How to Change (Adjust) Power and Sleep Settings in Windows 10

Windows 10 provides some power options and sleep settings to make your computer manage performance and save energy. The power and sleep settings on Windows 10 are similar to previous versions of Windows, however you access them a bit differently, and with a few more options. Here is an explanation on how to adjust power and sleep settings in Windows 10.

HOW TO ADJUST POWER AND SLEEP SETTINGS

To adjust power and sleep settings in Windows 10, you have to go to Start, and choose Settings  -> System -> Power & sleep.

  • Under Screen, choose how long you want your device to wait before turning the screen off when you are not using your device.
  • Under Sleep, choose how long you want your device to wait before going to sleep when you are not using it.
HOW TO ADJUST POWER AND SLEEP SETTINGS1

For more power saving options, choose Additional power settings to adjust how your device uses power.

ABOUT POWER SETTINGS

Windows 10 offers some power plans to help you manage how your device utilizes power. The different power settings are able to help you control system performance, preserve battery life or both. By default, Windows 10 has three power plans:

  • Balanced

This is the best plan for most users. Automatically this option balances system performance and energy usage by adjusting to full performance once you need it and power-saving mode once you do not.

  • High performance

This is the best plan for maximizing screen brightness and increasing system performance. But, it utilizes more energy, it will be able to drain your battery the fastest.

  • Power saver

This is the best plan to extend your battery life. This power plan saves energy by reducing your computer performance and screen brightness to give you the most juice from your current battery charge.

Also, you are able to make a custom power plan with your own settings, based on a combination of the three power plans.

ACCESSING POWER SETTINGS

Apparently, setting up your power options on Windows 10 is different, however easier than it was on previous versions. You are able to access your power settings by doing these steps:

  • Firstly, type in “Power options” in the Windows 10 search bar.
  • After that, click on the Power Options control panel under the Best Match search results.
  • Lastly, select a power plan or click on “Change plan settings” to modify a plan or create your own custom power plan.

ABOUT SLEEP SETTINGS

Sleep mode preserves energy by putting your computer into a low-power state and turning off your display when you are not using it. Instead of completely shutting down your computer and later rebooting, you are able to put it in sleep mode so that when it wakes up, it is going to resume where you left off. Also, Windows 10 puts your computer to sleep automatically. The sleep settings allow you to select when the computer must go to sleep and when it should wake up automatically.

To adjust sleep settings, you have to go to the Power Options control panel. After that, select a power plan and click on the Change plan settings. There you are able to set how long (in minutes) after being idle the display should turn off and when to put the computer to sleep.

CHANGING SLEEP TIMES IN WINDOWS 10

You will be able to modify your Windows sleep settings by doing these steps:

  • Please open up search by hitting the Windows Key + Q shortcut.
  • Then, type sleep and select at the Choose when the PC sleeps.
  • You are going to see two options:

Screen: Configure when the screen goes to sleep.

Sleep: Configure when the PC will hibernate.

  • Simply, you are able to set the time for both using the drop-down menus.

If you are using a laptop, there are four options that fall into two categories. The one for when you are on battery and the other for when you are plugged in. The former is going to see Windows 10 act accordingly when the PC is draining the battery, while the latter is going to affect times when you are plugged into an outlet. These must be changed so you will be able to get the most out of the available power.

HIBERNATION SETTINGS

Actually, hibernation is similar to sleep mode, however utilizes less power, as it essentially turns your computer off and saves its current settings so you are able to go back to where you left off. It is very ideal if you will be away from your computer for an extended time. To set your hibernation settings, you are able to go through the process of setting up your sleep settings. There you are going to find a “Hibernate after” option, where you are able to indicate how long (in minutes) after being idle the computer should go into hibernation mode.

MANUAL ACTIVATION

If you want to put your computer in sleep or hibernation mode immediately without it going idle first, Windows 10 offers you do a manual activation. To set up manual sleep or hibernation, please go to your Power Options control panel. Please click on “Choose what the power button does” on the left navigation bar and then “Change settings that are currently available.” There you are able to select whether your computer must sleep or hibernate once you press the power button or close your lid. Also, you are able to utilize different settings once your computer is running on battery power versus when it is plugged in.

In addition, you are able to access shutdown settings so that the Sleep and Hibernate buttons appear on the Power menu. Ensure both boxes next to Sleep and Hibernate are checked in your shutdown settings. All you have to do is click on the Start menu, choose Power, and select Sleep or Hibernate.

WAKE SETTINGS

Aside from that, Windows 10 can also wake your computer up from sleep or hibernation mode, even when you are not around. To make wake times, simply click on “Change advanced power settings.” There you will be able to set up and modify events and times for your computer to wake up automatically. When your computer turns back on from sleep or hibernate mode (by default), Windows 10 will need you to submit a password. If you want to skip the password, so your computer wakes up automatically signed in. You are able to disable it by going into your account settings. Please go to Settings, click on Accounts, select Sign-in Options and choose Never from the dropdown menu.

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