Preventing Laptop Sleep When Lid is Closed

Overview

Laptops come with a default behavior where they enter sleep mode when the lid is closed. While this feature helps conserve power, there are situations where you might want your laptop to remain active even when the lid is shut. In this guide, we'll show you how to adjust your power settings to prevent your laptop from sleeping when the lid is closed.

Details

1. Accessing Power Options: To customize how your laptop behaves when the lid is closed, follow these steps:

   1. Click on the 'Start' button (Windows logo) in the bottom-left corner of your screen. 

   2. Type "Power Options" in the search bar and select the corresponding result.

2. Choosing a Power Plan: Windows provides several predefined power plans. You can modify these plans to control the lid closure behavior.

   1. In the 'Power Options' window, you'll see different power plans listed. The active plan will be marked with a radio button.

   2. Click on the plan you're currently using to reveal additional settings.

3. Adjusting Lid Close Settings: Once you're inside the selected power plan settings, you can customize what happens when you close the lid:

   a. Look for an option labeled "Change what closing the lid does" or similar phrasing. Click on it.

4. Configuring Lid Close Behavior: You'll be presented with various settings for both "On battery" and "Plugged in" scenarios. These options include Sleep, Hibernate, and Shutdown. To prevent your laptop from sleeping when the lid is closed:

   1. For both "On battery" and "Plugged in," select the "Do nothing" option next to "When I close the lid."

   2. This setting ensures your laptop won't enter sleep mode when you close the lid.

5. Saving Changes: Once you've made your changes, don't forget to save them:

   1. Look for a "Save changes" button, usually located at the bottom of the power plan settings page.

   2. Click it to apply your new settings.

6. Testing the Setting: Close the laptop lid and observe whether the laptop remains active rather than going to sleep. Keep in mind that the laptop's screen may turn off even though the system is still operational. This is a separate setting that controls the screen's behavior.