Troubleshooting Power Management Settings for Windows 11

To make sure your Windows 11 PC stays connected to the internet when idle, you'll need to adjust a few power and network settings. Here’s a comprehensive list of what to check:

✅ 1. Prevent Sleep and Hibernate

1. Open Settings (Windows + I).

2. Go to System > Power & battery.

3. Under Screen and sleep, set:

   • On battery power, put my device to sleep after: Never

   • When plugged in, put my device to sleep after: Never

This prevents your PC from sleeping, which often causes network disconnections.

✅ 2. Set Network Adapter to Not Power Down

1. Press Windows + X > Device Manager.

2. Expand Network adapters.

3. Right-click your active network device (e.g., Intel(R) Wi-Fi or Realtek Ethernet) > Properties.

4. Go to the Power Management tab.

5. Uncheck:
   🔲 Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power

6. Click OK.

7.  Also Check to see if Energy Efficient Ethernet is enabled: Disable Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE)

✅ 3. Turn Off Power Saving for USB (If Using USB Wi-Fi Adapter)

1. Still in Device Manager, go to Universal Serial Bus controllers.

2. Right-click USB Root Hub > Properties > Power Management.

3. Uncheck the same option:
   🔲 Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power

✅ 4. Set Power Plan to “High Performance”

1. Press Windows + R, type: control, press Enter.

2. Go to Hardware and Sound > Power Options.

3. Select High performance or Ultimate performance.

   • Or click Create a power plan and set all sleep/hibernate timers to “Never.”