In sleep mode Computer not responsive to pressing enter or pressing off button

Question

In sleep mode Computer not responsive to pressing enter or pressing off button. To reactive plug must be pulled.

Answer 1

Hi Jim Graham,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

When a Windows 11 device does not respond after entering Sleep mode (keyboard, mouse, or power button not waking it), this is usually related to power configuration, drivers, or system settings.

Here are some possible adjustments that you can try in this situation:

1, Turn off Fast Startup

• Press Win + R, type powercfg.cpl, press Enter
• Select Choose what the power buttons do
• Click Change settings that are currently unavailable
• Uncheck Turn on fast startup
• Save changes and restart the PC

2, Disable Hybrid Sleep

• Open Power Options > Change plan settings
• Select Change advanced power settings
• Expand Sleep
• Set Allow hybrid sleep to Off
• Apply and restart

3, Allow Keyboard and Mouse to Wake the PC

• Open Device Manager
• Expand Keyboards and Mice and other pointing devices
• For each device: Properties > Power Management
• Check Allow this device to wake the computer
• Restart the device

Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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Answer 2

On many systems this behavior is caused either by hardware/firmware limitations or by how Windows and the motherboard handle wake events from sleep.

1. Verify the system’s wake capabilities
   • Some older or non‑ACPI‑compliant motherboards only support waking from sleep by using the physical power button, and some may not support keyboard/mouse wake at all.
   • Check the PC or motherboard manual to confirm ACPI support and which devices (power button, keyboard, mouse) are allowed to wake the system.
2. Try all supported wake methods
   • Press the dedicated Sleep key (if present) again.
   • Press a standard key on the keyboard.
   • Move or click the mouse.
   • Quickly press the physical power button once (do not hold it down, as that forces a shutdown on many systems).
   • If using Bluetooth keyboard/mouse, be aware that on some systems Bluetooth devices cannot wake the PC; use the power button instead.
3. Update device and system software
   • Install the latest keyboard and mouse software/drivers (for Microsoft devices, use the latest IntelliType/IntelliPoint or successor software) and confirm the correct device is selected and configured.
   • Make sure the system firmware/BIOS and chipset drivers are up to date, as these control ACPI and sleep/wake behavior.
4. Check for known OS‑level issues and updates
   • On older Windows versions (Vista/7) there are known issues where USB or HID devices can cause the system to hang or become unresponsive when entering or resuming from sleep; these are fixed by specific hotfixes or by installing the latest service pack.
   • On Windows 7 RTM, heavy load plus certain hardware could cause the system to stop responding when entering Sleep; this was fixed in Windows 7 Service Pack 1.

If the machine still cannot be woken by the power button and only recovers when power is pulled, this strongly suggests a firmware/motherboard issue. In that case, contact the PC or motherboard manufacturer with the exact model and describe that the system will not resume from sleep using supported wake methods.

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References:

• Troubleshoot problems waking computer from sleep mode
• A computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 stops responding when you put the computer in sleep mode (S3) or resume the computer from the S3 mode
• You cannot make a computer that is running Windows 7 shut down or sleep
• The wireless keyboard and mouse become unresponsive for a while after you try to resume a Windows Vista Service Pack 2 or Windows 7-based computer from sleep