There are several ways to prevent Windows 10 from going into sleep mode (or sleeping). You can use the built-in tools or one of many third-party alternatives. This article will show you how to prevent Windows 10 from sleeping.
By default, Windows 10 automatically goes into sleep mode after 30 minutes of idle. In some cases, you may want to leave your computer running without interruptions to complete some background tasks, such as downloading or uploading large files, rendering a video, etc. You can temporarily disable sleep mode, increase idling time, or use a third-party app.
If you do not want to install third-party apps to manage sleep mode, begin with simply changing default settings. The only downside is that you will have to revert changes later back to default.
Prevent Windows 10 from going into sleep mode
- Press Win + X or right-click the Start button.
- Select Power Options.
- In the Settings window, find the Sleep option. You can also get there by pressing Win + I and navigating to System > Power Options.
- Select from a drop-down menu Never or any other option, for example, 4 hours.
- Close the Windows Settings app.
- After you have finished all tasks, repeat the steps above and set a smaller period, for example, 1 hour.
That is how you prevent Windows 10 from sleeping without third-party tools.
Prevent Windows 10 from sleeping with PowerToys
You can also use Microsoft's set of tools, PowerToys, to prevent Windows 10 from sleeping. Version 0.41 received a new utility called "Awake" that allows slightly better sleeping management without changing default Windows settings. The tool will place a dedicated icon in the tray area. You can use that icon to quickly disable sleep mode in Windows 10 indefinitely or for a specific time.
To prevent Windows 10 from sleeping with PowerToys, do the following.
- Download and install PowerToys from the official GitHub repository.
- Run the program and find the Awake tool.
- Toggle on Awake.
- Next, select one of three modes. The Off option does not change anything - your computer will follow the default power plan set in Windows Settings.
- The Keep awake indefinitely setting will prevent Windows 10 from sleeping until you manually disable the option.
- Finally, the Keep awake temporarily option lets you set a specific period during which your computer will keep working.
You are done. As mentioned above, you can manage the Awake tool using a cup icon in the notification tray. Right-click the icon and select a preferred mode.
If needed, place a check mark next to the Keep screen on option. The app will keep the display on until you switch modes.
Note: You need to keep PowerToys running for the system to follow the rules you set. If you exit PowerToys, Windows will switch to default power settings.
Apart from the Awake tool, PowerToys offer many other convenient utilities, such as bulk rename, image resizer, app launcher, keyboard remapper, etc. Also, PowerToys is open-source and comes directly from Microsoft.
That is how you prevent Windows 10 from sleeping.
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7/11/2021: My Dell Inspiron 530S would go into Sleep mode, upon hitting any key, the computer starts whirring and not coming out of Sleep mode. To stop the whirring required pulling power. I changed the Sleep mode to NEVER.
Now I turn off the computer at bedtime & restart it in the morning. Is there anyway I can reactivate the computer Sleep mode without causing the whirring/no response problem?
Just use MouseJiggle. It cycles through your screens when away and keeps your Screens, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Outlook active & green. You can get it from https://www.mousejiggle.org
It measures 60 seconds of inactivity on your PC & then kicks in programmatically moving the screens whether they are on 1 or more displays. (It moves the screens like Teams & Outlook back to their original positions as well) This is done with a random timer every 60 to 90 seconds. It happens so fast you cannot see it. When you get back to your computer & use the keyboard it stops & just emits a low level screen awake as to not interfere with your work when you are working from home. At work you can switch it off or responsibly lock you screen
It is a great productivity utility as it sits in the taskbar out of your way