Herbie Murray
Closing your laptop's lid typically sends it into sleep mode, extending its battery life. However, there are times when you may want to keep your laptop running, such as when it's connected to an external monitor. By modifying your laptop settings, you can control what happens when you close the lid, allowing you to choose between options like Do Nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, or Shut Down. This provides flexibility, ensuring your laptop functions according to your preferences and specific needs. In this article, we will guide you through the steps to achieve this, covering both Windows and other operating systems.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Default Setting | Laptop goes to sleep when the lid is closed |
| Purpose of Default Setting | To extend battery life |
| How to Change Default Setting | Modify laptop settings |
| Steps to Change Default Setting | - Go to Power Options in Control Panel |
| - Click on "Choose what closing the lid does" | |
| - Under "Power and sleep buttons and lid settings", select "Do Nothing" for "When I close the lid" under both "On battery" and "Plugged in" | |
| - Click "Save Changes" | |
| Other Options | Sleep, Hibernate, Shut Down |
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What You'll Learn
Change Windows default settings
By default, Windows is set to put your laptop to sleep when you close the lid. This is convenient when you want to put your laptop in a bag, but not ideal if you want to keep your laptop running while it's closed.
To change this setting, you can follow these steps:
- Find the Battery icon in the System Tray (located in the bottom-right corner of your screen). You may need to click the small arrow to show all icons.
- Right-click on the Battery icon and choose Power Options. Alternatively, on Windows 10, go to Settings > System > Power & Sleep and select Additional power settings from the right menu.
- In the Power Options screen, select "Choose what closing the lid does" from the options on the left-hand side.
- From the dropdown menu, select your preferred option for when the laptop is plugged in and on battery. You can choose from the options: Do Nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, and Shut Down.
- It is recommended that you set it to "Do Nothing" when plugged in and "Sleep" when on battery power. This allows your laptop to continue functioning when connected to power while conserving power when you're on the go.
- Click "Save Changes" to apply your selected settings.
Now, when you close your laptop lid, your machine will continue to run as normal. You can control it with external devices such as a mouse and keyboard. However, remember that when you want to put your laptop to sleep or shut it down, you'll need to use the commands on the Start Menu or Windows shortcuts.
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Prevent laptop from sleeping
By default, Windows is set up to put your laptop to sleep when you close the lid. This is to extend the battery life of your device, as it assumes that you won't be using your laptop with the lid closed. However, there are instances when you might want to prevent this from happening, such as when your laptop is connected to an external monitor.
You can easily modify your laptop settings to control what happens when you close the lid. Here's how to do it:
Windows 10
- Open the Windows Start menu and search for 'Control Panel'.
- In the search box, enter 'Power Options' and click on it when it appears.
- In the left-hand menu, click on the 'Choose what closing the lid does' link.
- Under 'Power and sleep buttons and lid settings', you will find two options for 'When I close the lid': 'On battery' and 'Plugged in'.
- To prevent your laptop from sleeping when the lid is closed, select 'Do nothing' for both options.
- Click 'Save changes' to apply the changes.
Windows 11
- In the System Tray (bottom-right corner of the screen), find the Battery icon. You may need to click the small arrow to show all icons.
- Right-click on the Battery icon and choose 'Power Options'.
- In the Power Options window, click on 'Choose what closing the lid does' in the left pane.
- On the 'When I close the lid' option, select 'Do nothing' for both 'On battery' and 'Plugged in'.
- Click 'Save changes' to finalize your selection and apply the changes.
Note: Changing the 'On battery' setting to 'Do nothing' can cause some issues, so it's recommended to only change the lid setting for when your laptop is 'Plugged in'. Always plug in your laptop when you use it with the lid closed to avoid accidentally putting a running laptop in an enclosed space, such as a bag, which can generate a lot of heat and potentially damage your device.
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Keep laptop awake with lid shut
Keeping your laptop awake with the lid shut allows you to take advantage of your computer's power even if you aren't using its built-in display. This is a useful feature if you want to use your laptop as a server or have it tucked away while controlling it with external devices.
By default, Windows is set to automatically put your laptop to sleep when you close the lid. This setting can be changed to keep your laptop awake with the lid shut. Here's how to do it:
On Windows 10, open the Start menu and search for "lid" in the search bar. Alternatively, you can go to Settings > System > Power & Sleep and select Additional Power Settings from the right menu. In the Power Options menu, you will find the "Choose what closing the lid does" option. Click on it and select the behaviour you'd like your laptop to follow when the lid is closed. You can choose from a range of options, including "Do Nothing", "Sleep", "Hibernate", and "Shut Down".
If you select "Do Nothing", your laptop will continue to run as normal even when the lid is closed. This means you can control it with external devices such as a mouse and keyboard. However, remember that when you want to put your laptop to sleep or shut it down, you'll need to use the commands on the Start Menu or Windows shortcuts.
It is important to note that changing the lid setting for when your laptop is running on battery power can cause issues. For example, if you forget about this setting, you might accidentally put your laptop in an enclosed space, like a bag, while it's still turned on. This can waste battery power and generate a lot of heat, potentially damaging your laptop over time. Therefore, it is recommended to only change the lid setting for when your laptop is plugged in and always ensure it is plugged in when using this setting.
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Control laptop with external devices
If you want to control your laptop with external devices, such as a mouse and keyboard, while the laptop is closed, you will need to adjust your laptop settings. By default, Windows and macOS are set to put your laptop to sleep when you close the lid. This can be inconvenient if you want to use your laptop with a connected monitor and control it with external devices.
To change this setting on Windows, open the Start menu and search for "Control Panel". Open the Control Panel and navigate to the Power Options. In the left-hand menu, click on "Choose what closing the lid does". Under "Power and sleep buttons and lid settings", you will find two options for "When I close the lid": "On battery" and "Plugged in".
It is recommended that you only change the setting for "Plugged in" to "Do nothing" to avoid accidentally putting your laptop in an enclosed space while it is still turned on, which can waste battery power and generate a lot of heat.
Click "Save changes" to apply the changes. Now, when you close your laptop lid, it will continue to run, and you can control it with external devices.
For macOS Ventura and newer, open System Settings and select "Battery". Scroll down and click "Options", then enable "Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off" to allow the computer to keep running even when the display is off.
With these settings, you can now control your laptop with external devices even when the lid is closed.
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Change lid settings for battery/plugged in
If you want to change the lid settings for your MacBook to prevent it from sleeping when the lid is closed, you can follow these steps:
For macOS Ventura or later:
- Open System Settings: Go to the Apple menu by clicking on the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen, and then select "System Settings".
- Go to Battery: In the System Settings window, look for the "Battery" section. Click on it to access battery settings.
- Click on Options: In the Battery preferences, click on the "Options" tab. Here, you will find various settings related to your battery.
- Prevent your Mac from automatically sleeping: In the Options, look for the "Wake for network access" setting. Set it to "Always". This will ensure that your Mac stays awake and can continue running updates or downloads even when the lid is closed.
For macOS Monterey or older:
- Open System Preferences: Click on the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen, then select "System Preferences" from the menu.
- Go to Battery or Energy Saver: In the System Preferences window, look for the "Battery" or "Energy Saver" section, depending on your macOS version. Click on it to access the relevant settings.
- Select the appropriate option: In the Battery/Energy Saver preferences, you will see an option like "Prevent your Mac from automatically sleeping when the display is off." Select this option to keep your Mac from sleeping when the lid is closed.
Please note that for the above methods to work, your MacBook might need to be connected to an external display, keyboard, and mouse, a setup often referred to as "clamshell mode." Additionally, the specific steps and options might vary slightly depending on your macOS version and updates.
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Frequently asked questions
Go to the System Tray in the bottom-right corner of the screen and find the Battery icon. Right-click on the icon and choose Power Options. Change the "When I close the lid" setting to "Do nothing" for both "On battery" and "Plugged in". Click "Save changes".
Go to System Preferences and click on the Battery icon. Choose the Power Adapter tab and select the "Turn display off after" slider, moving it to "Never". Make sure to also select the checkbox for "Prevent your Mac from automatically sleeping when the display is off".
Yes, you will need to connect your laptop to external devices, such as a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
Keeping your laptop awake when it's closed allows you to take advantage of its power without using the built-in display. It can be useful if you're using an external monitor and want to keep the lid closed to save space or for other convenience or aesthetic reasons.
