Miya Pearson
Hard disks are set to automatically enter sleep mode (also known as idle time) when file operations cease. This helps cool the disk and prolong its lifespan. However, this can be undesirable if you require quick responses from your hard disk. To prevent sleep mode, you can adjust your power settings, use third-party software, or create small-sized files to mimic user interaction.
Characteristics and Values
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Hard disks automatically enter sleep mode | To cool the physical disk and prolong its lifespan |
| Reasons to prevent sleep mode | Quick response to file operations, constant access to files, uninterrupted downloads or backups |
| Windows 11/10 devices | Adjust power settings, change "Turn off the hard disk after" to "Never", use third-party tools like Sleep Preventer |
| Windows 7/Vista devices | Click Windows (Start) menu, select Control Panel, Power Options, Change Plan Settings, Change Advanced Power Settings, uncheck "allow computer to turn off this device to save power" |
| External SSDs and HDDs | Run a task to touch a file in each drive, use sdparm or hdparm, smartctl, manufacturer utilities, or firmware |
| Freeware options | NoSleepHD, KeepAliveHD, Mouse Jiggler |
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What You'll Learn
Adjusting power settings on your computer
Modern hard disks are set to automatically enter sleep mode (idle time) when file operations cease. This helps cool the disk and prolong its lifespan. However, you may want to prevent this if you need quick responses from your disk after periods of idleness. You can adjust the built-in settings of your machine to turn off HDD sleep mode, or you can use third-party software to keep the HDD or SSD awake by mimicking user interaction.
You can adjust the power settings on your computer to control how long it takes for your hard disk to go to sleep. This gives you full authority over when and if it should enter a low-power state. This can be useful if you need constant access to files or want to prevent interruptions during downloads or backups.
On a Windows 11/10 PC, go to Control Panel > All Control Panel Items > Power Options. Then, on the Advanced Settings tab, click the + sign next to Hard Disk. You can then expand the "Turn off the hard disk after" option and adjust the default value of 20 minutes to a higher value or "Never". Click Apply and OK to save your changes.
If you have an external drive connected to your Windows PC and want to prevent it from sleeping, you must use third-party tools. For example, Sleep Preventer can stop your computer from entering sleep, hibernate, or standby modes. However, these tools may not work with the latest Windows builds.
Additionally, you can use software like Vovsoft Prevent Disk Sleep to keep your HDD or SSD awake by creating small-sized files to mimic user activity. This can be scheduled to create plain text documents (TXT) at specific intervals on any disk of your choice, whether local or external.
For Mac users, you can open a Terminal and type "sudo pmset -a disksleep 0" before pressing Enter and entering your macOS password. You can also download and install WD Drive Utilities and toggle the Sleep Timer off.
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Using third-party software
If you want to prevent your hard disks from sleeping, you can use third-party software. This is especially useful if you have an external drive connected to your Windows PC, as you must use third-party tools for this. However, these tools may not be compatible with the latest builds of Windows 10 and 11, so it is important to check for frequent updates.
One example of third-party software is Vovsoft Prevent Disk Sleep, which is designed to be simple and user-friendly. This program can be scheduled to create a plain text document (TXT) on any disk of your choice, which mimics user interaction and prevents the disk from sleeping.
Another option is to use a tool like Sleep Preventer, which can prevent your computer from going into sleep mode, hibernate mode, or activating the screensaver.
For Apple users, there are third-party solutions such as Amphetamine and Jon Stovell extensions. Additionally, formatting the drives as APFS can stop them from sleeping, but this is generally not recommended for HDDs.
It is also possible to use the Terminal on a Mac to prevent disks from sleeping. The command "sudo pmset -a disksleep 0" can be used to stop all disks from sleeping, but it may require additional steps if the Mac is put to sleep while the drives are mounted.
It is worth noting that some external hard drives have built-in sleep functions that cannot be disabled through the operating system or third-party software. In these cases, you may need to contact the manufacturer to see if they can provide a tool to change the enclosure firmware settings and turn off the automatic sleep function.
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Changing advanced power settings
Modern hard disks are set to automatically enter sleep mode (also known as idle time) when file operations cease. This helps to cool the physical disk and prolong its lifespan. However, you may want to prevent this if you require quick responses from your hard disk even after long idle periods.
You can prevent your hard disk from going to sleep by adjusting the power settings on your computer. This gives you control over when and if your hard disk enters a low-power state. On a Windows 11/10 PC, go to Control Panel > All Control Panel Items > Power Options. From here, you can change the default sleep settings. Click on the Advanced Settings tab of Power Options and expand the Hard Disk options. Here, you can set the "Turn off the hard disk after" setting to "Never".
If you have an external drive, you will need to use third-party tools such as Sleep Preventer or Vovsoft Prevent Disk Sleep. These tools can keep your hard disk awake by creating small files to mimic user activity. However, these may not work on the latest Windows builds.
Alternatively, you can use freeware such as NoSleepHD or KeepAliveHD, which write empty text files to your hard disk at regular intervals to prevent it from sleeping. For a Seagate external pushbutton drive, you can simply cycle the power on the drive.
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Using a different power model
Modern hard disks are set to automatically enter sleep mode (also known as idle time) whenever file operations cease. This helps cool the physical disk and prolongs its lifespan. However, you can adjust the power settings on your computer to customise how long it takes for your hard disk to go to sleep, giving you full control over when and if it should enter a low-power state.
Windows offers a Modern Standby or Connected Standby power model that offers a low-power idle mode, similar to that of a smartphone. It allows some background processes to continue running, such as ensuring you receive emails. To access this setting, click on the Battery/Power icon in the taskbar and select 'More Power options'.
On the Advanced Settings tab of Power Options, click on the + sign next to Hard Disk. Expand the option 'Turn off the hard disk after', and you’ll find that the default value of this setting is 20 minutes. To prevent your hard disk from frequently going to sleep, set the value from 20 minutes to a higher value. If you want your hard disk to never go to sleep, enter the value as “Never”, and click Apply and OK.
On Linux, you can install Gnome Disks and set it to never spin down in the settings.
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Turning off sleep mode
Modern hard disks are set to automatically enter sleep mode (also known as idle time) whenever file operations cease to take place. This is intended to help cool the physical disk and extend its lifespan. However, there may be instances where you want to prevent this from happening, for example, if you want the disk to respond quickly to file operations even after long periods of idleness. In such cases, you can adjust the built-in settings of your machine to turn off HDD sleep mode.
On a Windows computer, you can prevent your hard disk from going to sleep by accessing the Control Panel. Go to Control Panel > All Control Panel Items > Power Options. Then, on the Advanced Settings tab of Power Options, click on the plus sign next to Hard Disk. Here, you'll find the option "Turn off the hard disk after," which is typically set to 20 minutes. To prevent frequent sleep mode, you can increase this value or set it to "Never" and click Apply and OK.
For external drives connected to your Windows PC, you may need to use third-party tools like Sleep Preventer, NoSleepHD, or KeepAliveHD. These tools work by creating small files or writing empty text files at specified intervals to mimic user activity and keep the drive awake. However, they may not be compatible with the latest Windows builds.
On a Mac, you can open a Terminal and use the command "sudo pmset -a disksleep 0" to prevent the hard disk from sleeping. Additionally, you can download and install WD Drive Utilities to toggle the Sleep Timer off.
It's important to note that preventing hard disks from sleeping may have consequences. While it can provide constant access to files and uninterrupted downloads or backups, it may also impact power consumption and potentially shorten the lifespan of the drive due to the continuous operation.
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Frequently asked questions
Hard disks are set to automatically enter sleep mode (also known as idle time) to help with cooling the physical disk and prolonging its lifespan.
You can adjust the power settings on your computer to customise how long it takes for your hard disk to go to sleep. On a Windows computer, go to Control Panel > All Control Panel Items > Power Options. On the Advanced Settings tab of Power Options, click on the + sign next to Hard Disk and set the value to "Never".
Yes, there are third-party software programs such as Vovsoft Prevent Disk Sleep, NoSleepHD, KeepAliveHD, Mouse Jiggler, and Sleep Preventer that can be used to prevent hard disks from entering sleep mode. However, these tools may not work on the latest builds of Windows.
Preventing hard disks from sleeping can cause issues such as increased power consumption, reduced lifespan of the disk due to higher temperatures, and potential data loss if the disk is not allowed to properly idle and cool down.
