No need to worry—we’ll show you some easy methods to tackle a PC that won’t “wake up” after hibernating or sleeping.
What Is the Difference Between the “Hibernate” and “Sleep” Modes?
The sleep and hibernate modes are power-saving features. You’d usually use either option when you’re away from your device.
The sleep mode uses little power and usually wakes your device faster. During sleep mode, most PC components (except the RAM) are turned off.
Meanwhile, the hibernate mode uses less power than the sleep option. When this mode is active, all PC components (including the RAM) are turned off. So, it’s almost similar to shutting down your device, except that it restarts the system faster.
So, which option should you use between these two modes? It depends on how long you’ll be taking a break from using your device. For example, use the sleep option if you just want to take a quick break.
Now, let’s discover how you can fix your PC when it’s stuck on the “sleep” or “hibernate” mode.
1. Disconnect External Devices and Restart Your PC
Are there any external devices connected to your device? If so, then they might be the reason you’re encountering the issue at hand.
The quickest solution is to remove the external devices and then restart your PC. Even if no external devices are connected, try restarting your device and see if that helps.
2. Configure the Mouse and Keyboard Settings
Usually, you’d easily wake your device by pressing any key on your PC. In some instances, you can wake the device with a single mouse click.
However, this depends on how you’ve configured the mouse and keyboard settings. If these settings aren’t configured properly, then you might encounter issues when waking your device.
So, let’s start by tweaking the keyboard settings to resolve the issue:
Press Win + X to open the Quick Access menu. Select Device Manager from the options. Click the Keyboards option to expand it. Double-click on the HID Keyboard Device driver or any other relevant option. Navigate to the Power Management tab. Check the Allow this device to wake the computer box and press OK. This should allow you to wake your device by pressing any key.
Next, let’s configure the mouse settings through these steps:
Open the Device Manager by applying the previous methods. Expand the Mice and other pointing devices option. Double-click on the HID-compliant mouse driver or any other relevant option. Navigate to the Power Management tab. Check the Allow this device to wake the computer box and then press OK. This will allow you to wake your device by clicking the mouse.
3. Restore the Default Power Settings
Sometimes, the issue might be caused by the way you’ve configured the power settings. So, restoring the default power settings could help.
Here are the steps you need to follow:
Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box. Type Control Panel and then press Enter. Click the View by drop-down menu and select Large icons. Select Power Options. Click the Change plan settings option. Click the Restore default settings for this plan option and follow the on-screen steps.
4. Perform a Power Cycle on Your Device
Performing a power cycle on your Windows device might also help.
During the “power cycle” process, your device will reset and eliminate system issues. So, this could also tackle the “blank screen” issue.
Let’s first check out how to perform a power cycle on a device with a removable battery:
Shut down your device. Remove the charger and all external devices. Remove the battery from your PC. Press and hold the power button for about 30 to 60 seconds. This will drain all the power that’s left on your device. Insert the battery back into your device. Connect your device to the power supply and then restart it.
If your device has a non-removable battery, here’s how you can perform a power cycle:
Shut down the device. Remove the charger and all external devices. Press and hold the power button for up about 60 seconds. This should shut down the device and drain its power. Connect the device to a power supply and then restart it.
5. Run the Built-In Troubleshooting Tools
If the issue persists, then try running the Windows built-in troubleshooters.
Because you’re likely dealing with a power issue, it’s best to run the Power troubleshooter first.
Here are the steps you need to follow:
Type Settings in the Start menu search bar and select the Best match. Select Update & Security and click Troubleshoot on the left-hand side. Locate and click the Power troubleshooter on the right-hand side. Press the Run the troubleshooter button and follow the on-screen steps.
Alternatively, run the Power troubleshooter via the Control Panel through these steps:
Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box. Type Control Panel and then press Enter. Click the View by drop-down menu and select Large icons. Select the Troubleshooting option, and then click the System and Security option. Click the Power troubleshooter and follow the on-screen instructions.
If the issue persists, you may be dealing with a hardware-related problem. So, you could tackle the issue by running the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter.
Here are the steps you need to follow:
Type Settings in the Start menu search bar and select the Best match. Select Update & Security and then click Troubleshoot on the left-hand side. Locate and click the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter on the right-hand side. Press the Run the troubleshooter button and follow the on-screen steps.
6. Restart or Reinstall the Battery Drivers
The “blank screen” issue might also be caused by corrupted battery drivers. So, you could tackle the problem by either restarting or reinstalling these drivers.
Let’s start by checking out how you can restart the battery drivers:
Press Win + X to open the Quick Access menu. Select Device Manager and then double-click on the Batteries option. Right-click on each battery driver, one at a time, and select Disable device. From there, right-click on each battery driver and select Enable device. Restart your device to save these changes.
Alternatively, reinstall the battery drivers to tackle the issue at hand.
Here are the steps you need to follow:
Open the Device Manager and the Batteries option by applying the previous methods. Right-click on each battery driver (one at a time) and select Uninstall device. Click the Scan for hardware changes option towards the top-left corner. This should automatically reinstall the battery drivers. Restart your device to save these changes.
No More Getting Stuck on in Sleep or Hibernate Mode
If you want to save power on your Windows device, try using the “sleep” and “hibernate” modes. In case your device gets stuck in one of these modes, apply any of the fixes we’ve covered.
And if your device shuts down instead of going to sleep, there are solutions for that too.
