How to change sleep settings on Windows 11

• To change the Windows 11 sleep settings, open Settings > System > Power & battery, click the “Screen and sleep” settings, and choose when to turn off the display and when to put the computer to sleep.
• You can also disable the sleep settings by selecting the “Never” option.

UPDATED 8/25/2025: Windows 11 includes a feature that automatically puts your device into sleep mode after a period of inactivity to conserve energy and extend battery life on laptops. In this guide, I’ll show you the steps to customize this option.

The power settings offer two main behaviors. One puts the device into a low-power state (sleep), which suspends the system while keeping your work in memory. The other only turns off the screen while the computer continues running in the background.

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By default, these settings are optimized to save energy and reduce your carbon footprint while maximizing battery life. However, if you prefer the device to stay active longer or want to prevent it from sleeping automatically, Windows 11 allows you to adjust the screen and sleep timeout settings.

In this guide, I will teach you how to adjust the sleep timeout on laptops and desktops, and I’ll also explain how to disable the feature entirely.

• Change sleep settings on Windows 11
• Disable sleep timers on Windows 11

Change sleep settings on Windows 11

To change sleep settings on Windows 11, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 11.

2. Click on System.

3. Click the Power & battery tab.

4. Click the “Screen and sleep” (or “Screen, sleep, & hibernate timeouts”) setting under the “Power” section.

5. Choose how long the computer should wait before turning off the screen while plugged in or when running on battery.

   

6. Choose how long the computer should wait before going to sleep while plugged in or when running on battery.

Once you complete the steps, the computer will go into sleep mode or turn off the screen according to your configuration.

If you have a desktop computer, the Settings entry will appear under the “Power” page, and you will only find the settings to control the times when the device is plugged in.

Also, depending on the version of the operating system, the settings may be arranged differently. For example, these instructions show the design for version 24H2 and higher releases, while on version 23H2, the settings are described as “On battery power, turn off my screen after” and “When plugged in, turn off my screen after.”

If you want to conserve as much energy as possible, the default settings of 5 and 3 minutes for plugged-in and on battery are optimal for most people. However, you can always increase or decrease the values to fit your desired preferences. In this case, there’s no wrong or right answer. 

Disable sleep timers on Windows 11

To prevent the computer and screen from sleeping automatically on Windows 11, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on System.

3. Click the Power & battery tab.

4. Click the “Screen and sleep” (or “Screen, sleep, & hibernate timeouts”) setting under the “Power” section.

5. Choose the Never option to prevent the screen from turning off automatically for the “Plugged in” settings.

   

6. Choose the Never option to prevent the computer from going to sleep automatically for the “On battery” settings.

After completing the steps, the computer will stop automatically entering sleep mode, even if you are not actively working on the device. However, preventing the device from turning off the screen and entering sleep mode will result in higher energy usage.

Update August 25, 2025: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.