To stop an idle Windows PC from sleeping during a 24/7 YouTube stream, set its sleep timeout to Never while plugged in. You can still let the screen turn off: display timeout and system sleep are separate settings. If the computer keeps sleeping, check laptop lid actions and use powercfg /requests to inspect active power requests.
Set Windows to stay awake while plugged in
Use the plugged-in setting for a PC that is meant to run continuously. Setting sleep to Never prevents automatic idle sleep; it does not guarantee that YouTube, your streaming software, the network, or the computer will remain online for other reasons.
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Windows 11
- Open Start > Settings > System > Power & battery.
- Expand Screen, sleep, & hibernate timeouts.
- Under When plugged in, set Make my device sleep after to Never.
- Choose a separate value for Turn my screen off after. Set it to Never if you want the display to stay on, or choose a timeout if you want the screen to switch off while the PC stays awake.
Windows updates and device capabilities can affect the exact wording or available options. Confirm that you are changing the plugged-in setting rather than the battery setting.
Windows 10
Open Settings > System > Power & sleep and set the sleep timeout for plugged-in use to Never. You can also open Control Panel > Power Options to review the active power plan. Microsoft support for Windows 10 ended on October 14, 2025; see Microsoft’s power-mode guidance.
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Keep the display setting separate from sleep
Turning off the monitor or laptop display does not, by itself, mean Windows has gone to sleep. To conserve power or avoid a bright screen in a room where the stream is running, set Turn my screen off after separately and leave Make my device sleep after set to Never while plugged in. If the PC itself enters sleep, the stream may stop because the computer is no longer actively running the streaming setup.
Check laptop lid and power-button behavior
On a laptop, closing the lid can trigger sleep independently of the idle sleep timeout. In Control Panel, go to System and Security > Power Options > Choose what closing the lid does. Review the Plugged in column for both the lid and power-button actions. The available behavior varies by PC, so check the actual device rather than assuming that changing the idle timer is enough. See Microsoft’s guidance on sleep and power options.
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Find out why the PC still sleeps
If the sleep timeout is set correctly but the PC behaves unexpectedly, Windows includes the powercfg command-line utility for examining power activity. Run commands in Command Prompt; use an elevated prompt where noted.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
- List active requests: Run
powercfg /requests. It lists application and driver requests that can prevent the display from turning off or the system from entering low-power sleep. Inspect the caller shown in the output to understand what is requesting a different power state. - Review sleep transitions: Run
powercfg /systemsleepdiagnosticsfrom an elevated Command Prompt to generate a report about system sleep transitions. - Use overrides only when you understand the request:
powercfg /requestsoverridecan configure overrides for a process, service, or driver. It accepts request types includingDisplay,System, andAwaymode. Inspect the caller withpowercfg /requestsfirst; overriding the wrong request can interfere with intended power behavior.
Command syntax and power-request behavior are documented in Microsoft Learn’s powercfg command-line options.
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What power mode does—and does not—change
Windows power mode and the sleep timeout are separate controls. Microsoft describes efficiency, balanced, and performance modes, but which choices appear depends on the hardware and manufacturer. Changing power mode is not a substitute for setting the plugged-in sleep timeout to Never. Microsoft’s power-mode guidance explains the available modes and their purpose.
Or let it run in the cloud
If the goal is to keep uploaded videos playing as a YouTube live stream, StreamNeo is a cloud alternative to leaving a Windows PC running. The setup is: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, then go live. StreamNeo loops the uploaded video from the cloud; it does not stream from a camera and supports YouTube only.
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