PC won't wake from sleep on Windows? Get the screen back

Steps

1. 01

   Wake it without the power button

   • Press a key or move the mouse, and give it a few seconds
   • Press Windows + Ctrl+Shift+B — this resets the graphics driver
   • If a picture appears but it's on the wrong screen, press Windows + P, press P again and then Enter to cycle display modes

   ✓You should see: A beep or a brief flicker after the shortcut — Microsoft's sign that the reset worked.

   Why?

   Microsoft's last resort is holding the power button for 20 seconds. It works, but anything unsaved is lost, so try everything above first.

2. 02

   Tell 'still asleep' from 'awake with no picture'

   • Tap Caps Lock: if its light toggles, Windows is running and only the display is missing
   • Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete — if the security screen appears, open Task Manager and restart Windows Explorer
   • On a desktop, check the monitor is on and set to the right input; for anything beyond that, follow the display signal path

   Also see: Black screen? Check the display signal path first

3. 03

   Ask Windows which sleep it uses and what woke it

   • Press the Windows key, type cmd,right-click Command Prompt›Run as administrator
   • Run powercfg /a — it lists the sleep states this PC supports and why any others are unavailable
   • Run powercfg /lastwake to see what woke it last, and powercfg /requests to see apps or drivers holding it awake

   Why?

   The sleep type it reports — Standby (S3), or Standby (S0 Low Power Idle) on PCs that use Modern Standby — is what to search for on your PC maker's support site.

4. 04

   Run the Power troubleshooter, then update drivers

   • Windows 11:Settings›System›Troubleshoot›Other troubleshooters›Run next to Power(Windows 10:Update & Security›Troubleshoot›Power)
   • Settings›Windows Update›Advanced options›Optional updates, and install any graphics or chipset driver offered
   • If it began after a driver update:Device Manager›Display adapters›your adapter›Properties›Driver›Roll Back Driver

   Also see: Check for driver updates (in the right order)

5. 05

   If it keeps happening, use hibernate instead of sleep

   • Control Panel → Power Options → 'Choose what the power buttons do' (laptops also have 'Choose what closing the lid does')
   • If Hibernate isn't in the list, select 'Change settings that are currently unavailable' on the same page and tick Hibernate under Shutdown settings. If there's no Hibernate option at all, hibernation is turned off on this PC — skip this step.
   • Set the power button or lid to Hibernate rather than Sleep, then Save changes
   • If the network is the part that doesn't come back after waking, that's a separate fix

   Why?

   Hibernate saves your session to disk and powers off, so it skips the sleep state that's failing — slower to resume, but it comes back.

   Also see: Stop your PC from sleep-glitching your network