Wake Timers in Windows 10 and Windows 11: How to Configure and Control Them

Wake timers in Windows 10 and Windows 11 are a feature that allows your computer to automatically wake up from sleep mode at a scheduled time. This function is commonly used for performing tasks such as automatic updates, scheduled maintenance, backups, or system scans. In this article, we’ll explain how wake timers work and guide you through configuring them on your PC.

Understanding How Wake Timers Work

A wake timer is an event that can trigger your computer to wake up from sleep or hibernation mode. It’s a useful feature if you need the system to perform certain tasks automatically without user intervention. For instance, the computer might wake up at night to install updates or perform a virus scan.

How to Enable or Disable Wake Timers in Windows 10 and Windows 11

To enable or disable wake timers on your system, follow these steps:

  1. Open Control Panel or press Win + X and select Power Options.
  2. Click on Additional power settings.
  3. Select Change plan settings next to your active power plan.
  4. Click on Change advanced power settings.
  5. Find the Sleep section and expand it, then look for Allow wake timers.
  6. Select your preferred setting:
    • Enabled — wake timers are active.
    • Disabled — wake timers are completely turned off.
    • Important wake timers only — only essential system tasks will wake the computer (recommended for most users).

How to Set Up a Wake Timer with Task Scheduler

If you want to schedule a specific task to wake up your PC at a certain time, you can do this using the Task Scheduler:

  1. Press Win + S and type Task Scheduler, then open the app.
  2. Click on Create Task in the right-hand panel.
  3. On the General tab, give your task a name and check Run with highest privileges.
  4. Go to the Triggers tab and click New to set the schedule.
  5. Specify the time and frequency of the task.
  6. On the Conditions tab, check the option Wake the computer to run this task.
  7. Click OK to save the task.

How to Find Out What Woke Up Your Computer

If your computer wakes up unexpectedly, it might be due to a wake timer. To check what caused the wake-up, follow these steps:

  1. Press Win + X and select Command Prompt (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin).
  2. Type the command: powercfg -lastwake and press Enter. This will show the event that woke the system.
  3. You can also use the command powercfg -waketimers to see a list of scheduled wake timers.

Tips for Managing Wake Timers

  • Disable wake timers if you don’t want your PC to wake up automatically, especially during the night.
  • Use the Important wake timers only setting to prevent unnecessary wake-ups while still allowing critical tasks to run.
  • Check your Windows update settings, as they might enable wake timers for automatic updates.