The quickest ways 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 once. Most computers respond to any of these actions within a few seconds. If your computer does not respond, hold the power button for 10 seconds to force it to shut down, then press it again to restart.

The method that works depends on your setup. A wireless mouse may not wake the computer if that feature is disabled in your BIOS settings. A keyboard connected through a USB hub sometimes cannot wake the machine either. The power button always works, though it is the least convenient for daily use.

Key Takeaways

  • Moving your mouse or pressing any keyboard key will wake most computers from sleep mode within seconds.
  • If neither works, your wireless mouse or keyboard may need to be enabled for wake-up in your device settings or BIOS.
  • Windows and Mac computers store sleep settings in different places: Settings on Windows, System Settings on Mac.
  • If your computer will not wake at all, force a shutdown by holding the power button for 10 seconds, then restart normally.

Waking a Windows computer

On Windows 10 and Windows 11, move your mouse or press any key. If that does not work, check whether your mouse or keyboard is set to wake the computer. Open Settings, go to System, then Power & battery (Windows 11) or Power & sleep (Windows 10). Scroll down and select Additional power settings, then choose Change plan settings next to your current power plan.

Click Change advanced power settings. Expand the USB selective suspend setting and set it to Disabled. This prevents Windows from cutting power to USB devices while asleep. Also expand the Power buttons and lid setting, find Sleep button action, and make sure it is not set to Do nothing. Close the window and test your mouse or keyboard again.

If you still cannot wake the computer, your wireless mouse or keyboard may need a driver update. Open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start button, find Mice and other pointing devices or Keyboards, right-click your device, and select Update driver. Choose Search automatically for updated driver software.

Waking a Mac computer

On a Mac, press any key, move the trackpad, or click the mouse. If the computer does not wake, check your sleep settings. Click the Apple menu, go to System Settings, then select Lock Screen from the sidebar. Look for the Start screen saver when inactive setting and make sure it is not set to Never.

Next, check Energy Saver settings. In System Settings, select Battery (on a laptop) or Energy Saver (on a desktop) from the sidebar. Make sure the setting for turning off the display after a period of inactivity is not set to Never, and that your computer is actually entering sleep mode rather than just dimming the screen.

Why your computer might not wake up

A computer that will not wake usually has one of three problems: the device you are using to wake it is not enabled for that purpose, the computer is in a deeper sleep state than normal, or the computer has actually shut down instead of sleeping.

Wireless mice and keyboards often have a power-saving mode that prevents them from waking the computer. Check the battery level first—a low battery can prevent wake signals from being sent. Then look for a setting in the device's software or on the device itself. Some wireless mice have a small switch on the bottom; make sure it is in the On position.

If your computer is in hibernation mode (a deeper sleep that uses almost no power), it may take longer to wake or may not respond to mouse and keyboard input. Press the power button once to wake from hibernation. If the computer still does not respond after 30 seconds, hold the power button for 10 seconds to force a shutdown, then press it once to restart.

Adjusting sleep settings to prevent problems

You can change how long your computer waits before sleeping, which can reduce the chance of wake problems. On Windows, open Settings, go to System, then Power & battery (Windows 11) or Power & sleep (Windows 10). Set Screen timeout to how long you want the display to stay on, and set Sleep timeout to how long before the computer actually sleeps. Setting sleep to 30 minutes or longer gives you more time to move the mouse before the computer goes to sleep.

On a Mac, open System Settings, select Battery or Energy Saver, and adjust the Turn display off after setting. You can also disable sleep entirely if you prefer—set the display timeout to Never and the computer will stay awake as long as it is plugged in (on a desktop) or on battery (on a laptop, though this drains the battery faster).

If you use your computer for work and need it to stay awake during meetings or presentations, consider using a built-in presentation mode instead of disabling sleep permanently. Windows has Focus information, and Mac has Do Not Disturb—both prevent sleep while active.

When to force a shutdown

If your computer will not wake after 30 seconds of trying mouse and keyboard input, force a shutdown. Hold the power button down for 10 seconds without releasing. The computer will shut down completely. Wait 5 seconds, then press the power button once to restart normally.

A forced shutdown is safe to do occasionally, but if you find yourself doing it regularly, something is wrong with your sleep settings or hardware. After the computer restarts, check Device Manager (Windows) or System Report (Mac) to see whether any devices are showing errors. If a device has a yellow warning triangle, right-click it and select Update driver (Windows) or visit the manufacturer's website to read the latest driver (Mac).

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my computer go to sleep so quickly?

Your sleep timeout is set too short. On Windows, open Settings > System > Power & battery, scroll down, and increase the Sleep timeout value. On Mac, go to System Settings > Battery or Energy Saver and adjust the Turn display off after setting. The default is often 10 or 15 minutes; you can set it to 30 minutes or longer.

Can I wake my computer from another room?

Not with mouse or keyboard. You can use Wake-on-LAN if your computer and network support it, but this requires setup in your BIOS and network settings. For most home users, the easiest option is to walk over and press the power button or move the mouse.

Does sleep mode use a lot of electricity?

No. Sleep mode uses 1 to 3 watts of power, compared to 50 to 150 watts when the computer is fully awake. Hibernation uses even less. Leaving your computer in sleep mode overnight costs only a few cents per month in electricity.

My wireless mouse wakes the computer every time I move it, even when I do not want it to. How do I stop this?

Open Device Manager on Windows, find your mouse under Mice and other pointing devices, right-click it, and select Properties. Go to the Power Management tab and uncheck Allow this device to wake the computer. On Mac, this setting is usually in the mouse manufacturer's software, not in System Settings.

Is it better to sleep or shut down my computer?

Sleep is better for daily use because the computer wakes in seconds and you do not lose open files or programs. Shut down if you will not use the computer for more than a few hours, or if you are traveling and want to save battery. Hibernation is a middle ground—it saves your session like sleep but uses almost no power like shutdown.