How to Enable Wake Timers in Windows 11

This guide explains how to turn wake timers on or off in Windows 11.

Why do this? Windows uses wake timers to perform tasks while your computer is asleep. For example, it might wake your PC to install updates or perform scheduled maintenance automatically.

What happens when done? Your computer will be able to wake itself up from Sleep or Hibernation mode to run tasks that you or the system have scheduled.

If your computer supports it, the Wake-On-LAN feature is a better option to wake it up and connect to it remotely. If your PC does not support that, using Wake Timers with scheduled tasks is a great alternative.

How to set up Wake Timers in Windows 11

Wake timers allow your system to wake up automatically to perform tasks. You can adjust this setting in the Control Panel. Windows can be set up to wake up and a specific time using Wake Timer and scheduled events

1. Open the the Control Panel in Windows 11 app on your computer.

2. In the Control Panel, click on Hardware and Sound.

3. Select Power Options.

4. Click the Change plan settings link next to your active power plan.

5. Click the Change advanced power settings link.

6. In the window that pops up, look for Sleep and click the plus sign (+) to expand it.

7. Expand Allow wake timers.

8. Change the settings for both On battery and Plugged in to Enable.

9. Click OK to save your changes.

Note: You may require admin privileges to change these power settings.

Summary

• Enabling wake timers allows your PC to wake up from Sleep or Hibernation to complete scheduled tasks.
• This is useful for automatic updates and remote connections.
• You can configure these settings through the Control Panel under Power Options.
• Ensure the setting is enabled for both battery and plugged-in states for the best results.
• If your hardware supports it, check out Wake-On-LAN as a powerful alternative for remote access.