Sleep mode is a low-power state designed to preserve your open apps and allow your system to wake up instantly whenever required. But what happens if your PC instantly shuts down instead of entering sleep? It can be very distressing when your computer shuts down every time you put it to sleep. Typically, this issue occurs due to an insufficient power supply or outdated drivers installed on your device.
Fortunately, there are several easy fixes available that you can try to fix such issues permanently from your end. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore different methods on how to fix a computer shutting down when put to sleep. Just apply these methods one by one to restore smooth functioning and prevent future interruptions.
Common Reasons for Computer Shutting Down Instead of Sleeping
There are several reasons why your computer shuts down instead of entering sleep mode. Understanding the exact reason helps you determine adequate fixes. Some common causes are:
- Incorrect Power Settings: Windows manages Sleep, Hibernate, Hybrid Sleep, and Fast Startup. If these options are misconfigured, system behaviour becomes unpredictable.
- Faulty or Outdated Drivers: If the graphics drivers, chipset drivers, and Intel Management Engine drivers installed on your system are outdated or corrupted, it can cause crashes or unexpected shutdowns.
- Windows Fast Startup Interference: Fast Startup forces a hybrid shutdown that may conflict with the sleep process, especially on older hardware.
- BIOS/UEFI Configuration Issues: Settings like PCI Express power options, XMP, Wake-on-LAN, or ACPI may affect your device’s sleep/wake cycle.
- System File Corruption: Corrupted power-related files or Windows system components can also impact the sleep functionality of your computer.
Troubleshooting Computer Shutdown Issue When Put to Sleep
Irrespective of the above reasons for your computer shutting down instead of entering sleep mode, it’s important to apply adequate fixes at the earliest. You can go with the following methods one by one to fix the issue:
Method 01: Configure Basic Power Settings
Hybrid sleep is a mix of Sleep and Hibernate, and on some systems, this combined mode causes your system to shut down instead of sleeping. In such a case, you can disable the hybrid sleep feature to avoid unexpected shutdown issues. For this:
- Launch Control Panel, go to Power Options.
- Now, go to Change plan settings >Change advanced power settings.
- Expand Sleep, then set Allow hybrid sleep to Off.
Method 02: Disable Fast Startup via Control Panel
Windows’ in-built Fast Startup utility speeds up boot by using a partial hibernate (kernel session saved to disk). This feature sometimes conflicts with sleep/driver behaviour, so disabling it can help you avoid sudden system shutdowns while putting it to sleep. All you have to do is:
- Press the Windows + R keys, then type Control in the Run prompt. Hit Enter to launch the Control Panel.
- Now, go to Hardware and Sound and then click Power Options to view available plans.
- From the left navigation of the Power options, click Choose what the power buttons do and then choose “Change settings that are currently unavailable”.
- Under Shutdown settings, uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended) to disable hybrid boot behaviour that may conflict with sleep.
- Lastly, click Save changes and then restart your computer to check if the issue of unexpected system shutdown is resolved.
Method 03: Update Device Drivers
Device drivers are critical for system stability. Outdated or incompatible drivers can interrupt power-management processes and prevent your computer from entering Sleep mode correctly. To avoid such issues, you can follow the below steps to update the drivers:
- Firstly, press Windows + X keys and click on Device Manager from the list.
- Expand all the devices one by one, right-click on the driver with an exclamation mark and select Properties.
- Now, go to the Driver tab and click on Update Driver.
- Click on Search automatically for drivers.
- Once the drivers are updated, restart your system and check to see if this fixes the issue.
Method 04: Update IMEI Drivers
IMEI or Intel(R) Management Engine Interface drivers play a very important role in the smooth functioning of your computer. If the IMEI driver installed on your PC is outdated, it leads to improper functioning of your device’s power settings, thereby causing your computer to shut down in sleep mode. To update it –
- Press Windows + X keys and click on Device Manager from the list.
- Now, expand System Devices and locate Intel(R) Management Engine Interface.
- Right-click on it and select Properties.
- Navigate to the Driver tab, then click on Update Driver.
- Click on Search automatically for drivers.
Once the process completes, reboot your computer and see if the issue is resolved.
What if Unexpected Computer Shutdown Causes Data Loss?
Even if the above methods fix shutdown issues, unexpected failures may still cause data loss—so don’t worry! There are several Windows data recovery software like Stellar Data Recovery that you can use to restore your lost data. This all-in-one tool supports recovery of files deleted due to accidental deletion, formatting, system failure, or any other reason. You can use this tool to recover deleted photos, videos, documents, and other types of files of various formats.
Stellar Data Recovery is a trusted and widely used tool designed to recover data from different devices such as hard drives, SD cards, USB drives, external drives and many more. The software provides flexible scanning modes, including a quick scan for minor corruption and a deep scan for severe data loss scenarios. This Windows data recovery software also offers a preview feature to preview recoverable files before saving them on your device. Additionally, Stellar includes built-in features like SMART drive monitoring, disk imaging for failing drives, and advanced recovery tools tailored for severely damaged disks.
Additional Tips to Avoid Sleep-Mode Shutdowns
Here are some preventive tips that you can consider to avoid unexpected sleep-mode shutdowns:
- Keep your Windows OS and installed apps up-to-date to ensure stability, security, and proper hardware compatibility.
- Update all essential device drivers on a regular basis to prevent system conflicts and performance-related shutdown issues.
- Avoid overheating by ensuring proper airflow, cleaning vents, and avoiding heavy loads in high temperatures.
- Never unnecessarily force shut down your computer, as this may damage files and system processes.
- Run periodic system and disk health checks to detect errors early and maintain overall performance.
Wrapping Up
Unexpected system shutdowns while putting it to sleep mode is a common yet frustrating problem. This issue generally comes from incorrect power settings, outdated drivers, corrupted system files, overheating, or hardware faults. By following the above outlined steps, you can easily restore proper sleep functionality.
Whether you’re using a laptop or desktop, these solutions cover every major cause and offer reliable ways to fix the computer shutting down when put to sleep. Moreover, if you ever encounter data loss on your device, check previously created backups or use third-party Windows data recovery software tools like Stellar Data Recovery to restore your lost files.
