Closing Laptop Lid? Keep Windows 11 Running

how to close laptop without sleep windows 11

If you want to close your laptop without putting your Windows 11 PC to sleep, you can do so by adjusting your power settings. This is a useful feature if you want to use your laptop with an external monitor, mouse, and keyboard, freeing up desk space and allowing you to work more comfortably. Here's a step-by-step guide to achieving this:

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How to close laptop without sleep Windows 11 Open Windows Settings by pressing Windows+i on your keyboard or by right-clicking the Start button and selecting "Settings." In Settings, click the search bar and type "lid," then click the "Change what closing the lid does" result. A System Settings window will open. Under "Power and sleep buttons and lid settings," you'll see several options. Near the bottom, you'll see "When I Close the Lid." Choose "Do Nothing" under the "On Battery" column.

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Using an external monitor with your laptop closed

To use an external monitor with your laptop closed on Windows 11, you will need to adjust your power settings. First, open the Windows Settings by pressing Windows + i on your keyboard or by right-clicking the Start button and selecting "Settings." In Settings, you can either click on the search bar and type "lid," or follow the steps below: select System, then Power and sleep > Additional power settings > Choose what closing the lid does.

Under "Power and sleep buttons and lid settings", you will see several options that let you choose what happens when you press the power or sleep buttons on your device. At the bottom, you will see "When I close the lid." Here, you can choose what action you want your laptop to take when you close the lid.

To keep your laptop on with the lid closed, select "Do nothing" for both the battery and plugged-in options. This will allow you to use your laptop with an external monitor, mouse, and keyboard while keeping the lid closed. Remember to save your changes before closing the window.

It is important to note that allowing your laptop to stay powered on with the lid closed while on battery power may drain your battery without you realizing it. Therefore, remember to shut down your laptop when you are not using it to avoid any issues with battery degradation.

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Configuring your laptop to go to sleep when you close the lid

Step 1: Access Power Options

Firstly, you need to access the Power Options on your Windows 11 laptop. To do this, select the "Search" option on your taskbar and type "Control Panel". Once the Control Panel opens, select "System and Security", and from the available options, choose "Power Options".

Step 2: Change Power Button Settings

In the Power Options window, look for the "Change what the power buttons do" option and select it. From here, you can configure what happens when you press the power or sleep buttons, as well as when you close the lid. Click on “Change settings that are currently unavailable” to expand your options.

Step 3: Configure Lid Close Settings

Now, you will see a section titled "When I close the lid". Here, you can set your preferred action for when you close your laptop's lid. If you want your laptop to go to sleep when the lid is closed, select "Sleep" from the options in the "On Battery" column. This will ensure that your laptop goes to sleep when you close the lid while running on battery power.

Step 4: Configure Plugged-In Settings (Optional)

If you also want your laptop to go to sleep when the lid is closed while it's plugged in, you can configure this in the "Plugged In" column. Use the drop-down menu to select "Sleep" for this option as well.

Step 5: Save Changes

Once you have made your selections, click the “Save Changes” button at the bottom of the window. These settings will now apply to all your power plans.

Now, when you close your laptop's lid, it should go to sleep, regardless of whether it's plugged in or running on battery power. Remember that sleep mode uses very little power, and your work is automatically saved, so you can safely close the lid without worrying about losing any progress.

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Keeping your laptop running while closed will affect the battery's lifespan

Keeping your laptop running while closed will not affect the battery's lifespan if the device is configured to go to sleep when the lid is closed. Sleep mode uses very little power, and the PC starts up faster when you open the lid. You can configure your Windows 11 laptop to go to sleep when you close the lid by going to the Power Options in the Control Panel. Select "Change what the power buttons do" and then choose "Sleep" for "When I close the lid" in the "On battery" column.

However, if your laptop continues to run while closed, it can affect the battery's lifespan. Lithium-ion batteries, which are commonly used in laptops, typically tolerate between 500 and 1000 charging cycles before an increasing aging process becomes apparent and the capacity shrinks. Therefore, it is recommended to keep the battery charge between 30% and 70% to maintain optimal battery health.

To maintain the battery health of your laptop, it is also important to avoid heating the battery significantly, as this can be detrimental to its longevity. This includes avoiding charging the battery while using the laptop or leaving it in a hot environment. Additionally, it is recommended to avoid fully discharging the battery, especially for Lithium-Ion batteries, as this can be detrimental.

Some laptop brands, such as MS Surface, Toshiba, and Lenovo, have settings to limit the maximum charge to less than 100%, which can help increase the total lifetime of the battery. If your laptop does not have this feature, you can manually implement it by turning off charging before the battery reaches 100%. However, this can be inconvenient and may not be practical for everyone.

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How to keep your laptop on with the lid closed on Windows 11

Keeping your laptop running while the lid is closed will reduce the optimum lifespan of the battery. However, if you want to keep your laptop on with the lid closed, you can do so by following these steps:

  • Open the Windows Settings by pressing Windows + i on your keyboard. Alternatively, you can right-click the Start button and select "Settings".
  • In the Settings search bar, type "lid", and click on "Change what closing the lid does".
  • A "System Settings" window will open. Under "Power and sleep buttons and lid settings", you will see several options.
  • Choose "Do nothing" under the "On Battery" column if you want your laptop to stay awake while unplugged and with the lid closed.
  • If you are using an external monitor, choose "Do nothing" for both the battery and plugged-in options.
  • Save your changes before closing the window.

To test if you have configured the settings properly, plug your laptop into an external monitor, close the lid, and see if the video stays on.

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Hibernate uses less power than sleep

If you're looking to close your laptop without putting it to sleep on Windows 11, you can configure your settings so that closing the lid hibernates your laptop instead. Hibernating your laptop uses less power than sleep, so it's a good option if you won't be using your laptop for a while and won't have a chance to charge it.

Hibernation is a power-saving mode that saves the current state of your computer to your hard drive, allowing your computer to essentially shut down while still resuming where you left off when powered back on. Sleep mode, on the other hand, is a "'low-power mode' that keeps your computer's state in memory while shutting down other parts of the computer. This allows your computer to resume quickly but uses more power than hibernation.

When you hibernate your laptop, it saves the contents of its RAM to the hard drive and then shuts down, using no power while it's off. This means that when you turn it back on, it will take a little longer to boot up than if it were in sleep mode, but it will still resume where you left off. Hibernate is a good option if you know you won't be using your laptop for a while and won't have a chance to charge it during that time.

To configure your Windows 11 laptop to hibernate when you close the lid, go to the Power Options in the Control Panel. Here, you can set the "action" for lid closure. Select "Hibernate" as the action, and your laptop will automatically hibernate when you close the lid.

It's important to note that not all laptops support hibernation. For example, PCs with InstantGo don't have the hibernate option. Additionally, there's no guarantee that your laptop will successfully hibernate every time you close the lid. It's a good idea to issue a hibernate command and wait for it to take effect before closing the lid.

Frequently asked questions

First, open Windows Settings by pressing Windows+i on your keyboard. Or you can right-click the Start button and select "Settings." In Settings, click the search bar and type "lid," then click the "Change what closing the lid does" result that appears beneath it. A ""System Settings" window will open. Under "Power and sleep buttons and lid settings," you'll see several options that let you choose what happens when you press the power or sleep buttons on your device. Near the bottom, you'll see "When I Close the Lid." If you want your laptop to stay awake while not plugged in (and on battery power only), choose "Do Nothing" under the "On Battery" column.

Keeping your laptop running while it is closed will allow you to use it more like a desktop PC. It will also free up desk space and allow you to work more comfortably.

If you allow your laptop to stay powered on with the lid closed while on battery power, you may accidentally run down your battery without realizing it. Keeping your laptop running while closed will also affect the optimum lifespan of the battery.

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