How to Fix Windows Shuts Down Instead of Sleep (Windows 11/10)

Does your computer turn off instead of sleeping? In this guide, I will tell you how to fix Windows 11/10 shuts down instead of going to sleep. It applies to both Windows 11 and Windows 10 PCs and Laptops.

Many of you likely turn off your computer when you want to take a break for a while. Shutting down and starting your computer again can take a lot of time. However, you can save those precious seconds if you put your computer into sleep or hibernation mode.

What Causes the PC to Shut Down Instead of Sleeping?

Most people complain that closing the lid or putting their laptops to sleep or hibernate shuts down their computers. This issue is caused either by a problematic power setting, by disabling BIOS settings, outdated drivers, or by a bug with the Intel Management Engine Interface (IMEI) driver.

How to Fix Windows Shuts Down Instead of Sleep (Windows 11/10)

A sudden shutdown of windows causes many problems, such as it wastes your time, and you lose all your unsaved works. You need to restart again and relaunch the specific programs. Hence, you can fix this problem by following these methods:

1. Check the Power Settings of your computer
2. Running the Windows Power Troubleshooter
3. Enable Power Saving mode in BIOS
4. Install the latest version of the Intel Management Engine Interface (IMEI)
5. Update Windows

Let’s try them out one by one to fix Windows going to sleep problem.

1] Power Settings

After you encountered this problem, did you check your power settings? Users can sometimes unknowingly change settings. In some cases, the installation of a new update can also alter the power settings. Follow these steps to fix this:

• Press the Win+R keys to open the Run dialog box
• Type Control and Press Enter. Then click on Power Options.
• In the Power Options menu, click on Choose what the power buttons do
• Change the behavior of each of these options: When I press the power button to Sleep, When I press the sleep button, and also When I close the lid using the two drop-down menus
• Click on Save changes

Next, close the lid or press the power button to see if this method worked.

2] Run the Windows Power Troubleshooter

Troubleshooting in Windows 10 is quite powerful and can be used to resolve quite a few problems on its own. This is a built-in feature that integrates several investigation and repair strategies to troubleshoot common problems. Follow these steps to run the troubleshooter:

• In Windows 10, Press the Windows Key+X key > Click on Settings > Update and Security > Troubleshoot > Additional Troubleshooters
• In Windows 11, Go to System > Troubleshoot > Other Troubleshooters
• Select Power from the left-side menu, choose to run the troubleshooter. In Windows 11, click on the Run button in the Power panel.

See if that fixes the problem.

3] Enable Power Saving mode in BIOS

If you disable Power Saving Mode from your BIOS settings, Sleep mode will not function properly (or at all). By accessing your BIOS settings, you can determine if this is the issue. Follow these steps to enable it:

• Power on your computer > Press the appropriate key to enter the BIOS
• Go to the Power Management Setup
• Please search for the Power Saving Mode option, and enable it.
• Save and exit BIOS

Once you enable the option, check if the problem is sorted.

4] Update Your IMEI

Outdated IMEI drivers can ruin the power settings that you carefully crafted. Intel’s Management Engine Interface (IMEI) driver is often the cause of power issues.

It has been reported that some users were successful in restoring the functionality of sleep mode simply by uninstalling the current driver for the Intel Management Engine interface and then manually installing the latest version from Intel’s website. Follow these steps to install it:

• Press Windows key + R key to open up a Run box
• Type msc > Press Enter to open Device Manager
• Expand the drop-down menu > Click System devices
• Now, right-click on Intel Management Engine Interface > Choose Properties
• Go to the Driver tab and check the IMEI driver version. If it is 11.0.X or older, you need to downgrade your drivers to 10.xx or 9.xx.
• Uninstall the driver and download the latest version of the driver from the intel website.

Restart your Computer

5] Update Windows

If your computer keeps shutting down instead of sleeping or hibernating, you might need to update your Windows to the latest version, especially if a patch is delivered via an update for the known bug. Even though Windows usually updates itself on its own, you can speed things up. Follow these steps to do so:

• Press Windows key+I to open Settings > Click Update & Security
• Locate Windows update
• Download the update and then install them

Restart your computer and check if the issue is solved.

I hope this post could fix How to Fix Windows Shuts Down Instead of Sleep in Windows 11/10.

How Do I Stop My Computer from Shutting Down Overnight?

If you cannot change the option to keep a PC awake for a long time, you can choose the Microsoft PowerToys PC awake feature.

Also, make sure to check if the computer has not been set to shutdown at a particular time.

How Do I Fix Windows Randomly Shutting Down?

This sounds like a problem. It would be best to use the DISM and SFC scan tools to fix the hard disk or system file problems.

If it doesn’t work, then you may have to get it diagnosed. You can remove any extra hardware and run the PC at the barebone. If nothing else works, it’s time to contact the OEM.

Why Laptop Shuts Down Suddenly?

It can be a hardware problem or a driver issue.  I would suggest performing a system restore, run the advanced configuration tool to fix any file system issue, and make sure to run it on direct power.