The fastest way to wake your computer

To wake a computer from sleep mode, move your mouse, press any key on the keyboard, or press the power button. Most computers respond to mouse movement first — jiggle it side to side or click once. If that does not work, tap the spacebar or any letter key. On a laptop, you can also open the lid if it was closed.

Sleep mode is different from shutdown. Your computer is still powered on and using a small amount of electricity, but the screen is dark and the hard drive has stopped spinning. This is why it wakes up almost when ready instead of taking 30 seconds to a minute like a full restart does.

If your computer does not wake up after trying these steps, the issue is usually that sleep mode is not set up correctly, or the computer has moved into a deeper power state. The sections below cover what to do in those situations.

Key Takeaways

  • Move your mouse or press any key to wake most computers from sleep mode within one or two seconds.
  • If your computer does not respond, check that sleep mode is turned on in your power settings and that your keyboard or mouse is not broken.
  • On Windows, you can change which devices are allowed to wake your computer by opening Device Manager and editing power settings for each device.
  • If your computer goes to sleep too quickly or too slowly, you can adjust the sleep timer in your power plan settings.
  • Hibernation is a deeper sleep state than sleep mode and takes longer to wake from, but uses almost no power.

Why your mouse or keyboard might not be waking your computer

If you move the mouse or press a key and nothing happens, the first thing to check is whether that device is actually connected and working. On a wireless mouse or keyboard, make sure the batteries are not dead — replace them with fresh ones and try again. If you are using a USB mouse or keyboard, unplug it and plug it back in, then try moving the mouse or pressing a key.

On Windows computers, some devices are disabled from waking the computer by default. This is a safety feature to prevent a pet walking across your keyboard from waking your machine at 3 a.m. To change this, open Device Manager (right-click the Start button and select Device Manager), find your keyboard or mouse under "Keyboards" or "Mice and other pointing devices", right-click it, choose Properties, go to the Power Management tab, and check the box that says "Allow this device to wake the computer". Do this for both your keyboard and mouse if you want either one to work.

On a Mac, go to System Settings, click General, then Energy Saver, and make sure "Wake for network access" or "Wake on Bluetooth" is turned on if you use a wireless keyboard or mouse.

Checking that sleep mode is actually enabled

Some computers have sleep mode turned off entirely, which means pressing a key will not put them to sleep and they will not respond to the wake commands above. On Windows, right-click the Start button, select Settings, go to System, then Power, and look for "Sleep" in the dropdown menu. If it says "Never", change it to 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or whatever time you prefer. This is how long your computer will wait after you stop using it before going to sleep.

On a Mac, go to System Settings, click General, then Energy Saver, and set "Turn display off after" to a time between 1 and 30 minutes. You can also set "Put hard disks to sleep when possible" if you want to save more power.

If sleep mode is already turned on but your computer is not going to sleep, something may be preventing it — like a video playing, a file downloading, or a program that is set to keep the computer awake. Close any open programs and try again.

The difference between sleep mode and hibernation

Sleep mode keeps your computer powered on but uses very little electricity. When you wake it, everything comes back in seconds because the computer never fully shut down. Hibernation is a deeper state where the computer saves everything to the hard drive, then turns off almost completely. It uses almost no power, but waking from hibernation takes longer — usually 10 to 30 seconds.

On Windows, you can see which power state your computer is in by opening Settings, going to System, then Power, and looking at the "Sleep" option. If you see "Hibernate" as a separate choice, your computer supports both. You can also press the power button and choose "Hibernate" from the menu if you want to go into that deeper sleep state on purpose.

Most people use sleep mode for short breaks and hibernation for longer periods away from the computer, like overnight or when traveling.

Adjusting how long before your computer falls asleep

If your computer is going to sleep too quickly or staying awake too long, you can change the timer. On Windows, right-click the Start button, go to Settings, then System, then Power. Under "Screen and sleep", change "Sleep" to the number of minutes you want. Common choices are 5, 10, 15, or 30 minutes. You can also set it to "Never" if you do not want your computer to sleep automatically, though this uses more power.

On a Mac, go to System Settings, click General, then Energy Saver, and adjust "Turn display off after" to your preferred time. The display will turn off first, and the computer will go to sleep after an additional period of time.

If you are working on something important and do not want your computer to sleep while you are thinking, you can also temporarily disable sleep by pressing a key or moving the mouse every few minutes, or by using a program designed to keep your computer awake.

What to do if your computer will not wake up at all

If you have tried moving the mouse, pressing keys, and checking your device settings and the computer still will not wake, try pressing the power button. A short press (less than one second) should wake the computer. Do not hold it down — that will shut it down instead.

If the power button does not work, your computer may have crashed or lost power. Check that the power cable is plugged in securely. If it is plugged in and the lights on the computer are off, hold the power button for 10 seconds to force a restart. If the lights are on but the screen is completely black and will not respond, try unplugging the power cable, waiting 30 seconds, and plugging it back in.

If your computer still will not respond after these steps, there may be a hardware problem. Try connecting an external monitor to see if the display itself is broken, or take the computer to a repair shop for diagnosis.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my computer go to sleep when I am still using it?

This usually means your mouse and keyboard are not being detected as active. Try moving the mouse more noticeably or typing something. If it keeps happening, check that your mouse and keyboard are plugged in securely (or have fresh batteries if wireless), and make sure no program is blocking input to the system. You can also increase the sleep timer in your power settings so it waits longer before sleeping.

Can I make my computer wake up at a specific time?

On Windows, you can set a wake timer through the command line or third-party software, but this is not a built-in feature. On a Mac, you can use the "Schedule" option in Energy Saver to set a specific time for the computer to turn on. Most people find it easier to just wake the computer manually when they need it.

Does sleep mode save battery on a laptop?

Yes, sleep mode uses much less battery than leaving your laptop fully awake. Hibernation saves even more power because the computer is almost completely off. If you are away from a charger for a long time, hibernation is the best choice.

What if my monitor goes to sleep but my computer stays awake?

This is normal. Your monitor has its own power settings separate from your computer. If you want the computer to sleep when the monitor does, adjust the sleep timer in your power settings to match or come shortly after the monitor timeout.

Can I wake my computer from sleep using my phone or another device?

On a Mac, you can use "Wake on Bluetooth" to wake the computer with a wireless keyboard or mouse. On Windows, some computers support "Wake on LAN" which lets you wake the computer over your network, but this requires specific hardware and network setup. For most home users, the easiest method is still to use a keyboard or mouse connected directly to the computer.