According to the volume of reports on Microsoft’s support forums, problems with unexpected sleep resumes are fairly common on Windows devices. Finding out what’s causing any automated Wake-ups is the first step in diagnosing them. You’ll be ready to make changes to the offending source to prevent it from waking your computer in the future.
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How to Find Out What Woke Up Your Computer Last
Because Windows does not expose this information in any graphical interface, this guide requires the use of the Command Prompt. You’ll need to run Command Prompt as an administrator, which you can do by searching for cmd in the Start menu, right-clicking the program’s result, and selecting “Run as administrator.” Accept the UAC prompt that pops up.
With a single command, you can find out what woke up your PC:
powercfg -lastwake
Press return after typing the command. The command’s output will differ depending on the type of event that woke your computer up. A USB hardware device can be seen in the screenshot below as the culprit. A different type of source, such as network activity or a scheduled wake timer, may appear.
This knowledge should aid you in determining the source of any unexpected wake-ups. The next steps you take will depend on the type of event that is causing the wake-ups. Below, we’ll go over two of the most common sources.
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Resolving device wake-ups
A device-initiated wake-up can usually be resolved quickly using Device Manager. Launch Device Manager by searching for it in the Start menu.
You should be able to locate the named device in Device Manager using the information from the Command Prompt. If the command specifies a generic hardware item, such as a USB root controller, be cautious. In this case, the problem could be caused by any of the USB devices connected to that controller.
Double-click a suspect device to open its Properties pane once you’ve identified it. If a “Power Management” tab is visible, select it; if it isn’t, the device won’t be able to wake your PC. Clear the “Allow this device to wake the computer” checkbox on the Power Management tab.
Preventing wake timers from waking your PC
Background wake timers are another common cause of wake-ups. Windows and apps can be configured to wake your PC on a schedule. They’re commonly used in maintenance routines that run on autopilot.
To disable wake timers, go to the Start menu and type Power Options, then click the Control Panel link. On the next screen, click “Change plan settings” next to your active power plan, then “Change advanced power settings.”
Expand the “Sleep” item in the tree view, then “Allow wake timers” in the popup prompt that appears. Change the value of the drop-down to “Disable” and then click “Apply” and “OK.”
Many of the most common wake-up issues should be resolved using these techniques. However, because Windows has a habit of disobeying sleep-related power settings, you may need to do more research. Using the wake source information obtained from the Command Prompt, tools like Event Viewer can help you narrow down your search even more.
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