Maintenance settings" to open the Control Panel.
- Uncheck the "Allow scheduled maintenance to wake up my computer at the scheduled time" box.
Disabling Wake Timers
If changing the time or preventing automatic maintenance from waking up your computer doesn't work, you can try disabling wake timers:
- 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".
- Repeat this process for all your power plans in the drop-down menu.
Disabling Wake Timers on Windows 10
Windows 10 has a habit of not respecting the "Disable" setting for wake timers. To ensure that your PC doesn't wake up due to wake timers, follow these steps:
- Open an Administrative PowerShell command prompt by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Enter after typing 'PowerShell' in the Start menu.
- Enter the following command: powercfg -devicequery wake_armed.
- Go through all the tasks listed and remove their permission to wake your computer.
Disabling Scheduled Maintenance on Windows 8
If you're using Windows 8, you can disable the Regular Maintenance task from waking your machine at 3:00 AM by following these steps:
- Go to Action Center > Automatic Maintenance.
- Disable the "Allow scheduled maintenance to wake up my computer at the scheduled time" checkbox.
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Frequently asked questions
You can use the POWERCFG command on Windows Terminal to find out what woke your PC from sleep mode. Alternatively, you can open the Start menu, search for "cmd", then right-click the Command Prompt entry and choose "Run As Administrator". Type "powercfg -lastwake" and press Enter.
There are several potential causes for a PC waking from sleep mode, including network adapters, scheduled tasks, USB devices, and power settings.
Open the Start menu, search for "Device Manager", and find the Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapter in question under "Network Adapters". Right-click on it, choose "Properties", and open the Power Management tab. Uncheck the "Allow This Device to Wake the Computer" option.
Open the Start menu, search for "Edit Power Plan", and click "Change Advanced Settings". Head to "Sleep" > "Allow Wake Timers" and change "Battery" and "Plugged In" to "Disabled". You can also open PowerShell by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting "Windows PowerShell" or "Windows Terminal". Run the following command: powercfg -devicequery wake_armed.
Ensure that the BIOS is set to allow the OS to control Sleep/Wake. You can also try updating Windows, as the issue may be caused by a bug in the version of Windows or a problem with one of the drivers installed.
