Sleep mode is a great way to save power when you aren’t using your computer. Sooner or later, you are going to need to bring your computer out of sleep mode, though.
The best way to do this is by tapping the keyboard or moving the mouse. On Windows computers, this is not a default setting. You will need to switch it on yourself.
On this page, we are going to walk you through how you can make your keyboard or mouse wake up your computer on Windows devices.
If you own a Mac, then you do not need any instructions. These settings will always be turned on.
Waking your computer up
Please bear in mind that these instructions have been written for Windows 10 and Windows 11 computers.
However, these instructions should also work for older versions of Windows too. The options may be written in a slightly different way, but we are confident that you will be able to work out what you need to do.
Open Device Manager
There are a few ways to do this. The simplest method is to press the WIN key and X key at the same time. The WIN key on your keyboard is the key that has a picture of the Windows logo on it (four rectangles)
From the menu that pops up, select ‘Device Manager’.
Turning On ‘Wake Up’ Mode On Your Keyboard
Once the device manager menu has loaded up, look for the option on the list that says ‘Keyboards’. Click it.
There will be multiple keyboards listed, even if you only have one keyboard connected to your computer. You will need to repeat the process for each of them.
- Double click the first keyboard
- On the new menu that appears select the ‘Power Management’ tab.
- Select ‘Allow this device to wake the computer’ (or words to that effect, depending on the operating system that you are using)
- Press the OK button.
You can then repeat this exact process with the other keyboards in the list.
Turning On ‘Wake Up’ Mode On Your Mouse
The process is exactly the same with your mouse. Only, this time you are looking for the ‘Mice and other pointing devices’ option in the device manager. Go through each of the mice that are listed and turn the ‘wake up’ mode on under power options.
Testing The ‘Wake Up’
Once you have done this, let your computer go into sleep mode. You may have a button on your keyboard that you can press, or you may have to wait for it to go into sleep mode naturally.
If you have done everything correctly, then the computer should wake up when you click the mouse or press a button on your keyboard.
Remember, it may take a couple of seconds for the computer to ‘realize’ that a button has been pressed. Don’t expect it to wake up right away.
Why Isn’t Your Keyboard Or Mouse Waking Up Your Computer?
If you have followed the instructions in the previous section, then there should be no reason why your computer isn’t turning back on from sleep mode.
However, we know that some people do run into some issues, so let’s give you some troubleshooting tips.
You Have a Wireless Keyboard or Mouse
Many wireless devices are designed to ‘sleep’ when they haven’t been used for a while. This means that you may need to wait slightly longer for them to kick in before they wake up the computer.
You might need to click the mouse twice or tap a key on the keyboard twice.
The USB ports are shutting off
In some cases, a computer that goes into ‘sleep mode’ will also shut off the USB ports. This isn’t handy if you want to wake up your computer. After all, with the USB ports shut off, your mouse and keyboard have no way of communicating with the system.
Follow these instructions to ensure that your USB ports don’t shut off when your computer goes into sleep mode.
- Open up the device manager as per the instructions in the previous section.
- Look for ‘Universal Serial Bus Controllers
- Double click the first USB port on this list
- Select ‘Power Management
- Uncheck the box that says “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power”
- Click OK
- Repeat the process for all the other USB ports.
Wrapping things up
Getting your keyboard and mouse to turn your computer on once it has entered sleep mode isn’t too difficult.
You will need to use the device manager but, once the system has been set up, you won’t need to fiddle with the settings again.
Just remember that your computer won’t wake up instantly. It may take 30 seconds to a minute for everything to come back.
Don’t repeatedly tap the mouse or keyboard. If they have been set to turn on the device, then they will work with just a couple of clicks or taps.
