Fix: Windows Shuts Down Instead of Sleep

There is a recurrent issue on Windows 10 when laptops and notebooks shut down instead of going into Sleep mode whenever the user closes the lid, selects Sleep mode from the Start menu or when the power button is pressed shortly. The issue is likely to either happen due to a power setting, a disabled BIOS setting, or due to a bug with the Intel Management Engine Interface (IMEI) driver.

If you are experiencing the same symptoms as the ones portrayed above, this article will help you troubleshoot the issue. Below you have a collection of methods that other users in a similar situation have used to resolve the issue. Please follow each potential method in order until you come across a fix that manages to fix the issue in your particular situation.

Method 1: Verifying your power settings

Before you try anything else, it’s important to make sure that your current power plan is not actually causing this behavior. It’s entirely possible your power button is configured to shut down when you short-press it. Even more, it’s standard behavior for some older laptop models to shut down instead of entering sleep or hibernation when you close the lid.

Keep in mind that some power saving utilities might have recently overridden your default power settings, triggering this new behavior. Here’s a quick guide on how to make sure that your power settings are not triggering this behavior:

1. Open a new Run box by pressing Windows key + R. Then, type “ms-settings:powersleep” and hit Enter to open the Power & Sleep tab of the Settings App.
   
2. In the Power & Sleep tab, scroll down and click on Additional power settings (under Related settings).
3. In the Power Options menu, use the left-hand pane to click on Choose what the power buttons do.
4. In the System Settings screen, change the behavior of When I press the power button to Sleep using the two drop-down menus. Then, repeat the same procedure with When I press the sleep button and with When I close the lid. Once all settings are in place, click on Save changes.

Next, test if this method has been successful by closing the lid or pressing the power button shortly.

Method 2: Running the Windows PowerTroubleshooter

One of the first things that you could try is run the built-in Power Troubleshooter. This is a built-in Windows feature that essentially holds a collection of investigations and repair strategies to troubleshoot common problems such as the one at hand.

Here’s a quick guide on running the Windows Power Troubleshooter to see if it resolves the issue:

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run box. Then, type “ms-settings:troubleshoot” and hit Enter to open the Troubleshoot tab of the Windows Settings App.
   
2. In the Troubleshoot tab, click on Power (under Find and fix other problems), then select Run the troubleshooter.
   
3. Wait until the investigation is complete. If the Power Troubleshooter managed to identify a problem, click on Apply this fix and wait until the repair strategy is applied.
4. Once the repair is complete, close the Power Troubleshooter and reboot your computer.

At the next startup, try putting your computer to Sleep again and see if you experience the same behavior. If your laptop or notebook is still shutting down instead of going to sleep, continue to the next method below.

Method 3: See if Power Saving mode is enabled in BIOS

Keep in mind that Sleep mode won’t function properly (or not at all) if Power Saving Mode is disabled from your BIOS settings. See if this is the cause of your issue by accessing your BIOS settings.

Once you’re there, start looking for a Power Saving Mode and make sure it’s enabled. If you have a fairly old motherboard, the setting might also be called S1 and S3 power settings – if you have to choose between S1 and S3, enable S3. If you enable power saving mode from BIOS, see whether it has resolved the issue at the next boot.

If Power saving mode (S3) was already enabled or this method wasn’t applicable, move down to Method 4.

Method 4: Install the latest version of Intel Management Engine Interface (IMEI)

If Windows Power Troubleshooter wasn’t able to resolve the issue automatically, let’s try a manual approach that was reportedly successful for a lot of users dealing with the same symptoms.

As it turns out, the Intel Management Engine Interface (IMEI) driver is often responsible for power issues. Some users have managed to restore the normal functionality of the sleep mode by uninstalling the current driver for the Intel Management Engine interface and then manually installing the latest version from Intel’s download page.

Here’s a quick guide on how to uninstall the Intel Management Engine Interface (IMEI) driver and resolve the issue where Windows 10 shuts down instead of going into Sleep mode:

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run box. Then, type “devmgmt.msc” and hit Enter to open Device Manager.
   
2. Inside Device Manager, expand the drop-down menu associated with System devices. Then, right-click on Intel Management Engine Interface and choose Properties.
   
3. In Intel(R) Management Engine Interface Properties window, go to the Driver tab and check the driver version. If the Driver version is 11.0.X or older, there’s a high chance that this is causing the issue.
4. Click on Uninstall Device and wait for the driver to be uninstalled. Reboot your system to allow your system to remove the remaining components related to the IMEI driver (this is necessary).
5. At the next startup, open your browser and visit this link (here). Then, download the latest version available of the Intel Management Engine Driver.
   
6. Once the driver is downloaded, open the executable and follow the on-screen prompts to install the driver on your system.
7. Once the installation is complete, reboot your computer manually if not prompted to do so automatically.
8. At the next startup, check if the issue has been resolved by putting your laptop or notebook to sleep again.

Important Point: If you are have installed an SSD from Samsung or any other manufacturer that also provides software along with the SSD to manage it, try to check the sleep settings and see if SSD is set to go to sleep after a certain amount of time. Many users were facing this issue due to the SSD being set to go to sleep which also puts their computer to sleep.