When you’re working on your computer, it’s important to keep it running as smoothly as possible. That means keeping your computer awake as little as possible by disabling features that are not needed for the current task at hand. However, sometimes you may need to let your computer go to sleep in order to save power or conserve resources. Here are some tips on how to choose when your Windows 10 PC goes to sleep:
- Disable background tasks: One way to reduce the amount of time your computer spends sleeping is by disabling background tasks. This can include things like email, social media, and other activities that are not necessary for the current task at hand.
- Use a low-power device: Another way to conserve power is by using a low-power device when you’re not using your computer. This can include devices like smartphones and tablets that have low battery life, or laptops that do not have high-power options.
- Use a timer: If you want your computer to go to sleep automatically every time it’s idle for a certain amount of time, you can use a timer or other type of timer in order to schedule the sleep cycle accordingly.
By default, Windows 11 PCs go into a sleep mode after a certain period of time. If you’d like to adjust your PC’s sleep delay (or turn it off completely), it’s easy to do in Settings. Here’s how.
Sleeping vs. Turning Off Your Screen
In Windows 11, sleeping and turning off your screen are two different (but related) things. If you put your PC to sleep, it goes into a low-power mode that temporarily shuts off certain parts of the hardware to save power. While asleep, your PC’s screen will turn off as well.
In Windows 11, you also have the option to turn off your PC’s screen but keep your PC awake in the background. That means you’ll save some power typically used by the screen (or extend the screen’s lifespan), but your PC will still be able to perform background tasks when necessary.
RELATED: Should You Shut Down, Sleep, or Hibernate Your Laptop?
How to Adjust Your PC’s Sleep Delay in Settings
To change how long it takes for your PC to go sleep, first launch Settings by pressing Windows+i on your keyboard. Or right-click the Start button and select “Settings” in the menu that appears.
In Settings, click “System” in the sidebar, then select “Power & Battery.”
In Power and Battery options, if the “Screen and Sleep” section is closed, expand it with a click. The menu will reveal several options. If you have a battery-powered portable PC or tablet, you’ll see four of them. If you have a desktop PC, you’ll see only two options.
To adjust how long it takes for your portable PC to go to sleep, click the drop-down menu beside “On battery power, put my device to sleep after” and select a time period, such as “15 minutes.” You can also choose “Never” to turn off sleep completely when running on battery power.
Likewise, to change the sleep delay when your PC is plugged in, use the drop-down menu labeled “When plugged in, put my device to sleep after” and choose a time. If you never want your PC to go to sleep, choose “Never.”
Just above the sleep options on the same Settings page, you can use the “turn my screen off after” options to select a time delay for when your screen will turn off, independent of going to sleep.
After that, close Settings. Your changes have already been saved. If you selected a specific time for any of the options, your PC will either turn off its screen or go to sleep after that time period. Pleasant dreams!
RELATED: How to Make Your Windows 11 PC Never Go To Sleep
