
Waking up a Windows PC from sleep mode is usually a simple process. You can typically wake up your computer by moving your mouse or pressing any key on your keyboard. If that doesn't work, you can try pressing the power button briefly. If you're still having issues, you may need to adjust your power settings or update your device drivers.
How to Wake Windows from Sleep Mode
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Devices | PC, Laptop, Keyboard, Mouse |
| Actions | Move mouse, press any key on the keyboard, press the power button, update device drivers, adjust power settings, check hardware connections |
| Settings | Power & Sleep, Device Manager, Power Management, Additional power settings |
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What You'll Learn

Move your mouse
Waking a Windows PC from sleep mode is a straightforward process. If your mouse hardware supports it, you can wake your PC simply by moving your mouse. This action sends a wake signal to your computer, prompting it to exit sleep mode.
To enable this feature, you need to ensure that "wake timers" are enabled in Windows. To do so, head to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options. Click "Change plan settings" for the current power plan, click "Change advanced power settings," expand the "Sleep" section, expand the "Allow wake timers" section, and ensure it's set to "Enable."
If your mouse doesn't support the feature, you may need to reinstall the mouse driver. You can do this by opening the Device Manager and expanding the "Mice and other pointing devices" section. Right-click on your mouse and select "Properties." In the properties window, navigate to the Power Management" tab and select the checkbox "Allow this device to wake the computer." Click "Ok" to save the changes.
If you ever want to disable waking your PC using the mouse, simply uncheck the "Allow this device to wake the computer" checkbox under the power management tab.
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Press any key on your keyboard
Pressing any key on your keyboard is a simple way to wake your Windows computer from sleep mode. However, if your device does not respond to this, there are a few troubleshooting steps you can take.
First, check that your keyboard drivers are up to date, and that your operating system is fully updated. Sleep-related problems can sometimes arise if important updates are missing.
If your keyboard still doesn't work to wake up your computer, open Device Manager and find "Keyboards > HID Keyboard Device > Properties > Power Management > Allow this device to wake the computer". This should enable the keyboard to wake up your computer.
If you are using a laptop, you may need to open the lid before pressing any key on your keyboard to wake the computer from sleep mode. This is because some laptop manufacturers do not allow Bluetooth devices to wake the computer from sleep mode due to power consumption requirements.
For computers running Windows XP and earlier versions, you can change the settings to enable a specific key to activate sleep mode. Click Start, then click Run, type Control Keyboard, and click OK. On the Key Settings tab, double-click the key you want to change, then select the "Start a Program, Web page, or file" option and click Next. To enable this key to start Sleep mode, run the following command: rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState.
If you are using the original version of Vista and have not updated to Service Pack 1 or a later version, updating to Service Pack 1 or later may resolve the issue.
If none of these steps work, a simple restart of your computer may be the best way to fix the issue.
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Check your power settings
To check your power settings on a Windows 11 device, go to Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Screen and sleep. Here, you can adjust the following:
- Screen: Select how long you want your device to wait before turning the screen off when you're not using your device, both when it's plugged in and when it's on battery power.
- Sleep: Select how long you want your device to wait before going to sleep when you're not using it, both when it's plugged in and when it's on battery power.
- Power mode: Select the power mode to optimise your computer for performance or power efficiency.
If you're using Windows 10, the steps are slightly different: go to Start, and select Settings > System > Power & sleep. Under Screen, select how long you want your device to wait before turning the screen off when you're not using your device. Under Sleep, select how long you want your device to wait before going to sleep when you're not using it.
If your computer keeps waking up from sleep mode, you can tweak some settings to fix the problem. First, determine which device or process woke your computer from sleep mode. To do this, open the Start menu, search for "cmd," right-click on Command Prompt, and choose "Run As Administrator." Once you know which device is the problem, open the Start menu, search for "Device Manager," and find the device in the resulting list. Right-click on it, choose Properties, and open the Power Management tab. Uncheck the "Allow This Device to Wake the Computer" option and click OK. Repeat these steps for any other devices you want to configure.
If your computer still doesn't stay asleep, you can try entering the BIOS and disabling USB waking. To enter the BIOS setup, press a key (usually Delete or F2) when your computer first boots up. If your device fails to wake from sleep mode, it may have automatically transitioned into hibernation mode. In this case, you must press the power button to rouse it.
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Update your device drivers
If your Windows 11 or 10 computer is not waking up from sleep mode, you may need to update your device drivers. Device drivers enable Windows to interact with PC hardware such as network adapters and USB devices. Outdated or faulty drivers can prevent your keyboard and mouse from waking your computer from sleep mode.
To update your device drivers, you can use Windows Update:
- Go to Settings > Windows Update.
- Click on Check for updates.
- If any updates are available, click Download Now to install the latest Windows updates.
You can also update your drivers manually by opening Device Manager and updating essential drivers, especially for display, network, and power. Here's how:
- Open Device Manager.
- Expand the device category for the hardware you want to update (e.g., display adapters, network adapters, etc.).
- Right-click on the device and select Update Driver.
- Follow the prompts to install the updated driver.
If you don't have the time or patience to update the driver manually, you can use a third-party driver update tool to automate the process. These tools will scan your computer, detect outdated or corrupted drivers, and update them for you. Some examples of these tools include Driver Easy and Fortect.
After updating your device drivers, try to put your computer to sleep and wake it up again to check if the issue is resolved.
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Press the power button
Pressing the power button is a surefire way to wake your Windows PC from sleep mode. This method works across different Windows versions, including Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7.
Before pressing the power button, ensure that your PC is in sleep mode and not shut down, as the computer won't wake up if it's not in sleep mode.
If you're using a desktop or tablet, you can customise what the power button does. Go to "Settings," then "System," and select "Power & Sleep." From there, click on Additional power settings and choose "What the power buttons do." Next to "When I press the power button," select "Sleep" and then "Save changes."
For laptop users, the process is similar. Go to "Settings," then "System," and click on "Power & Sleep." Choose "Additional power settings" and select "Choose what closing the lid does." Next to "When I close the lid," choose "Sleep" and then "Save changes."
By configuring these settings, you can ensure that pressing the power button will wake your Windows PC from sleep mode.
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Frequently asked questions
You can wake your Windows 11 computer from sleep mode by moving your mouse, pressing any key on your keyboard, or briefly pressing the power button.
If your computer doesn't wake from sleep mode, you can try the following:
- Check your power settings and ensure your devices are set to wake the computer.
- Check your device drivers are up to date.
- Check your hardware connections.
- Check for system updates.
You can wake your Windows 10 computer from sleep mode by moving your mouse, pressing any key on your keyboard, or briefly pressing the power button. You can also enable your Windows 10 computer to wake from sleep mode using the keyboard and/or mouse by going to Device Manager and changing the device settings.





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