How Do I Wake Up My Computer From Sleep?
Regardless of the operating system you’re using, turning off sleep mode is as simple as waking up the computer, which you can do by simply interacting with it in some way. Usually, this means one of the following:
Move the mouseSwipe the touchpadPress any key on the keyboard
Some devices are a little different, and will respond only after you press the power button or a special sleep key. Give all of these actions a try if you’re not sure how your specific computer wakes up: Wiggle the mouse a few times, strike a few of the keys, and then press the power button once to get it going.
Why Won’t My Computer Come Out of Sleep Mode?
The above steps don’t always work. When a computer is stuck in sleep mode, there’s most likely some sort of software conflict, or your computer isn’t set up to utilize some of those wake-up methods. For example, if using the keyboard doesn’t undo sleep mode, Windows’ Device Manager includes an option you can toggle on to allow the keyboard to wake up the PC. Turning that on should make the keystroke wake-up method work.
How to Fix a Computer That Won’t Wake Up
If your computer doesn’t wake up when you expect it to, there are a couple things you can try. But since it’s asleep, and therefore unresponsive, you can’t do anything within the OS to make it work. You really have just a few options:
Editing Sleep Settings
Once the computer wakes up and you’re logged in, there might be some changes you’re interested in making to prevent auto-sleep from happening again, or to make it easier to wake up the computer, should you choose to keep the standby feature on. Look for a power button along the bottom or top of the screen, and choose the Restart or Shut down option. If you can’t access the menus, press-and-hold the physical power button for five seconds or so, until it shuts off. Plug in to the wall if you’re on a laptop, or check for disconnected power cables for a desktop computer. Be sure to check every power source relevant to your situation, including any battery backup systems. However, before continuing, make sure your computer’s drivers are up-to-date, and that the operating system as a whole is fully updated. Sleep-related problems can arise if important updates are missing. Learn how to update Windows and how to update macOS for directions.
Windows Sleep Settings
Try these solutions to see which one works for you:
Mac Sleep Settings
Mac users can go to System Preferences > Energy Saver, and choose Never, to stop the computer from sleeping. For more detailed information, check out How to Prevent a Mac From Going to Sleep. To change that, search Control Panel for Power Options, and then change the advanced settings for your selected power plan so that USB settings > USB selective suspend settings is set to Disabled.
