The ACPI wake alarm is a BIOS/UEFI feature that can be useful when you want to wake up your PC at certain times to perform different tasks. Hence, most users prefer keeping the feature disabled to prevent PC wake-ups at unwanted times. However, in some cases, many users have reported that the ACPI wake alarm is not disabled. So, if the same goes for you too. Here are some solutions that might work for you.
ACPI wake alarm does not disable; How to disable it?
Here is the list of settings you can try to disable the ACPI wake alarm:
- Disable ACPI wake alarm via Registry
- Disable ACPI wake alarm via Windows Terminal
- Disable ACPI settings in BIOS/UEFI
- Update BIOS/UEFI
1] Disable ACPI wake alarm via Registry
You can also disable the ACPI wake alarm using the registry; here’s how:
- Press Windows Key + R to open Run, then type regedit and press Enter.
- Go to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power
- Over here, look for DisableRTCWake. If it doesn’t exist, then create it by right-clicking on the empty area > New > DWORD (32-bit) and name it DisableRTCWake.
- Double-click on the DisableRTCWake value and set it to 1.
- After that, restart your system and see if you are still encountering with the same.
2] Disable ACPI wake alarm via Windows Terminal
- Go to Windows search, type CMD and, right-click on it, and select Run as Administrator.
- Next, run the following command to find out the ACPI ID:
powercfg -devicequery wake_armed
- Next, you need to go to Device Manager, locate the hardware, and right-click select properties. Under details tab, you can select Hardware ids to find out the exact id that you can use in the next step.
- Once you have found that device ID note it down and run the following command to disable it:
powercfg -devicedisablewake ACPI\<id>
- Make sure to replace <id> with the actual ACPI device code, and you are all set.
3] Disable ACPI settings in BIOS/UEFI
If you cannot disable it from Windows, you can try to disable it from the UEFI. This will ensure everything else gets overridden on the OS level.
Start by disabling the feature from BIOS. For this, you will need to follow the below steps:
- First, enter BIOS/UEFI mode by restarting your PC and then pressing keys like F2, F10, DEL or Esc. (The BIOS key varies from PC to PC).
- Once in BIOS/UEFI, look for options like wake alarm, ACPI, or wake events.
- After locating it, turn off any settings related to Wake on RTC alarm or similar options.
- Finally, save changes and Exit, then check if you are still getting a similar issue.
Here is how you do it for Asus motherboards
4] Update BIOS/UEFI
You might still encounter a similar issue even after disabling it from your BIOS. To fix this, consider updating your BIOS, as there might be a bug in the BIOS firmware causing the problem.
Also, if you have recently updated your BIOS/UEFI and it’s causing the issue, consider downgrading it.
To do either, you will need to visit your manufacturer’s website, download the latest BIOS or a previous version of the BIOS, and then flash it.
However, make sure to flash the BIOS properly while doing so; if the BIOS update isn’t successful, you might need to replace your motherboard.
Those were a few ways to disable the ACPI wake alarm. In most cases, disabling it from the BIOS would work. So go ahead and try the above methods and see if they work for you.
Can the ACPI Wake Alarm be completely disabled on all systems?
While most systems allow disabling the ACPI Wake Alarm through BIOS/UEFI settings or power management options, some hardware configurations may lack granular control over this feature. In such cases, wake events might still occur due to firmware limitations or missing options in low-level hardware or software.
Is the ACPI Wake Alarm necessary, or can I safely ignore it?
The ACPI Wake Alarm is mainly used for things like automatic updates or system maintenance, which might be helpful for some people. However, for most personal use, it’s not necessary. Turning it off or adjusting it won’t usually cause any problems and can be a good idea if it’s causing your computer to wake up when you don’t want it to.