Schedule Your Windows 11 PC to Wake Up Automatically

This post shows students and new users steps to set up a PC to wake up automatically at a specific time in Windows 11.

By default, when you put a Windows computer to sleep or if a laptop goes into modern standby or hibernation, it normally waits until you press a button before it wakes from Sleep.

One can also configure a Windows PC to wake up when there is network activity, but not all PCs support Waking on LAN.

Using common tricks, Windows also allows you to schedule a task to wake a PC up from Sleep or hibernation at specific times. This can be particularly useful if you want your PC to wake up from Sleep and allow you to connect remotely or start other actions while you’re away.

For this to work, you’ll need to ensure wake timers are enabled, and the steps below will show you how to do that.

How to wake a PC up at a specific time in Windows 11

As mentioned above, one can set up a task to wake a Windows PC up at a specific time from Sleep or hibernation. If your PC supports it, you can also enable Wake on LAN to start or wake Windows PC up when there’s a network activity.

First, open the Task Scheduler in Windows. In Windows 11, go to the Start Menu, then search for and open the Task Scheduler app.

Once the Task Scheduler opens, select the Task Scheduler Library and click the Create Task link to create a new task.

Next, from the General tab, name the task, “Wake me up.” You will also want to select the task to Run whether a user is logged on or not and choose to Run with the highest privileges.

On the Triggers tab, create a new trigger that runs the task at a specific time. You can choose a repeating schedule or a single time.

On the Conditions tab, check to box to Wake the computer to run this task.

You must create at least one action for the task on the Actions tab. In most cases, you simply want to wake the computer up from Sleep. To close quickly, you can create a simple action to run the cmd.exe  (Command Prompt) with the /c arguments. So this action will start the Command Prompt and quickly close.

Save the task, and you’re done.

To save the task, you’ll be prompted to enter your password. Confirm your password to save it.

How to turn on Wake Timers in Windows 11

For the task above to work, you must enable Wake Timers in Windows. A wake timer is a timed event that wakes the PC from Sleep and hibernates states at a specific time.

To enable Wake Timers in Windows, search and open the Control Panel, then go to Hardware and Sound > Power Options.

Click on Change plan settings for the current power plan, and select Change advanced power settings, expand the Sleep, then expand:

Allow wake timers:

• On battery: Enable
• Plugged in: Enable

Click OK to save your changes and exit.

You can read this post on how to turn Wake Timers on or off in Windows 11.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• Configuring your Windows 11 PC to wake up automatically at a specific time can enhance productivity and convenience.
• Enabling Wake Timers is essential for this feature to function properly.
• The Task Scheduler allows you to automate waking your computer, making remote access and scheduled tasks easier.
• Ensure that you have followed all steps correctly to avoid any disruption in the process.
• This setup is particularly useful for users who want their PCs ready for remote work or activities at pre-set times.