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What to Do if Your Laptop Wakes Up from Sleep on Its Own
Apply these easy tips with no hesitation
5 min. read
Updated onAugust 8, 2024
updated onAugust 8, 2024
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Key notes
To fix various driver issues on your PC, you will need a dedicated tool to find the freshest and the original drivers. You can use PC HelpSoft Driver Updater to do it in 3 easy steps:
People put their PCs or laptops to sleep mode whenever they’re away because it’s a great way tosave some batteryor power. But sometimes, your computer wakes up from sleep or hibernation on its own, without any user action.
In this article, we’re going to analyze this problem and discuss the best solution.
What causes my Windows laptop to wake up from sleep mode?
The most common causes ofsleepmode errors are external peripheral devices, such asa mouse, or even a network card.
Also, some software tends to schedule updates at night or while your computer is in idle mode; an automatic reboot follows the process.
So, to make sure which solution is the best, you first have to determine the cause of yourlaptopwaking up.
You can do that by simply entering a few command lines into theCommand Prompt, as shown below:
You’ll get all the needed information about the last wake of your computer. UnderType,you’ll also see a cause of the wake-up.
Whether it’s a device or a wake-up timer, we’re going to show you the solution for both below.
What can I do if my laptop wakes up from sleep by itself?
1. Update drivers
As mentioned in the beginning, your device might power up from sleep mode on its own because of component issues. This includes outdated drivers.
The simplest way is to update the drivers, either by yourself or by using a third-party app. Using an app to do this job ensures that you’ll get the right drivers, though.
We recommendPC HelpSoft Driver Updater, as a reliable and safe tool to scan your laptop for the necessary driver updates.
As long as you are connected to theInternet, when running PC HelpSoft Driver Updater you can gain access to the latest versions of your required drivers.
Just download the app using the button below, open it, and allow the tool to scan your system. It will then recommend the necessary actions.
⇒Get PC HelpSoft Driver Updater
2. Check external devices
If you previously determined that a device forces your computer to wake up, it’s probably your externalkeyboardor mouse, because it’s unlikely that the touchpad could do this.
But besides the external mouse,network cardscould also cause unexpected wake-ups. Either way, you’ll need to prevent this device from waking up your computer. To do so, follow the steps below:
Prevent hardware from waking up yourWindows 10 laptop
This task could also be performed with the Command Prompt. This is a more complex way, but it’s useful if the checkbox for the wake-up function is grayed out and you’re unable to uncheck it.
So, access Command Prompt as shown above and enter one of the following lines:
For more information, we have guide on how toenable or disable wake on LAN, so don’t forget to check it out.
3. Disable wake timers
If a program wants to schedule maintenance or apply the latest updates, it usually requires Windows to set a wake-up time.
If your computer happens to be inSleep mode, this timer will automatically wake it up. This might be a useful feature at first, but if you’re away from your computer, it could drain a lot of energy.
To see which timers are turned on, open Command Prompt, and enter this line:
If you spot the name of the program whose timer is forcing the computer to wake up, you can open that program and modify the updating routine manually.
But if you can’t spot the program, or there are more one-timers activated, you can deactivate them all at once, just follow these instructions:
Depending on your OS version, the instructions to follow may be a bit different. Here are the steps to follow on newerWindows 10versions in order to disable wake timers.
Note that this process disables all-timers. If you have another task that should wake up yourWindows 10computer, well, it won’t work anymore.
However, this should do the trick and hopefully, your computer won’t automatically wake up next time. This will also work if you have an older OS.
If the problem persists, you can use our exhaustive troubleshooting guide on how toprevent Windows 10 from waking up on its own.
Now you know why your computer wakes up fromsleepand how to stop it. If you have any questions, write them down in the comments below.
More about the topics:sleep mode issues,windows 10 fix,windows 10 laptops
Ivan Jenic
Windows Hardware Expert
Passionate about all elements related to Windows and combined with his innate curiosity, Ivan has delved deep into understanding this operating system, with a specialization in drivers and driver troubleshooting.
When he’s not tackling diverse driver-related problems, Ivan enjoys watching good movies and spending time hiking with his family and friends.
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Ivan Jenic
Windows Hardware Expert
Ivan has delved deep into understanding the Windows OS, with a specialization in drivers and driver troubleshooting.
