What standby mode does and why you might change it
Standby mode (also called sleep mode) is when your computer shuts down the display and hard drive to save power, but keeps the processor and memory running so it wakes up when ready when you touch the keyboard or mouse. On most computers, this happens automatically after 10 to 15 minutes of no activity. You might want to change this timing if your computer falls asleep while you're reading something, or if you want it to sleep faster to save more power.
The settings you can edit control three main things: how long before the display turns off, how long before the hard drive stops spinning, and how long before the whole system goes to sleep. You can set these to different times, or turn sleep off entirely if your computer needs to stay awake for a specific task.
Where you find these settings depends on whether you use Windows or macOS, but both systems put them in the power settings rather than scattered across different menus.
Key Takeaways
- On Windows, open Settings, go to System > Power & battery, and look for "Screen and sleep" to adjust when your display and system go to sleep.
- On macOS, open System Settings, choose Battery or Energy Saver depending on your Mac model, and set separate times for display sleep and system sleep.
- You can set the display to turn off faster than the system goes to sleep, so you save power without losing your work.
- If you plug in your laptop, Windows and macOS let you set different sleep times for plugged-in versus battery power.
How to change sleep settings on Windows 11 and Windows 10
Open the Settings app by pressing the Windows key and typing "settings", then pressing Enter. Click System in the left sidebar, then scroll down and click Power & battery.
Under "Power" you will see a section called Screen and sleep. Click on it to expand the options. You will see two dropdown menus: one for "Screen" and one for "Sleep". The "Screen" setting controls when your display turns off. The "Sleep" setting controls when your computer enters standby mode. Click either dropdown and choose a time from 1 minute to 30 minutes, or select "Never" if you do not want that action to happen automatically.
If your laptop is plugged in, you can set different times than when it is running on battery. Look for separate sections labeled "On battery power" and "Plugged in". Most people set the plugged-in times longer because power is not a concern, and set battery times shorter to extend how long the laptop runs before needing a charge.
How to change sleep settings on macOS
Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and select System Settings. On newer Macs (Ventura and later), click Battery in the sidebar. On older Macs (Monterey and earlier), click Energy Saver.
You will see a slider labeled "Turn display off after" with a time in minutes. Move this slider left to make the display sleep faster, or right to make it stay on longer. Below that, you may see another option for "Put hard disks to sleep when possible" — this is usually checked and you can leave it alone unless you have a reason to keep the hard drive spinning.
If your Mac is a laptop, you will see two sets of controls: one for "Battery" and one for "Power Adapter". Set the battery times shorter to save power when unplugged, and the power adapter times longer if you want the display to stay on while you are working at a desk.
The difference between display sleep and system sleep
Your computer has two separate sleep stages. Display sleep turns off the monitor or screen but leaves everything else running — the processor, memory, and any programs you have open. This saves a small amount of power and happens first. System sleep (or standby) shuts down almost everything except a tiny amount of power to keep the memory alive, so the computer can wake up when ready.
You can set the display to sleep after 5 minutes but the system to sleep after 30 minutes. This way, your screen goes dark to save power, but your work stays in memory and you do not lose anything. When you move the mouse, the display wakes up in a second or two, and you are back where you left off.
If you set system sleep to "Never", the computer will stay fully awake and use more power, but it will never lose your place. This is useful if you are downloading a large file, running a backup, or watching a video and do not want the system to interrupt.
When to use "Never" instead of a timer
Setting sleep to "Never" makes sense in specific situations. If you are rendering video, uploading files, or running a long software update, you want the system to stay awake. If you are presenting on a projector or showing something on your screen to a group, you do not want the display to go dark in the middle of your talk.
The downside is that your computer uses full power the whole time, which costs more in electricity and generates more heat. If you are plugged in at a desk, this is usually fine. If you are on battery, "Never" will drain your laptop much faster.
Most people leave sleep enabled and just adjust the timer. If you find yourself turning sleep off for the same task every week, that is a sign you might want a longer default timer instead.
Waking your computer from sleep
Once your computer is in sleep mode, almost any input will wake it: moving the mouse, pressing a key, or opening the laptop lid (on laptops). On Windows, you can also wake the computer by pressing the power button — it does not turn it off, it just wakes it from sleep.
When the computer wakes, it should return to exactly where you left it. All your open programs, browser tabs, and documents stay in memory, so you do not lose work. This is different from shutting down, which closes everything and requires you to start over.
If your computer does not wake when you expect it to, check that sleep is actually enabled in your power settings. Some programs can prevent sleep — for example, a video player might keep the system awake while playing. If that happens, close the program or pause what you are doing, and sleep should work normally again.
Why your computer might not be sleeping when you expect
If your computer is not going to sleep at the time you set, a few things could be happening. A program might be running in the background and telling the system to stay awake — video players, file transfers, and some antivirus software do this. Check the taskbar or menu bar to see what is open, and close anything you do not need.
Your mouse or keyboard might be moving slightly without you noticing, which resets the sleep timer. A pet walking across the keyboard, a fan blowing the mouse, or a loose cable can all cause this. Try moving the mouse and keyboard away from anything that might bump them.
On Windows, check Device Manager to see if a device like a network adapter or USB device is set to wake the computer. Right-click the Start button, select Device Manager, find the device, right-click it, choose Properties, and look for a "Power Management" tab. Uncheck "Allow this device to wake the computer" if you do not need that feature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does sleep mode use a lot of battery power?
Sleep mode uses very little battery — typically 1 to 3 percent per hour, compared to 10 to 20 percent per hour when the system is fully awake. If you are not using your laptop for several hours, sleep is much better than leaving it on. Hibernation (a deeper sleep that saves everything to disk and uses almost no power) is available on Windows but not macOS.
Can I set different sleep times for different programs?
No, sleep times are system-wide settings that explore to everything. However, some programs have their own "keep awake" option in their settings. Video players, presentation software, and some work apps let you disable sleep just while that program is running.
What happens to my work if the computer goes to sleep?
Your work stays in memory and is exactly where you left it when the computer wakes up. Nothing is lost. If you want to be extra safe, save your document before the computer sleeps, but it is not required — sleep does not close programs or delete unsaved work.
Is it bad to let my computer sleep every day?
No, sleep is designed to be used every day and is actually better for your computer than leaving it on all the time. Sleep reduces wear on the hard drive, uses less power, and generates less heat. Shutting down completely is better if you will not use the computer for more than a few hours.
Why does my Mac wake up by itself at night?
On macOS, scheduled tasks like backups, updates, or network activity can wake the computer from sleep. Check System Settings > General > Login Items to see what programs are set to run automatically. You can also disable "Wake for network access" in the Energy Saver settings if you do not need your Mac to respond to network requests while sleeping.