To add the Sleep option in Windows 10, press Windows + R, type powercfg.cpl, and press Enter. Select Choose what the power buttons do, then Change settings that are currently unavailable. Under Shutdown settings, check Sleep and select Save changes. Sleep appears in the Start > Power menu again.
If the checkbox isn’t there, your PC’s drivers or firmware may not support sleep right now. See the fixes below.
Applies to: Windows 10. You need an administrator account. Checked against Microsoft Learn on September 25, 2026.
- Press Windows + R, type
powercfg.cpl, and press Enter. - Select Choose what the power buttons do.
- Select Change settings that are currently unavailable.
- Under Shutdown settings, check Sleep.
- Select Save changes.
Check whether sleep is available
Open Command Prompt and type powercfg /a. It lists the sleep states your PC supports, and why any aren’t available.
Common reasons it lists:
- The system firmware does not support this standby state: check for a BIOS update from your PC maker.
- The video adapter doesn’t support this standby state: install the latest display driver. The Microsoft Basic Display Adapter can’t sleep.
- The hypervisor does not support this standby state: Hyper-V or another virtualization feature is turned on. Turning it off brings sleep back on many PCs.
Turn on Sleep with Group Policy
On Windows 10 Pro, Group Policy can hide Sleep. To check:
- Press Windows + R, type
gpedit.msc, and press Enter. - Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer.
- Double-click Show sleep in the power options menu and set it to Not Configured or Enabled.
On a work or school PC, your organization may control this.
Make your PC sleep automatically
- Select Start > Settings > System > Power & sleep.
- Under Sleep, choose how long to wait before your PC sleeps.
To stop it from sleeping instead, see how to turn off sleep mode in Windows 10.
Restore the default power plans
If your power settings seem broken, open Command Prompt as administrator and type powercfg -restoredefaultschemes. This resets your power plans to Windows defaults, so any custom plan settings are lost.
Frequently asked questions
Why did the Sleep option disappear?
Usually a missing or generic display driver, a firmware setting, or a policy. powercfg /a tells you which.
Is sleep the same as hibernate?
No. Hibernate saves your work to the drive and uses no power. See how to hibernate in Windows 10.
How do I wake the PC after sleep?
Press a key, move the mouse, or press the power button. See how to wake up Windows 10 from sleep.
To turn the PC off on a timer, see how to schedule a shutdown in Windows 10.
Microsoft’s reference is Powercfg command-line options. More help is on our Windows Help & Guides page.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.