How to Enable or Disable Modern Standby in Windows 11

What is Modern Standby?

Modern Standby is a Windows power mode that lets your computer wake up instantly and stay connected to the internet, similar to how your smartphone works. It keeps your device ready to use immediately, but it uses more power than older sleep modes like S3.

There are two main power modes in Windows:

• S3 (Old Sleep Mode): Your PC goes into a deeper sleep and uses less power. But it takes longer to wake up.
• Modern Standby (New Sleep Mode): Your PC stays in a light sleep and uses a bit more power. But it wakes up instantly and stays connected to the internet.

Modern Standby can work in three ways:

• Connected – stays connected to the internet during sleep (uses more battery)
• Disconnected – sleeps without internet connection (saves battery)
• Managed by Windows – Windows decides when to connect or disconnect

Why Turn Off Modern Standby?

Disabling Modern Standby might be necessary if your PC or device experiences issues with it. Some older programs or hardware rely on the S3 sleep mode to function correctly. This change can also help resolve crashes or other power-related problems.

Important Notes Before You Start

Before attempting to disable Modern Standby, confirm you are signed in as an administrator, as this permission is required to make system changes.

How to Check if Modern Standby is Enabled

1. Open Command Prompt.
2. Type this command and press Enter:
   
   powercfg /a
3. Look for “Standby (S0 Low Power Idle)” in the results. If you see this, Modern Standby is enabled.

How to Turn Off or Turn On Modern Standby

Option 1Use Command Prompt or Windows Terminal (Admin)

1. ⚙️ Admin Required: Right-click the ⊞ Start button and choose Windows Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).
2. To turn ON Modern Standby (default), copy and paste this command and press Enter:
   
   reg delete "HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power" /v PlatformAoAcOverride /f
3. To turn OFF Modern Standby and enable S3 sleep, copy and paste this command and press Enter:
   
   reg add HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power /v PlatformAoAcOverride /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
4. 🔄 Restart your computer to apply the changes.

Disabling Modern Standby is possible with either Command Prompt or Windows Terminal, though administrator rights are required. Begin by right-clicking the ⊞ Start button and selecting either ‘Windows Terminal (Admin)’ or ‘Command Prompt (Admin)’ to launch the tool with the necessary elevated permissions.

Option 2Use Registry Files

You can disable Modern Standby by editing the Windows Registry, but proceed with extreme caution, as errors can lead to system instability. This method involves adding a registry value that guides Windows on how to manage sleep modes.

reg delete "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power" /v PlatformAoAcOverride /f

To Disable Modern Standby:

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power" /v PlatformAoAcOverride /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Summary

• Modern Standby lets your PC wake up fast and stay connected but uses more power.
• S3 Sleep uses less power but takes longer to wake up.
• Turning off Modern Standby can give you more control over power settings but might cause slower wake-up times.
• You need administrator rights to change these settings.
• If your PC doesn’t support S3 in its hardware (BIOS/UEFI), turning off Modern Standby might cause problems.

Learn More

Microsoft: What is Modern Standby?

Modern Standby vs S3 Sleep

Modern Standby FAQs