Forum Discussion

PhoenixAdler's avatar
PhoenixAdler
Iron Contributor
Apr 15, 2026

Windows 11 laptop won’t sleep, stays awake all night

I close the lid or put it to sleep but my Windows 11 laptop just stays on. The fan keeps running and battery drains. I’ve checked power settings but nothing fixes it.

3 Replies

  • Axton-X's avatar
    Axton-X
    Brass Contributor

    Unlike the older S3 sleep state (which completely cuts power to most components), Modern Standby keeps your PC's network connection and some background processes active so it can wake up instantly, like a smartphone. In theory, this should still use very little battery. In practice, a buggy driver or an app can force the CPU to stay active, leading to the fan running and severe battery drain you're experiencing.

  • YatesGriffin's avatar
    YatesGriffin
    Iron Contributor

    In Control Panel > Power Options, set When the lid is closed” to Sleep, and in Device Manager, disable the Allow this device to wake the computer option for all USB devices.

  • Try this:

    Open Control Panel > All Control Panel items > Power options > select your power plan > change plan settings > Restore default settings for this plan.

    See if it helps you.