How to Disable Sleep Mode on Chromebooks (In Just 3 Clicks)

Your Chromebook needs it’s nap time just like you need your sleep.

But, what if you don’t your Chromebook to sleep? What if you want to disable it? Or stop the screen from going blank?

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Thankfully, it’s super easy to do. (And doesn’t require much work at all.)

You don’t need any additional hardware, nor do you have to hack your laptop to get it working.

All you need is to install a bit of software to get it working.

Last updated: 7/3/17. If there are any updates, this will be reviewed so you get the most accurate information =].

Why does your Chromebook go to sleep?

First, let’s go over why your Chromebook goes to sleep and what triggers it. Your laptop has a built-in timer which automatically blanks the screen if you do nothing and just leave it idle for 6 minutes.

This feature is made to save battery and screen burn-in.

It’s called the “sleep timeout” feature. It’ll also go to sleep mode if you close the lid so you can quickly resume working later when you flip it open again. Both these features are made to save your battery and make it convenient for quickly getting back to work.

Normally, your laptop will shut down background processes, WiFi, and suspend apps when you close the lid or leave it idle. If you leave it in this state long enough, it’ll eventually shut down to save even more battery.

Reasons for disabling sleep mode

If you don't want your Chromebook to sleep, you can easily disable it with an app.
Your Chromebook has a built-in sleep mode to save battery. But, you can turn it off easily in a pinch.

Personally, the sleep functions both work wonderfully in my opinion. The problem is when you need to download something or leave it on so it can perform a task or run a program. This is when you need to disable the sleep mode. Perhaps you want your Chromebook to compute even if you close the lid, this is also easily done as well.

You may be download files, or uploading files, or maybe you have an active connection to a server and don’t want your laptop to constantly disconnect because it’s entering sleep mode.

Or maybe you just want it to be on, and only shut down when you tell it to. If you frequently use it and need it to stay on, then disabling the sleep function is essential. There are many reasons why you’d want to stop your laptop from sleeping:

  • Using it to play music, movies, or other media
  • Downloading files
  • Uploading files
  • Connected to a server
  • Using it as a secondary laptop or monitor
  • Using it as a nightlight

The possibilities are endless. So, let’s find out how to disable it and keep your laptop from sleeping.

How to disable sleep mode on your Chromebook

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You’ll be using an app called Keep Awake.

It’s a Chrome Web Store app that basically keeps your Chromebook awake and never allows it to sleep. Keep Awake is made by Google (so you can trust it) and is completely free to use.

As an added bonus, you also don’t need to enable any permissions as it has no need to snoop for anything on your device. Of course, there are alternative apps, but some permissions that you need to grant. So why not stick to the safest route?

It doesn’t matter if you close the lid or leave it idle with the lid open- it’ll keep running until it drains its battery, so make sure you leave it plugged in if you plan to use this app.

Unless you don’t plan to leave it awake for that long. Keep Awake will literally keep your laptop awake until you allow it to sleep. The power’s in your hands (literally).

 

Here’s how to get it:

Keep Awake will keep your Chromebook from sleeping and blanking the screen.
Keep Awake will keep your Chromebook from sleeping and blanking the screen.

Step 1: Download Keep Awake from the Chrome web store.You can click on the “apps” button in your bookmarks toolbar and search for “keep awake” and download it if you want to see the information and reviews about it.

Just open up Chrome Browser and click on the “Apps” button in your bookmarks toolbar, click on the Web Store icon, and search for “keep awake” in the search box in the Store.

For your convenience, you can go directly to Keep Awake here.

(This is click number one.)

Step 2: Add it to Chrome by clicking the big, green install button.

(Click number two.)

Step 3: Keep Awake will add a small icon to your Chrome browser toolbar. You can click on it to choose and toggle a few functions:

  • The Moon Icon will basically act as if Keep Awake isn’t installed. Use this to quickly disable Keep Awake and let your Chromebook perform its regular sleep functions.
  • The Sunset Icon will allow your Chromebook to blank the screen but will prevent it from going into a full sleep mode.
  • The Sun Icon is what you’re looking for- it’ll keep your machine from going to sleep in all perspectives. The screen won’t go blank, and it also won’t sleep when you close the lid. It’ll remain on in all instances.

Play around with these options to get it working how you want it to work. Tweak it and find the perfect setting that suits your specific purpose for keeping your laptop awake.

(And click number three.)

Step 4: Disable Keep Awake (Moon Icon) when you’re done. If you leave it on and your Chromebook isn’t plugged in, it’ll drain it until it shuts off. So use it when you need it if you want to save the battery from draining.

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Your Chromebook…on energy drinks

And….there you have it. You’ve done it. In three clicks.

Now you know how to modulate your Chromebook’s power management and keep it on and prevent it from going to sleep. I’ve personally used a few different apps similar to Keep Awake, but I found it to the best and easiest to use. I use it to keep my Chromebook on when I upload huge files and to play music in the background as well. I find it to be extremely handy and it’s one of the apps I still use daily. Keep Awake is just win.

Update: Here’s something interesting. Google is currently working on power-saving options for Chromebooks. From what I’ve seen so far, you’ll be able to control what happens to your laptop in a variety of different situations to save power. For example, you can choose what happens when you close the lid (sleep or stay awake) or when it’s idle (turn display off but stay awake, turn off the display and sleep, or keep the display on). Pretty cool.

Did this article help you? I’d be pleased to know your thoughts.

About Andy Z.

Andy is a casual-hardcore Chrome OS fan and contributes to the site regularly. He likes computers, tech, sports cars, videogames, and of course, Chromebooks. Thinker. Introvert. Geek. You can find him on Twitter (@platytech), or send him an email (check the "Contact Us" page).

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