How to Turn Off Sleep Mode in Windows 10

To turn off sleep mode in Windows 10, select Start > Settings > System > Power & sleep. Under Sleep, set When plugged in, PC goes to sleep after to Never. On a laptop, also set On battery power, PC goes to sleep after to Never.

To keep sleep but make it wait longer, choose a time instead, such as 1 hour.

Applies to: Windows 10 desktops and laptops, including HP and Dell. Keep in mind that Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025. Security updates now come only through the Extended Security Updates program, which stops on October 12, 2027.

Turn off sleep in Settings

1. Select Start > Settings > System.
2. Select Power & sleep on the left.
3. Under Sleep, open each list and choose Never.

The Screen lists above only turn off the display. The PC keeps running. If Windows also asks you to sign in when you come back, you can stop Windows 10 from locking after inactivity.

Change how long before your PC sleeps

In the same Sleep lists, pick a time from 1 minute to 5 hours. A longer time is a good middle ground on laptops, because sleep saves battery.

Turn off sleep in Control Panel

Use this if you want to change a specific power plan.

1. Press Windows + R, type powercfg.cpl, and press Enter.
2. Next to your plan, select Change plan settings.
3. Set Put the computer to sleep to Never, then select Save changes.

The change only applies to that plan. If you switch plans, set it again.

Stop a laptop sleeping when you close the lid

1. In Power Options, select Choose what closing the lid does.
2. Set When I close the lid to Do nothing for Plugged in (and On battery if you want).
3. Select Save changes.

Laptops can get hot if you close the lid and put them in a bag while they’re still on.

Use a command

In an admin Command Prompt, these set sleep to never:

• Plugged in: powercfg /change standby-timeout-ac 0
• On battery: powercfg /change standby-timeout-dc 0

Lock the setting with Group Policy

On Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise or Education, Group Policy can turn sleep off and keep it off, even if someone changes the power plan:

1. Press Windows logo key + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
2. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Power Management > Sleep Settings.
3. Open Specify the system sleep timeout (plugged in), select Enabled, set the timeout to 0, and select OK.
4. Do the same for Specify the system sleep timeout (on battery) on a laptop.

The sleep options in Settings then appear locked. Set both policies back to Not Configured to undo it.

If your PC still goes to sleep

• Laptop power app: your laptop’s own power app, such as HP or Dell software, can override Windows. Check its settings too.
• The screen goes black but the PC is awake: that’s the Screen setting or a screen saver, not sleep.
• Work or school PC: your organization may set sleep with a policy.
• Other plans: open Power Options and set sleep to Never in each plan you use.
• It hibernates instead: in Power Options, select Change plan settings, then Change advanced power settings. Expand Sleep, then Hibernate after, and set it to Never.
• The screen turns off on the lock screen after about a minute: that’s a separate lock screen timeout, not sleep. Move the mouse to bring the screen back, and the PC is still awake.

Frequently asked questions

Is it bad to never let my PC sleep?

It uses more power, and a laptop battery drains faster. For a desktop that runs downloads or backups, it’s fine. Keeping the PC awake also matters if you rely on it to ring alarms in Windows 10, because the Alarms & Clock app generally stays silent while the computer sleeps.

What’s the difference between sleep and hibernate?

Sleep keeps your work in memory and uses a little power. Hibernate saves it to the drive and uses none. To use it, turn on hibernate in Windows 10.

How do I wake my PC from sleep?

Press a key, move the mouse, or press the power button.

Can I keep my PC awake just for a while?

Yes. Microsoft PowerToys, a free set of tools from Microsoft, includes Awake. It keeps the PC awake for a set time or until you turn it off, without changing your power settings.

Will my PC still sleep if a download is running?

Usually not. Many apps tell Windows to stay awake while they work. To see what’s keeping it awake, run powercfg /requests in an admin Command Prompt.

Sleep missing from the power menu? You can add the Sleep option back. The rest of the plan settings are covered in changing power settings in Windows 10, and Microsoft explains all three power states in Shut down, sleep, or hibernate your PC.