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By default Windows uses a power plan to save energy. It can do this by auto turning off the display when there is no activity for a given period and also do a similar thing to put the computer to sleep. If you donât move the mouse and touch the keyboard within this period, Windows thinks youâre away and will perform the selected action in an attempt to save some power. However this is not always the case and sometimes you might not be at the computer but donât want it to shut off the display or go into standby for a little while.
You can of course go to the Power Options applet in Control Panel and either create or edit a power plan that never goes into standby mode or turns off the display. The problem is if you forget to set it back to your chosen power plan, Windows obviously wonât set these options back by itself and youâre left power settings you might not want on a permanent basis. Luckily some software has an option to do this while itâs running such as a video player disabling the monitor shut off function when a movie is showing.
Dec 04, 2014 âRead reviews, compare customer ratings, see screenshots, and learn more about AntiSleep - Keep System Awake. Download AntiSleep - Keep System Awake for macOS 10.11 or later and enjoy it on your Mac. The app is a small wrapper around Apple's caffeinate command line utility. All current versions of macOS ship with this tool by default. You can read the manual page here. Is this dangerous? This utility will not harm your Mac because it is based on an official command line tool by Apple. BUT I cannot guarantee anything, so use this tool AT.
Not all software has this option so to solve the problem, simply use a third party utility to temporarily prevent the computer from going into standby. Hereâs a selection of small tools that can help.
1. Insomnia
This simple little tool will simply prevent your computer from going into standby while itâs running. Insomnia actually tries to disable sleep mode while itâs open and then puts the setting back to what it was previously on close. It has not been designed to and will not prevent your screen shutting off.
There are separate 32-bit and 64-bit versions available and you simply run the executable which opens the small window above. Although you can minimize the window to the tray, it is meant to stay on screen to remind you that your computer cannot currently enter sleep mode.
Download Insomnia
2. Caffeine
Keep Computer Awake Windows 10
Caffeine works in a rather simple way to try and prevent your computer going into standby, the screen from shutting off or even the screensaver kicking in. This is to simulate a key press once every 59 seconds so Windows is fooled into thinking youâre using your computer when in fact, you arenât.
The key it pretends to press is the F15 key which is virtually never used on any keyboards, although you can change this to Shift and the number of seconds can be edited from the command line if you want. Caffeine is a tiny 13K executable and it places an icon in your tray which you double or right click to enable or disable it.
Download Caffeine
3. Caffeinated
Caffeinated is a clone of a similar Mac OSX tool called Caffeine and stops your computer going into standby. The program uses a Windows function called SetThreadExecutionState which software applications use to tell the operating system they are in use and prevents the computer sleeping.
Although itâs a portable tool, there is an option to start with Windows and also a default duration to keep the computer awake can be configured of 5 minutes to 5 hours or indefinitely. The .NET Framework 3.5 is required and the author says he has only tested Caffeinated on Windows 7.
Download Caffeinated
4. Noise
Noise is a very basic tool that simply sends a keystroke to the system every 60 seconds so Windows believes someone is actually pressing a key on the keyboard and therefore doesnât run the screensaver or enter sleep mode.
Run the tool and double click on the tray icon to open the tiny dialog box, then enter a key which the program will send once a minute. Letters and numbers in combination with the Shift key can be used, not Ctrl or Alt etc.
Download Noise
5. Donât Sleep
Donât Sleep is a small, simple and yet powerful tool and is able to prevent a system shutdown, standby, hibernate, log off and also stop the screensaver or monitor turning off. Every option on Donât Sleep is very straight forward and if you want to prevent the computer from going to standby for example, just make sure that the Standby check box is checked and click the Enabled button.
There is also a configurable timer function that you can set when to automatically disable the blocking or force the computer to shutdown or sleep after time expires. The Options button will allow you to setup a timer to start blocking when the program starts or the system resumes from standby.
A useful addition is the Mini-HTTP feature which can be used to remotely configure Donât Sleep through a web browser. You can enable it by clicking the Donât Sleep menu bar and select âEnabling the Mini-HTTP featureâ. Once enabled, you can access the settings by typing http://IP.Address:8080/ in any web browser. It is also possible to use the login feature to prevent unauthorized users from accessing the Donât Sleep settings.
Donât Sleep is a very useful tool which does the job and takes very very little resources and is less than a 100K executable. Itâs free, portable and works on all Windows including both 32 and 64 bit.
Download Donât Sleep
You might also like:4 Tools to Prevent, Cancel and Abort a Windows System Shutdown or Restart when Applications are RunningTest Sleep and Hibernation Feature in Windows 75 Tools to Automatically Wake Up Windows From Standby and Hibernation6 Free Tools to Enable and Customize Hot Corners in Windows5 Free Tools for Scheduling Windows to Shutdown, Hibernate, Sleep or Restart
Gijs van Haastrecht2 weeks ago
Open powerpoint, start presentation, alt+tab to the application you want to monitor
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On my Windows 10 Pro, Donât Sleep didnât work anymore. Neither did Insomnia. But Caffeinated does the trick. OTOH, on caffeinatedâs web site, someone commented in 2017 that it didnât work on his Windows 10 Pro. Soâ¦
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David2 months ago
Is there a program for windows phone?
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Iâve used Caffeine for years. Only downside is when run on a multiuser machine. When my girlfriend switches to her user account and then leaves the computer it will go into hiberation, since Caffeine is run from my user which is then âinactiveâ due to her active session. Not nearly a catch 22 situation but I would still like a simple method of addressing it.
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Jason8 months ago
Im trying to find something to give periodic movement to mouse. As playing a Online game the software of game stop the mouse after about 10 minutes unless i move mouse cursor then it works again for about 10 more mins and so on. I tried mouse jiggler but it wont work while on a video game any ideas.
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Hi,
Why donât you update this post? Insomnia doesnât work with Windows 10. Youâre basically giving people false info if you donât include this disclaimer. Iâm using the same version as in your screen shot.
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HAL9000 Author9 months ago
Weâd be giving false info if we said this ran on Windows 10 and it didnât, as we have made no such claim there is no need for a disclaimer.
The post will be updated at some point but itâs not a priority.
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Insomnia works on my Windows 10
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roccov10 months ago
There is a very easy way to stop your computer going to sleep which bypasses even corporate settings that canât be changed. Just shoot a small video (say 10 sec) on your phone and email it to yourself. Open the video with Windows Media Player and set it to play on a loop. Minimize this window to your task bar and thatâs it. Your computer will not sleep as long as the video is running.
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Awesome way to deal with it. I was also wondering if there was simply a web site that a person would log into to do something similar since a lot of corporate IT donât let the end user install anything. I will give your idea a shot. Thanks for sharing.
Mashing keys repetitively in Titanfall and The Old Republic was still functional however did not feel as responsive just like a mechanical keyboard. Whether sensitive responses have a substantial effect on exactly how your game is a legitimate concern, but there was little to be had below, regardless. I played portions of Titanfall, StarCraft II: Heart of the Flock, Watch Dogs, as well as Star Wars: The Old Republic without any significant issues, but absolutely nothing stuck out as impressive, either. Logitech G105 Software Performance & User experienceThe Logitech G105 ran the primary battery of Tomâs Overview games as well as any membrane layer keyboard would. G810 logitech keyboard.
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Jeff Williams2 years ago
I have a windows 7 HP. I left one night and when I came back the next morning I turned it on, and the computer came on, went thru finding signal, then straight to going asleep, and then it shuts down? Canât even get to the first window to fix the sleep mode, what do I do?
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There is a legitimate need for something like this. I have Echo Dot connected to by line in to play music via spotify. Laptop connected to receiver /sound system and hdmi to tv. The problem is, an active Line In doesnt prevent the sleep mode from kicking in and, therefore, stopping music. Idealy need a utility to monitor Line In and prevent sleep when active.
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unknownsolo3 years ago
I have found âinsomniateâ to be the best one so far. It doesnt move the mouse to keep the computer awake. It honestly also has the best looking UI too.
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nosleep.exe is one I use often. Moves the mouse cursor one pixel to the left at a regular interval, then one pixel to the right
Noise Keep Computer AwakeReply
peSHIr3 years ago
The reason these program exist, is the fact the corporate networks can use enforced policies on locking timeout, screensavers, etc. that you then cannot change, or revert back to the network default on next boot/login. If you are not in such a situation, you normally never need them, and thus set the power, auto-lock or Screensaver options you like.
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Insomnia does not work with windows 10
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Bruce4 years ago
I donât get any of these. They all seem to bypass sleep mode all the time unless you disable them. If that is the case, why not just disable âSleepâ mode altogether in the 1st place??
Unless any of these actually recognize when a program is running (a browser downloading files, a defrag tool working or any program that runs for an extended period of time etc.) and then activates. If nothing is running, the program doesnât run letting the system go into sleep mode.
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The problem as usual is M$âs stupidity& stubbornness. Poor design, poor thinking with nothing being done to fix anything, just add new crap no one wants.
Corra4 years ago
I agree !!!
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Those which prevent sleep for a specifiable interval of time serve an otherwise unsatisfiable need. I use it when the computer is transcoding a video file, something which may take hours while I am not attending but after which sleep is good.
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Woody Little2 years ago
Because with the last windows update, my work PC now goes to sleep if i use the âlockâ function, even with sleep=never selected. Very frustrating when it takes my PC 10 minutes to âwarm upâ and function correctly.
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I stay you must add StayAwake bu only works on windows 7. I tested it on my windows 10 but there is an error. On windows 8 I havenât tested it yet.
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roger4 years ago
Keep Pc Awake
Caffeine required download of .NET runtime, so I wouldnât list it first :|
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Hi, May I suggest you update your link to Insomnia so it points to the developerâs own page, so people always get the latest version and the developer gets the credit deserved. Reply
dlaa.me/Insomnia/
Helper75 years ago
Insomnia download link is dead!
This is the only place where I happen to find it, so please update the original download link: Reply
files.italiasw.com/mhku4var5cyt/Insomnia.zip.html
Thanks for the report, the file has now been uploaded to our server.
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Ace5 years ago
Thanks a bunch, mate! this really helpped :)
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Hi, Reply
Just on the list of similar applets, I think you could put ShutdownGuard too. Now with Windows 10âs automatic restarting and stuff, having it can be pretty useful.
Pilgrim7 years ago
You could also add Noise to the list. Reply
donationcoder.com/Software/Skrommel/index.html#Noise App Keep Windows 10 Awake
Thanks Pilgrim, added it to the list to make 5â¦
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Ajay9 years ago
Gr8 infoâ¦â¦. thanx.
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nice work from Raymond again!
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Absoluto9 years ago
thanks for this Raymond!!!
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Hrrm, you are always coming with sth!!! Reply
Jokin, this is a great tool.
basnet9 years ago
thnks for info keep it updateâ¦
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This look To be a very good software and its free!
Thanks Raymond!
Gael043
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Merlin_Magii9 years ago
Thank you Raymond.
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Heheh, it even has HTTP control server feature. :) Reply
Thanks for the share Raymond.
kash9 years ago
Very goood for me! Reply
Thank you Raymond for your job
this good for me too. thanks for sharing. need to have a look
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Leave a ReplyKeeping You Awake Mac
Windows only: Like Caffeine for the Mac, tiny Windows app Insomnia will keep your computer awake for those long-running jobs that need its full attention.
Website To Keep Computer Awake
Whether youâre downloading, converting, burning, streaming or performing some other task that requires your computer to be awake, sometimes the program in question doesnât do it on its own. For those situations, this small app will keep your computer running for as long as its small window is open. The only quirk is that Insomnia insists on staying on top of all other windows, which can be kind of annoying. At the same time, though, that âfeatureâ does help you remember when itâs running, so you donât forget to let your computer sleep when it can â no need in draining excessive power for no reason.
Insomnia is a free download for Windows only.
Insomnia [via Windows Guides]
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