On Windows 11, keep the spare PC plugged in and set its plugged-in sleep timeout to Never: open Settings > System > Power & battery > Screen, sleep, & hibernate timeouts, then change Make my device sleep after. You can still let the screen turn off; display-off and system sleep are separate settings. These steps are for Windows 11, not macOS or other operating systems. Microsoft’s Windows 11 guidance describes the separate plugged-in and battery timeouts.
Set Windows 11 to stay awake while plugged in
- Connect the spare PC to power. If it is a laptop, do not rely on its battery for an overnight stream.
- Open Settings > System > Power & battery > Screen, sleep, & hibernate timeouts.
- Under the plugged-in controls, set Make my device sleep after to Never for the period you plan to stream. Windows has separate sleep timeouts for plugged-in and battery use.
- Choose Turn my screen off after independently. Set a shorter interval if you do not need to see the monitor overnight; turning off the display does not, by itself, put the PC to sleep.
- Before leaving it unattended for the whole night, run a shorter trial and verify that the streaming application and destination platform remain active. The Windows timeout setting prevents the configured sleep timeout; it does not guarantee that an app or livestream stays connected.
When the overnight stream is finished, restore your usual sleep timeout if you want the PC to sleep when idle.
Choose whether the monitor stays on
| Display choice | When it suits |
|---|---|
| Keep the screen on | Useful if you need to see the stream or status display at a glance. |
| Let the screen turn off | Useful when nobody needs to view the monitor overnight. The PC can remain awake if its sleep timeout is set separately. |
Windows exposes distinct screen and sleep controls, but the settings alone do not establish how much electricity this particular setup will use or whether the stream software and platform will maintain a connection.
If the PC still sleeps
First confirm you changed the plugged-in sleep timeout, not just the battery setting, and check whether a device policy or another power-management setting is overriding the ordinary setting. Microsoft documents policy controls for plugged-in standby timeouts and for whether applications, services, or drivers can prevent automatic sleep; their availability and behavior depend on Windows edition and version. These advanced controls are more relevant to managed or specially configured PCs than to the first troubleshooting step. See Microsoft’s Windows power-state documentation.
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Do not treat Windows away mode as a general fix for a livestreaming PC. Microsoft says away mode should be used only when absolutely necessary by media applications that require background work while the system appears to be sleeping. Start with the normal plugged-in sleep timeout instead.
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