6 Ways to Fix a Windows Device That’s Stuck in Hibernate or Sleep Mode

You’re using your Windows device and then decide to take a break. So, you put the device into the “sleep” or “hibernate” mode. But now, the device is suddenly stuck, and your screen is blank! No matter which button you press, nothing happens. And even when you click your mouse, the screen won’t turn on.

No need to worry—we’ll show you some easy methods to tackle a PC that won’t “wake up” after hibernating or sleeping.

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What Is the Difference Between the “Hibernate” and “Sleep” Modes?

The sleep and hibernate modes are power-saving features. You’d usually use either option when you’re away from your device.

The sleep mode uses little power and usually wakes your device faster. During sleep mode, most PC components (except the RAM) are turned off.

A person using a computer that has a blank screen

Meanwhile, the hibernate mode uses less power than the sleep option. When this mode is active, all PC components (including the RAM) are turned off. So, it’s almost similar to shutting down your device, except that it restarts the system faster.

So, which option should you use between these two modes? It depends on how long you’ll be taking a break from using your device. For example, use the sleep option if you just want to take a quick break.

An illustration of a question and an idea

Now, let’s discover how it’s possible to fix your PC when it’s stuck on the “sleep” or “hibernate” mode.

1. Disconnect External Devices and Restart Your PC

Are there any external devices connected to your device? If so, then they might be the reason you’re encountering the issue at hand.

The quickest solution is to remove the external devices and then restart your PC. Even if no external devices are connected, try restarting your device and see if that helps.

Using a PC that has an external storage device plugged in

2. Configure the Mouse and Keyboard Settings

Usually, you’d easily wake your device by pressing any key on your PC. In some instances, it’s possible to wake the device with a single mouse click.

However, this depends on how you’ve configured the mouse and keyboard settings. If these settings aren’t configured properly, then you might encounter issues when waking your device.

Computer screen showing settings

So, let’s start by tweaking the keyboard settings to resolve the issue:

Next, let’sconfigure the mouse settingsthrough these steps:

3. Restore the Default Power Settings

Sometimes, the issue might be caused by the way you’ve configured the power settings. So, restoring the default power settings could help.

Here are the steps you need to follow:

4. Perform a Power Cycle on Your Device

Performing a power cycle on your Windows device might also help.

During the “power cycle” process, your device will reset and eliminate system issues. So, this could also tackle the “blank screen” issue.

Let’s first check out how to perform a power cycle on a device with a removable battery:

If your device has a non-removable battery, here’s how it’s possible to perform a power cycle:

5. Run the Built-In Troubleshooting Tools

If the issue persists, then tryrunning the Windows built-in troubleshooters.

Because you’re likely dealing with a power issue, it’s best to run the Power troubleshooter first.

Alternatively, run the Power troubleshooter via the Control Panel through these steps:

If the issue persists, you may be dealing with a hardware-related problem. So, you could tackle the issue by running the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter.

6. Restart or Reinstall the Battery Drivers

The “blank screen” issue might also be caused by corrupted battery drivers. So, you could tackle the problem by either restarting or reinstalling these drivers.

Let’s start by checking out how you can restart the battery drivers:

Alternatively, reinstall the battery drivers to tackle the issue at hand.

No More Getting Stuck on in Sleep or Hibernate Mode

If you want to save power on your Windows device, try using the “sleep” and “hibernate” modes. In case your device gets stuck in one of these modes, apply any of the fixes we’ve covered.

And if your device shuts down instead of going to sleep, there are solutions for that too.

If your Windows 11 PC decides to shut down instead of sleeping, here’s how to prevent that from happening.

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