If your Windows system is mysteriously waking up at night due to an ACPI Wake Alarm, despite your best efforts to disable all related settings, rest assured that you are not alone in this frustrating experience. Below is a comprehensive guide, drawn from thorough troubleshooting and research, designed to assist you in resolving this issue.
Fix ACPI Wake Alarm Does Not Disable on Windows 11/10
When faced with the persistent problem of your Windows 11/10 waking up unexpectedly, consider the following suggestions to help rectify the situation:
- Adjust hibernate settings
- BIOS/UEFI Configuration
- PowerShell and Command Line for wake timers
- Disable Wake Timers
- Check Security and Maintenance settings
- Task Scheduler settings
- Event Viewer analysis
Before diving into these solutions, it may be beneficial to check if the issue persists in a clean boot state.
How to Disable ACPI Wake Alarm
1] Adjust Hibernate Settings
The Hibernate after Sleep feature allows Windows PCs to transition from a sleep state to hibernation after a specified duration. This transition can inadvertently trigger the ACPI Wake Alarm. To modify these settings:
- Access Power Options via Control Panel or by entering
powercfg.cpl. - Select your active power plan and click on Change plan settings.
- Navigate to Change advanced power settings.
- Expand the Sleep category.
- Set Hibernate after to a higher value or disable it by setting it to 0 (Never).
After making these adjustments, execute the powercfg /SLEEPSTUDY command in Windows Terminal to identify wake-up sources. The report will be generated at C:WINDOWSsystem32sleepstudy-report.htm.
2] BIOS/UEFI Configuration
Your system firmware may be responsible for triggering wake events. To disable the Wake on RTC Alarm:
- Restart your PC and access the BIOS/UEFI setup (typically by pressing Del, F2, or F12 during boot).
- Search for settings related to ACPI or Wake on RTC Alarm.
- If enabled, disable these settings.
Read: Fix ACPI BIOS ERROR or ACPI BIOS FATAL ERROR in Windows
3] PowerShell and Command Line for Wake Timers
Utilizing specific commands can help uncover hidden configurations:
powercfg -qh > power_settings.txt
This command will allow you to review power_settings.txt for entries associated with ACPI or wake timers. To analyze the active power plan, run the powercfg /getactivescheme command. If you wish to disable a specific device from waking the computer, use:
powercfg -devicedisablewake ""
4] Disable Wake Timers
- Navigate to Power Settings and select Change Advanced Power Settings for your current plan.
- Under Sleep, choose Allow wake timers and set it to disable.
This adjustment can be made for both On Battery and Plugged In states.
5] Check Security and Maintenance Settings
Scheduled backups and security checks may inadvertently wake your PC. To modify these settings:
- Open Control Panel and select Security and Maintenance.
- Click on Change maintenance settings under the Maintenance section.
- Uncheck the box for Allow scheduled maintenance to wake up my computer at the scheduled time.
- Save your changes.
6] Task Scheduler Settings
Windows has scheduled tasks that could wake the computer if configured to do so. To review existing tasks:
- Open any task and select properties.
- Switch to the Conditions tab and uncheck the “Wake the computer to run this task” option.
7] Event Viewer Analysis
For a deeper understanding of wake sources, check the Event Viewer under Windows Logs > System. If your PC consistently wakes from sleep or hibernation, the Event Viewer will typically report the Wake Source as Device—ACPI Wake Alarm.
Why Does My Computer Wake Up at Night Despite Disabling Wake Timers?
This issue often stems from ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) wake alarms, which permit specific hardware or firmware events to wake your PC. Even with wake timers disabled in Power Management settings, certain low-level system processes or BIOS/UEFI configurations may override these settings.
Read: Computer Automatically Waking Up from Sleep
How Can I Fully Disable ACPI Wake Alarms to Prevent Unwanted Wake-Ups?
While it is possible to disable ACPI wake alarms, it requires thorough examination of all related settings, including tasks, BIOS configurations, power settings, backups, and any other elements that could potentially wake your PC from sleep or hibernation.
