Herbie Murray
There are several ways to wake up a sleeping PC, and the method you choose will depend on your specific setup. If you're sitting at your computer, you can try moving your mouse, pressing any key on your keyboard, or pressing the power button. If you're trying to wake up your PC remotely, you can use a feature called Wake-on-LAN, which allows you to turn on a sleeping or powered-off computer over a local network or even the internet. This requires some configuration in your computer's BIOS and may involve using a magic packet to wake up your PC.
How to Wake Up a Sleeping PC
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| PC is unresponsive to mouse or keyboard | Check if PC is in sleep mode or hibernate mode |
| PC is in sleep mode | Move the mouse, press any key on the keyboard or press the power button |
| PC is in hibernate mode | Press the power button |
| PC is in sleep mode for a long time | It will enter hibernate mode |
| PC is in standby mode | Change the power and sleep settings |
| PC is not waking up from sleep mode | Disable Fast Startup |
| PC is not waking up from sleep mode | Enable "Resume from USB device" |
| PC is not waking up from sleep mode | Check if a USB device is waking the computer |
| PC is not waking up from sleep mode | Change advanced power settings |
| PC is not waking up from sleep mode | Check if a network adapter is waking the computer |
| PC is not waking up from sleep mode | Check if a scheduled task is waking the computer |
| PC is not waking up from sleep mode | Check if the Ethernet port is waking the computer |
| PC is not waking up from sleep mode | Enable Wake-on-LAN |
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What You'll Learn
Using the power button
Pressing the power button is a simple and reliable method to wake up your computer from sleep mode. This method is especially useful if other methods, such as keyboard or mouse clicks, are unresponsive.
To wake up your computer using the power button, simply press the power button briefly, and your computer should exit sleep mode. You can also try pressing and holding the power button for about five seconds until the computer shuts off, and then turn it back on.
On a laptop, you can usually put it to sleep by pressing (without holding) the power button. For a desktop computer running Windows, press Alt + F4, and then use the arrow keys to navigate to Sleep.
If you want to use the power button to wake up your computer from sleep mode, ensure that your power button settings are configured correctly in the system's power options. For Dell computers, go to Start > Settings > System > Power & Sleep > Additional Power Settings. Here, you can select "Choose what the power buttons do" and then set the desired action for when the power button is pressed.
For recurring problems with waking up your computer from sleep mode, you can try delving into the power settings or updating your system's drivers. Disabling and re-enabling the sleep mode feature in the power settings can also help rectify the issue.
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Moving the mouse or pressing a key
If your computer is in sleep mode, you can wake it up by moving the mouse or pressing any key on the keyboard. This will allow you to quickly resume normal, full-power operation within a few seconds. If this does not work, you can press the power button to wake up the computer.
If you are using a desktop or tablet, go to 'Start', then 'Settings', then 'System', then 'Power & Sleep', and finally 'Additional Power Settings'. Next, select 'Choose what the power buttons do'. Next to 'When I press the power button', select 'Sleep', and then select 'Save changes'.
If you are using a laptop, select 'Choose what closing the lid does'. Next to 'When I close the lid', select 'Sleep', and then select 'Save changes'. Press the power button on your desktop, tablet, or laptop, or close your laptop's lid to make your personal computer sleep.
To enable the system to wake from sleep using a keyboard or mouse, you can also try disabling Fast Startup. To do this, go to the Control Panel, then 'Hardware and Sound', then 'Power Options', and finally 'System Settings'. While holding down the Shift key, click on 'Restart'. Once the computer restarts, select 'Troubleshoot', then 'Advanced options', and finally, 'UEFI Firmware Settings'. This should take you directly to the BIOS. Then, navigate to 'Settings', then 'Advanced', then 'Wake up Event Startup'.
You can also enable "Resume from USB device", which will allow the system to wake from sleep using a keyboard or mouse.
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Remotely via Wake-on-LAN
Remotely waking up a sleeping PC can be done using Wake-on-LAN (WoL) technology. WoL is a software or hardware utility that sends a "magic packet" to a target computer, instructing it to power on or wake from sleep mode. This helps users manage devices remotely, perform updates, and access files without needing physical access.
To use WoL, you need to ensure that your system meets the requirements. Firstly, check if your computer's BIOS supports and enables WoL. This step varies by manufacturer and may require entering the BIOS setup during boot. Look for settings named "Wake on LAN," "PCI Power Up," "Allow PCI Wake Up Event," "Onboard LAN Boot ROM," "Boot from PCI/PCI-E," or similar. For Windows PCs, enabling WoL in the BIOS allows the computer to wake from powered-off, sleep, or hibernation states. Mac users should ensure the "Wake for network access" option is selected in the Energy Saver preferences. Additionally, your computer must be connected to the network via an Ethernet cable, as WoL does not work over Wi-Fi.
Once your system is configured for WoL, you can use a variety of tools to send the magic packet. TeamViewer is a popular option that allows you to wake up a computer via its public IP address. Splashtop also offers WoL functionality, allowing users to wake up their Windows or Mac computers remotely. Other tools include NirSoft's WakeMeOnLan, Depicus, and WolOn (for Android users).
It's important to note that WoL is designed to wake up computers on your network, so it won't work with computers on another network. Additionally, while modern Ethernet adapters typically support WoL, wireless adapters rarely do. Therefore, the computer being woken up and the device sending the magic packet will likely need to be connected via Ethernet.
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Disabling Fast Startup
To disable Fast Startup in Windows 11, you can follow these steps:
- Open the Start Menu and search for Control Panel.
- Choose the top result and select Hardware and Sound.
- Select Power Options, then click on "Choose what the power buttons do".
- Uncheck the box at the bottom for "Turn on fast startup (recommended)".
- If the box is grayed out, click on "Change settings that are currently unavailable" at the top. This requires administrator permissions.
- After unchecking the box, click "Save changes" and then restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
Alternatively, if you prefer using Command Prompt, you can disable Fast Startup by following these steps:
- Press the Windows key, search for Command Prompt, and run it as administrator.
- Type the following command and hit enter: powercfg /hibernate off.
- This should turn off hibernate and fast startup on your device.
For Windows 10 users, the process is similar:
- Go to the Start Menu and search for "Power Options".
- Click on "Choose what the power buttons do".
- Click on "Change settings that are currently unavailable".
- Uncheck the box for "Turn on fast startup (recommended)" under "Shutdown settings".
- Click "Save changes" and restart your computer.
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Using a magic packet
Wake-on-LAN (WoL) is a feature that can be used to wake up a sleeping PC by sending a "magic packet" to the network adapter. This is especially useful for remote PCs that don't have a keyboard or mouse attached, as it allows you to restore your desktop session as it was when you clicked on Sleep.
To enable Wake-on-LAN on your PC, you need to make sure that your network adapter supports WoL. You can usually do this by checking the Power Management tab in the Device Manager and ensuring that "Allow this device to wake the computer" and "Only allow a magic packet to wake the computer" are selected.
Once WoL is enabled, you can use various tools to send the magic packet to wake up your PC. One example is the "WakeMeOnLan" tool from NirSoft, which is a third-party tool that can be downloaded and used to send the magic packet. Another option is to use the WoL tool available on your router or find scripts that can be used with PowerShell.
It's important to note that WoL may not work if your PC is already on, as it is designed to wake up a computer from a low-power state. Additionally, if you're using Wi-Fi to send the magic packet, the receiving device will likely need to be plugged in via Ethernet.
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Frequently asked questions
To wake up a PC from sleep mode, you can move the mouse, press any key on the keyboard, or press the power button.
Press the power button to wake up a PC in hibernation mode.
You can use Wake-on-LAN to wake up a sleeping PC remotely. This can be done from another Windows or Mac computer, or an Android or iOS device.
First, enable Wake-on-LAN in the computer's BIOS settings. Then, download a Wake-on-LAN utility and enter the MAC address of the computer you want to wake up.
Enable "Resume from USB device" in your PC's settings.
