For the past few days, my Windows 11 HP laptop has stayed at a stable battery level for several hours after I close the lid, then suddenly started losing a significant amount of power around 4 a.m. The battery report shows Windows Default Lock Screen as the main power user. Wake timers are disabled in the power settings, and there was no Windows update running when this happened. The laptop is not connected to Ethernet, and I have not intentionally changed its sleep or hibernation settings. Are there any logs or diagnostic tools I can check to find out what is waking the laptop or preventing it from staying asleep?
1 Answer
Try comparing the laptop’s sleep and hibernation behavior. Some systems use Modern Standby instead of traditional sleep, which can allow background activity while the lid is closed. In an Administrator Command Prompt, run `powercfg /sleepstudy` if your laptop supports it, or `powercfg /systemsleepdiagnostics` to generate a report. You can also run `powercfg /lastwake` after the battery drain occurs to see what last woke the system. If the reports point to Modern Standby, testing hibernation instead of sleep may prevent the overnight drain.
There is no Ethernet connection, and I have not changed the sleep or hibernation settings. I’ll check whether Windows is using Modern Standby and generate one of those power reports after it happens again.