what to know
- To change sleep settings in Windows, go to Control Panel > System and Security > Power Options .
- Then, select Change plan settings next to the activity plan. Change timers for display and/or sleep options.
- A free tool called Caffeine is another way to prevent your computer from automatically sleeping.
This article explains how to keep your Windows 11 or Windows 10 computer awake on demand without having to press keys or wiggle the mouse.
We will introduce two methods. The first is built into Windows, and the other involves using a free third-party application.
If you want to prevent your computer from going to sleep or force it to stay awake longer, the Windows Control Panel contains controls for making changes. This Microsoft-approved method can keep your computer on no matter how long you've been inactive.
Open the control panel. One way is to search for it from the taskbar.
Select System and Security .
If you see a bunch of icons instead of the categories shown above, you can skip this step.
Select a power option .
Select Change plan settings next to the selected plan.
A faster way to get to this point in the future is to search for "edit power plan" in Windows.
The "Turn off display" option lets you choose how long the display stays on when on battery or plugged in. The Put the computer to sleep option determines how long the computer itself remains on before entering sleep mode.
Select a different time from the corresponding drop-down menu to keep the computer awake longer, or select Never .
If you're using a laptop, keep in mind that keeping the screen on or the computer running for long periods of time can drain your battery.
Select Save changes .
If for some reason you are unable to change the power settings on your computer, you can use a program that secretly presses a key every once in a while to simulate activity. In these steps, we'll be using a free "stay awake" app called Caffeine.
Download the caffeine program. This is a portable program, so there is nothing to install; just extract the program from the ZIP file.
Open the program. It will immediately start pressing the F15 key in the background and repeat it every minute to keep the computer awake.
Right-click the program icon near the clock to edit how long caffeine keeps your computer awake. This is also how you exit the application.
By default, when your Windows computer goes to sleep, it prompts you for your login password. This is a good security measure, but can be annoying if you're the only one using the computer. Here's how to make Windows stop asking for your password when you wake up:
Open settings via search. It can also be used by right-clicking on the Start button.
Select account .
Select a login option .
If you are using Windows 11, scroll down to Additional Settings . If you are using Windows 10, select Require login .
Select the menu next to "If you're away, when should Windows ask you to sign in again?" And choose never . Now, when you wake your computer from sleep, you don't need to log back in.
In addition to programs that auto-key, such as Caffeine (mentioned above), you can also adjust your screensaver. Go to Control Panel > Personalization > Change Screen Saver . Uncheck the box next to "Show login screen on restore." This prevents your system from sleeping.
Won't. If you use the Mouse Jiggler plug-in device to prevent your computer from going to sleep, employee monitoring software or network personnel will not be able to detect it because there is no software involved; it acts as a pointing device.
From the Apple menu, select System Preferences > Energy Saver . Check the box next to "Prevent the computer from automatically sleeping when the display is off." Uncheck the box next to "Put the drive to sleep when possible." Then, drag the Computer Sleep and/or Monitor Sleep sliders to Never .
