Windows 11 Won’t Wake From Sleep: How To Fix It

Few things are scarier than an unresponsive computer. You’ve tried clicking the mouse, pushing the power button, shutting it, and reopening it…and no budge. Your Windows 11 computer still won’t wake up from sleep. So, how can you fix it? 

To fix a Windows 11 Computer from sleep, you need to troubleshoot. If rebooting, reinstalling the update, or replacing the mouse battery doesn’t work, you’ll need a different fix. You can change the power plan settings, permanently disable sleep mode, or change settings with admin command prompts.

Below, we will discuss the possible reasons your Windows 11 computer won’t wake from sleep.

Then, we will go over four quick fixes for your computer. Lastly, we will discuss when you should probably throw in the towel and contact your windows support person. Let’s get started!

Important: Please make a backup of all your important files before trying any of the fixes mentioned here. We are not responsible for any data loss you might incur.

Why your Windows 11 won’t wake from sleep 

Unfortunately, you are not alone in your situation.

Many users have dealt with problems around the Windows 11 computer not waking up from sleep.

If your computer self-assessment has led you to believe this is the problem, this is likely the case.

However, while this is a common problem, you should check and make sure that everything has been considered. 

The fixes for making your Windows 11 stop falling asleep and not waking up are quick and easy but won’t serve you if this isn’t the actual issue.

First off, make sure that your computer is plugged in and charged. Then, check your outlets, your light switches, all of the basics.

If it isn’t that, you might consider a few things before trying other fixes. 

Check your mouse or trackpad 

In the midst of the chaos, you might have forgotten that this could be a mouse problem.

If your Bluetooth mouse is out of battery or something is going wrong with the USB port your mouse is plugged into, then it would make sense for your computer not to respond.

If you have only tried jiggling the mouse, check and see if hitting a key on the keyboard will work.

If this prompts your computer to wake up, you likely have a USB issue or need to replace your mouse batteries.

If you are not using a mouse, and it seems like your trackpad is the issue, you will likely need to contact windows support for help. 

Computer needs an update 

Updates can feel like a nuisance, especially when you are on a roll. Who among us hasn’t ignored, ignored, and ignored again an update that needs to be installed?

Updates are essential to your computer’s functioning. So when you google a computer question, and dozens of people say they have the same issue, this likely means there’s something malfunctioning in the software for many people.

Luckily, a software company can just send out a patch to fix it (as long as it isn’t a user-error kind of thing). 

However, patches and updates don’t just install themselves. So it’s important to keep checking for software updates even if there’s not a huge one coming out (like Windows 10 shifting to Windows 11 or something of that nature).

When you get your computer to wake up, see if there is a patch you need to install. 

Power plan setting

The power plan settings may play a massive role in this particular problem. 

The power plan helps your battery save power should you unplug your laptop. You can make your own specific power plan settings, but most people just use the default options.

If your laptop defaults to one thing or another, it may be affecting the way your computer falls asleep and wakes up.

Further down in the article, we go over a few ways to update your power plan settings.

Essentially, you will just need to change your default settings to either change the time frame for your windows computer falling asleep or turn off the setting entirely. 

First steps to checking the problem 

When you have a computer issue, the most annoying advice is the classic, “Well, just turn it off and turn it off again!” 

Unfortunately, we will be offering the same advice… but just at first! Below, we go over some of the basic “quick fixes” a tech person might provide to you before diving into the big fixes. 

Do a hard reboot of your computer  

A hard reboot of your computer is the first thing you will try if you face an issue…it’s the old “turn it off and back on again” trick. 

A hard reboot is different from a regular reboot or restart because you aren’t going to the system menu and asking the computer to restart.

Usually, you do it by holding down the power button until the computer turns off and then waiting for a few moments before turning it back on again. On most models, it looks like this:

1. Locating the power button on your model (usually the button you use to turn the computer off, on, or lock it).
2. Hold it for a few seconds (could be anywhere from five to twenty seconds).
3. Let your computer sit for a few moments.
4. Hold down the power button again until the computer turns back on. 

When you hard reboot your computer, you’re basically just making it power straight off. Though it isn’t ideal, sometimes it’s necessary.

In the worst-case scenario, you may lose the things you were working on or mess up Windows doing some patchwork. In that case, you’d just redo the update or patch. 

Use Troubleshoot Feature 

Windows has a feature that can check out some of the more techy stuff for you. 

The feature is called “troubleshooting,” Its function is pretty self-explanatory. This feature will search through some internal issues and see what is happening. To use this feature, you will:

1. Select the Start Button, usually the Windows icon in the left corner of your screen.
2. Select the Settings button. 
3. In settings, find the select the System option on the left. 
4. Select Troubleshoot. If you are having trouble finding it, search for Troubleshooting in the Find a setting search box.
5. Select Troubleshooting Settings, then Other troubleshooters.
6. Determine what kind of troubleshooting you’d like to do (in this case, Windows Updates may fit best).
7. Select Run the troubleshooter.
8. Questions may come up, answer them to the best of your ability. 

If the troubleshooting feature doesn’t have a problem, this doesn’t mean that the issue is a user error. It just means that there wasn’t anything found internally by the feature.

If you need to call IT to support you through the issue, they will likely run a troubleshooter.

If you do it beforehand, you can contact them with the assurance that you either found the issue but didn’t know what to do with it, or nothing came up. 

Signs There Is A Bigger Problem 

By your assessment, your Windows 11 won’t wake from sleep. So how would you know if there was something more going on?

You can look out for a few things to ensure there isn’t a more significant problem at hand. If in addition to not waking from sleep: 

• Your computer is displaying a blue screen with an error message.
• The power light isn’t turning on.
• Your computer is emitting an error noise.
• You’ve been warned that your computer may have a virus by your virus software.
• The computer won’t wake up even after a few hard reboots.

These can indicate there is a more significant issue at hand. Contact windows support if you think this may be the case, or bring it into your preferred repair squad. 

4 Easy Fixes for When Your Windows 11 Won’t Wake From Sleep

If you’ve reached the point with some of your candles where prevention is no longer an option, don’t panic; there are a few things you can do to try to reverse the tunneling. 

1. Change Your Power Plan Setting

If you’ve done a hard reboot and your computer is back, you can change your power plan setting to stop the problem from happening again. 

When you change your power plan settings, you adjust the default settings you likely already had installed on your computer.

Or, if you have done some adjustments yourself, this may fix whatever caused an issue. 

To change your power plan settings:  

1. Go to the Start Menu, which is usually on the left-hand corner of your screen and looks like the Windows icon, and find the “Control Panel” option. If you can’t find the control panel option, you can search for it in the search bar in the top-right. 
2. In the Control Panel, find Power Options and select it.
3. Select Change plan settings for the power plan you have selected, whether that be a high-power plan or balanced. 
4. Then, go to Change advanced power settings. A power options menu should pop up. 
5. Click on the plus-sign (+) next to PCI Express. 
6. Select the plus-sign (+) icon next to Link State Power Management. 
7. Turn the setting to Off. 
8. Click on Apply and then OK. 

This should update your computer’s automatic power management settings. 

2. Turn Off “Sleep” Option 

If your computer is oversleeping, you might consider just not letting it sleep at all. You can turn off the “sleep” option in your settings. 

1. Go to the Start Menu, which is usually on the left-hand corner of your screen and looks like the Windows icon, and find the Control Panel option. If you can’t find the Control Panel option, you can search for it in the search bar in the top-right. 
2. In the Control Panel, find Power Options and select it.
3. On the left side of the window, select the Change when the computer sleeps.
4. Select the drop-box next to Put the computer to sleep:.
5.  On the drop-down menu, select Never. 
6. Select Save Changes.

Turning off your sleep settings might drain your battery and cause some other issues, too. Weigh out the pros and cons of this choice before committing to it.

If you’d like to try it for just a few days, that’s okay too. There’s no irreversible damage that can be done from your computer having its sleep setting turned off. 

3. Reinstall Windows 11

You might consider reinstalling Windows 11 if nothing else seems to be working. 

If you have already updated all the patches Windows has required, you can just reinstall Windows 11. To do this: 

1. Go to the Start Menu, which is usually on the left-hand corner of your screen and looks like the Windows icon.
2. Click on System.  
3. Select Recovery.
4. Find the Reset PC option and select the Reset PC button. 
5. Select Keep My Files. This is important! Otherwise, your files will all be removed.
6. Select a reinstall option.
   1. Cloud install will use a version of Windows 11 from the internet (cloud) that hasn’t been installed on your computer.
   2. Local will access the Windows 11 already on your computer and use it to install.
7. Click through by selecting Next.
8. Click Reset.

Most of your apps and personal settings will be erased when you reinstall, but as long as you select “Keep My Files,” your files should remain.

It’s not a bad idea to have them saved in a cloud or flash drive during the reinstall, though, just in case!

The reinstall will essentially strip your computer of the Windows 11 software and then reinstall it.

When you reinstall, you will also have to re-update all of your windows patches. This is a more time-consuming option for fixing your “No Wake” issue, but it may be beneficial to try. 

4. Check with Windows Support 

If all else fails, you might want to check with Windows Support to see if anything else is going on.

Though rare, something could be wrong with your specific computer or software.

In addition, if everything points to a “No Wake” problem, but there is a virus or something else going on, a professional will find it. 

Final Thoughts

Computer issues can be tricky because there are many possible antecedents of a problem. When computer problems arise, it’s always a good rule of thumb to:

• Ensure there aren’t any charger/power issues.
• Try a hard reboot.
• Weigh all possible causes of an issue (the USB port, the trackpad, the power button, the keyboard, etc.).
• Contact a support person.

If the quick fixes you tried above aren’t working, contact Windows Support for more help.