Computer Shuts Down When Put to Sleep: Fixes Are Here

Is your PC or laptop turning off when using the sleep functionality? The problem is widespread, and a lot of us have experienced it at least once in our lifetimes. But sadly, this problem often leads to data loss, which can be frustrating. On the flip side, you can take action today to prevent this from happening again and fix the issue once and for all.

 This article from EaseUS will guide you through how to fix the computer shuts down when put to sleep error and offer a way to help you protect your computer. Continue reading!

Why Computer Shuts Down Instead of Sleep

Sleep mode is a great feature if you aren't going to use your computer for a while, but you also don't want to keep your PC on the whole time. In sleep mode, the PC is actually on and runs on very limited computer resources.

This feature is available to make it easier for users to get back to work immediately on their computer without waiting for it to boot. However, this feature is broken and troubles a lot of users. Here are a few reasons why your computer shuts down when you put it in sleep mode:

• System files are corrupted
• Outdated drivers
• Outdated BIOS
• Power settings are not properly configured
• The computer overheated during the idle state

Now, we'll show you how to fix this problem and prevent your PC from shutting down the next time you put it to sleep.

How to Fix Computer Shutting Down When Putting It to Sleep

The solutions other users who have encountered a similar problem have utilized are listed below for your reference. Please work through each potential solution until you find one that resolves the issue in your case. Let's get started.

1. Solution 1: Check and Clean the Dust
2. Solution 2: Update IMEI Drivers
3. Solution 3: Update BIOS
4. Solution 4: Update Power Settings
5. Solution 5: Troubleshoot Power Settings
6. Solution 6: Turn off Hibernation

Solution 1: Check and Clean the Dust

The accumulation of dust blocks the fan and other exposed items of your computer, making it difficult for your computer to exhaust warm air and intake fresh, cool air. Resulting in the overheating of your computer.

And since the computer is functioning on low energy, it slowly starts building up heat and automatically shuts down to prevent your computer from damaging itself because of overheating. This is why, using a clean microfiber cloth, clean the dust off your computer and check if this issue persists.

Our next solution should resolve it if your computer still shuts down when putting into sleep mode.

Solution 2: Update IMEI Drivers

If you're using a PC with an Intel processor, it installs Intel Management Engine (IMEI) Drivers that help the processor communicate properly with the motherboard and other components.

Outdated or corrupted IMEI drivers make your PC crash and perform poorly, and they may also impact the power settings. Updating the IMEI drivers may help your PC prevent shutting down when putting it to sleep. Here's how to update the IMEI drivers:

Step 1. Right-click on the Start button and select "Device Manager."

Step 2. Select and expand "System devices."

Step 3. Click on " Intel(R) Management Engine Interface" and press the right-click button on your mouse or trackpad.

Step 4. Right-click on it and select " Properties."

Step 5. Click on "Drivers" and select "Update Driver."

Step 6. Now, select "Search automatically for drivers."

Step 7. Windows will locate and install the latest drivers.

Now your PC should sleep when you put it into sleep mode instead of shutting down.

Solution 3: Update BIOS

Outdated system BIOS can cause your computer to shut down when put in sleep mode. BIOS update is usually not done very often. However, exercise caution if you are not an advanced or professional user. You can seek the help of an expert or refer to your motherboard's manual to help you update the BIOS.

If you do not know how to update your BIOS, you can refer to the following articles for help.

Solution 4: Update Power Settings

Windows PCs are highly customizable, which is what makes them the most popular operating system on the planet. If your PC shuts down when you put it to sleep or when you close the lid (sleep mode), it could be because of misconfigured power settings. Update the power settings by following the below guide:

Step 1. Click on the "Start" button and search for "Settings", and open it.

Step 2. In the "Settings" search bar, type "Power & sleep settings" and open the settings menu.

Step 3. On the right-side window, under "Related settings," select "Additional power settings."

Step 4. On the left side of the Power Options menu, select "Choose what closing the lid does."

Step 5. Now configure these settings: When I press the power button, When I press the sleep button, and When I close the lid.

Step 6. Click "Save Changes" to save your changes.

Solution 5: Troubleshoot Power Settings

If updating the power settings didn't help, maybe there's an existing problem with the power settings. Troubleshoot your power settings and fix any problem that's turning off your PC when putting it to sleep.

Step 1. Open "Settings."

Step 2. Select "Update and Security."

Step 3. On the left-side menu, select "Troubleshoot."

Step 4. In the right-side menu, select "Additional troubleshooters."

Step 5. Search and locate "Power," then expand it and select "Run the troubleshooter."

Solution 6: Turn off Hibernation

Some computers have the hibernation feature enabled by default. If your PC goes into hibernation, you'll need to press the power button to wake it up. This causes a lot of users to think that their computer has turned off on them when it's actually in hibernation mode. Here's how to turn off hibernation:

Step 1. Click on the "Start" button and open the "Control Panel."

Step 2. Select "Hardware and Sound", followed by "Power Options," and then click on "Change plan settings."

Step 3. Now select "Change advanced power settings."

Step 4. Locate and expand "Sleep," and then select "Hibernate after."

Step 5. Change "On battery (Minutes)" status to "Never."

Step 6. Now, click Apply," followed by "OK."

Bonus Tip: How to Backup Your Computer for Data Security

Windows is notorious for crashing and users losing their data; however, you can take control of this and prevent this from happening by backing up your computer regularly. EaseUS Todo Backup is a cleverly built backup program that can be used by people of all ages without difficulty, thanks to its easy-to-use UI.

EaseUS Todo Backup Home is an extremely practical backup program where a user can have full control of his/her computer and can select what they want to back up. You can choose to back up only a particular disk or partition or perform a complete system backup for data security. 

In addition, it allows you to create different backup modes, such as full, incremental and differential backups. Lastly, it offers 250 GB of free cloud storage space and a Security Zone to help you back up files to Cloud.

Using this backup software, users can also clone their primary computer and use this data on multiple other computers. As a PC user, it's recommended that you use EaseUS Todo Backup to keep all of your data safe and secure. Just download and try it to back up your computer.

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Todo Backup on your computer, and click Create Backup on the home screen and then hit the big question mark to select backup contents.

Step 2. To back up your Windows operating system, click "OS" to begin the backup task.

Step 3. Your Windows operating system information and all system related files and partitions will be automatically selected so you don't need to do any manual selection at this step. Next, you'll need to choose a location to save the system image backup by clicking the illustrated area.

Step 4. The backup location can be another local drive on your computer, an external hard drive, network, cloud or NAS. Generally, we recommend you use an external physical drive or cloud to preserve the system backup files. 

Step 5. Customiztion settings like enabling an automatic backup schedule in daily, weekly, monthly, or upon an event, and making a differential and incremental backup are available in the Options button if you're interested. Click "Backup Now", and the Windows system backup process will begin. The completed backup task will display on the left side in a card style.

To Wrap Things Up

That is all about how to fix the "computer shuts down when put to sleep" error. The inclusion of sleep functionality by Windows is a great move; however, it is not well-optimized and often shuts down a computer. However, you can fix the computer shuts down instead of going to sleep error by following our above methods.

And as a concerned PC user, you should back up your computer regularly to prevent data loss because of accidental shutdowns of your PC or for various other reasons. EaseUS Todo Backup is a great backup program that can back up your PC files to an external drive or even the cloud. Try it! It will not let you down.

FAQs on Computer Shuts Down When Put to Sleep

Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about computers shutting down when put in sleep mode.

1. Why does my PC shut down automatically?

Your PC shuts down automatically because of either overheating or any other software or hardware-related issues. Check if the fan vents are free of dust and clean them. Also, clean the internals of your PC to prevent it from overheating and automatically shutting down.

2. Shutting down a PC vs putting it to sleep: Which one is better?

Windows PCs perform better when you shut them down compared to when you put them to sleep. The sleep functionality of Windows is broken for the most part. Unlike macOS, which requires you not to shut down/restart your computers too often, Windows requires you to do that. However, if you're leaving your computer in sleep mode for a short time, that is okay.

3. What is the difference between sleep and hibernation?

Sleep and hibernation are very similar on the surface, and they also sound more or less similar. However, both serve different purposes. When you put your computer in sleep mode, all your current work is saved on RAM, which lets you get started immediately if you want to start working from where you left off. 

Whereas hibernation mode saves it on your HDD or SSD, and it takes a while to start your computer from the hibernation state.

In sleep mode, your computer continuously draws little power to keep the core components of your computer active so that you can get started immediately when you choose to do so. However, in hibernation mode, it completely shuts down and draws no power, but once you turn on your computer, it will start from where you left off.

4. Is putting the computer to sleep or hibernation safe?

Yes, putting your computer in sleep or hibernation mode is safe; however, make sure your PC doesn't have a dust buildup to prevent it from overheating. Plus, remember to regularly back up your computer so that even if something happens to it, your data is safe.