Laptop Sleeps Randomly Even When Set to Never

Laptops have become an essential tool in our modern lives, helping us work, connect, and entertain ourselves. However, there’s nothing more frustrating than when a laptop starts going to sleep randomly, even when you’ve explicitly set it to never sleep. This puzzling issue can disrupt your workflow and leave you scratching your head in confusion. 

In this blog, we’ll explore the causes behind this problem and provide troubleshooting steps to regain control over your laptop’s sleep behaviour. Prepare to bid farewell to those unexpected laptop naps and optimize your productivity.

Why Laptop Sleeps Randomly Even When Set to Never?

Here are some possible causes:

1. Power settings: Double-check your power settings to ensure that the sleep option is indeed set to “Never.” Sometimes, changes may not have been applied correctly, so revisit the settings and confirm that they are saved properly.
2. Software or background processes: Start by looking into any recently installed applications or system updates. These newcomers could be causing some conflict and triggering the sleep mode more often than necessary. 
3. Drivers and updates: Outdated or incompatible drivers can sometimes cause sleep issues. Make sure all your drivers, including graphics and chipset drivers, are up to date. Additionally, check for any available firmware or BIOS updates for your laptop model and install them.
4. Power plan settings: Verify that the power plan you are using has the correct settings. Sometimes, the “Never” sleep option might not be applied to all power plans.
5. External devices and peripherals: Connected external devices, such as USB drives, printers, or mice, can sometimes trigger sleep mode due to faulty drivers or power settings.
6. System overheating: Overheating can cause laptops to shut down or go into sleep mode as a protective measure. Ensure that your laptop’s cooling system is functioning properly and clean any dust or debris from the vents and fans. Consider using a cooling pad or adjusting your laptop’s power management settings to prevent overheating.
7. Malware or viruses: Perform a full system scan using reliable antivirus or anti-malware software to check for any infections that might be interfering with your laptop’s sleep behaviour.
8. Hardware issues: If all else fails and you’re still stuck with that random sleep behaviour, it’s time to face the possibility of hardware gremlins. In such times, it’s wise to seek the assistance of the manufacturer’s support team or a skilled technician.

Remember to test your laptop after each troubleshooting step to determine if the issue has been resolved.

How To Fix “Laptop Sleeps Randomly Even When Set to Never”

Fix 1: Check the Power Settings

Double-check your power settings to ensure the sleep option is set to “Never.” Sometimes, changes may not have been applied correctly, so revisit the settings and confirm they are saved properly.

To adjust the sleep and display settings on your computer, follow these steps:

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Change the view to “Large icons” if it’s not already selected, and then click on “Power Options.”
3. In the Power Options window, click on “Change when the computer sleeps” in the left pane.
4. Here, you can customize the sleep and display settings according to your preferences:
5. To adjust the display timeout, change the “Turn off the display” setting to the desired value. You can select a specific time or set it to Never if you don’t want the display to turn off automatically.
6. Change the “Put the computer to sleep” setting to the desired value to modify the sleep timeout. It is recommended to set it to Never to prevent the computer from going to sleep automatically.

6. After completing the changes on your end, tap the Save changes button to apply the newly changed settings.
7. Check if the computer still goes to sleep randomly after adjusting the sleep and display settings.

Fix 2: Update Display Driver

The issue of your computer dozing off might be due to an outdated display driver. You can give it a makeover by updating the graphics card driver to wake it up from its slumber. First, let’s make sure it looks fresh and fabulous! 

1. Type “Device Manager” in the Search bar to open the Device Manager window.
2. Open the Display Adapters section in the window and right-click on the graphics driver you want to update.
3. Select the “Update driver” option from the context menu.
4. In the following popup, select the option to Search automatically for drivers. 
5. Wait while the computer scans for any available updates for the driver. If an updated version is found, proceed with the installation by following the instructions on the screen.

Fix 3: Disable the Screen Saver

It is a nifty utility in Windows that kicks in when you’ve been away from your PC for a while. 

Now, let’s get to the critical part. Disabling the screensaver. These steps may differ depending on the Windows you’re using, but we’ll walk you through them for Windows 10:

1. Press the Windows logo key to search.
2. Type in “lock screen settings” in the search bar and press Enter. This will open the Lock screen settings.
   
3. At the bottom of the Lock screen settings window, you will find an option called Screen saver settings. Click on it.
4. In the Screen saver settings window, select None from the drop-down menu under the Screen saver section.
5. After setting the Screensaver to None, observe if your computer still goes to sleep randomly.

Fix 4: Run Power Troubleshooter

One option is to tap into Microsoft’s automatic troubleshooting feature. They have this cool Power Troubleshoot thing that might do the trick. Here’s what you can do:

1. Search for “Troubleshoot settings.”
2. Open the Troubleshoot settings and scroll down until you find the “Additional troubleshooters” section.
3. Click on the “Power” section and choose Run the troubleshooter.
4. Please follow the on-screen instructions and let the troubleshooter do its thing. It might uncover hidden issues and zap them away like a digital wizard!

Fix 5: Check Sleep Advanced Settings

Here’s what to do:

1. Tap the Start button, located in the left corner of your screen. This button typically has the Windows logo on it.
2. Type “Control Panel” in the search bar that appears in the Menu. Once the “Control Panel” shows up in the Search Results, click on it.
3. Look for the “Power Options” section and click on it.
4. Within the Power Options window, locate and click on the option called “Change Plan Settings.” Please note that the text may be displayed in small letters, so pay close attention.
5. Next, look for the phrase “Change advanced power settings” and click on it.
6. In the newly opened window, locate the “Sleep” option and expand it. Look for the setting called “Allow hybrid sleep” and select it.
7. Once you have selected Allow hybrid sleep, set it to the Off position or disable it.
8. Tap the OK to save the changes you made.
9. Close all open windows.
10. Restart your system.
11. After the restart, observe if your computer functions normally. If the issue persists, you can reverse the changes made by following the same steps and enabling the “Allow hybrid sleep” setting again.

Remember to monitor your system’s behaviour to ensure that the changes have resolved the problem.

Fix 6: Change the System Unattended Sleep Timeout to a Longer Time

If those previous solutions just aren’t cutting it for you, here’s another trick you can try to extend the unattended sleep timeout on your Windows system. Remember this involves a little tinkering with the registry, so proceed cautiously!

1. Open the Registry Editor:
2. Press the Windows logo key (usually located between the Ctrl and Alt keys) and the letter “R” key simultaneously on your keyboard to open the Run dialogue box.
3. Type “regedit” in the Run box and click OK. The Registry Editor window will appear in a new window.
4. Locate the directory in the Registry Editor: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\238C9FA8-0AAD-41ED-83F4-97BE242C8F20\7bc4a2f9-d8fc-4469-b07b-33eb785aaca0
5. On the right-hand side of the Registry Editor, locate the entry named Attributes and double-click on it to modify its value.
6. Change the Value data to 2. The default Value data is likely set to 1. Regardless of the current value, please update it to 2. Tap on the OK button to save the changes.
7. Exit the Registry Editor.

Next, reset the System’s unattended sleep timeout period:

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Set the View by option to “Large icons,” then click Power Options.
3. Under your selected power plan, click on Change plan settings. For example, if the plan chosen is Balanced, click Change plan settings next to it.
4. Click on Change advanced power settings.
5. Expand the “Sleep” entry, then the “System unattended sleep timeout” entry. The current value for this setting is likely set to 2 minutes. Please change it to a longer duration, such as 30 minutes.
6. Click OK to save the changes.

Finally, check if the computer continues to go to sleep randomly.

Conclusion

By following the steps outlined, you can regain control over your laptop’s sleep behaviour. Check power settings, update drivers, manage external devices, and consider hardware factors to address the issue effectively. If you encounter persistent problems, seek professional assistance or contact the manufacturer’s support for further guidance. Remember, a laptop that stays awake when you need it ensures a seamless and efficient computing experience. Take control, implement the solutions, and enjoy uninterrupted performance from your laptop.