What is the hotkey to put my Windows to sleep?

My keyboard doesn't have power-related keys. I would like to enter the hybrid sleep using the keyboard and only with a minimum of keystrokes.

If there is none, how do I bind a hotkey to it?

9 Answers

Windows doesn't have a standard hotkey or keyboard shortcut for going to sleep - except the "sleep" button that you see on some keyboards.

Instead, you can use a program to trigger the sleep state, and you can assign a shortcut to launch this program:

1. Download Steve's Wizmo tool.
2. Create a shortcut to this program on your desktop.
3. Right-click the shortcut, and select Properties.
4. In the field Target, add the word standby. *)
5. Click in the field Shortcut key, then press the key combination you want to use. This is then displayed in the field. Note: Not all shortcuts work, e.g. Win+S gets translated to Ctrl-Alt-S instead.
6. Click OK and try out the shortcut!

*) See the Wizmo webpage for complete documentation. Wizmo can do lots more!

In English Windows (versions prior to Windows 10)

Windows , → , → , s will put the computer to sleep.

In English Windows 10

Win+X , U , S

If sleep is configured to be hybrid, then it will be a hybrid sleep.

Starting in Windows 8, and continuing in Windows 10 at least as of the Creators Update, the +x menu allows quick access to the "shut down or sign out menu." And it has sensible accelerators; "u" for the shut down menu, and then "s" for sleep.

You can sleep with the sequence +x, u, s.

You can use the free utility NirCmd as follows:

"C:\Program Files\Nircmd\nircmd.exe" standby 

The rest you can find in torbengb's answer.

You can try this command instead (no external programs are required):

Rundll32.exe Powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState Sleep 

You can use Autohotkey script:

Pause:: DllCall("PowrProf\SetSuspendState", "int", 0, "int", 0, "int", 0) Return 

It will put PC to sleep when you press "Pause Break"

You can change key to any combination you want

source:

My method doesn't satisfy the minimum keystrokes requirement I guess...

but anyways...

+D to go to the desktop, and from there press Alt+F4

Choose the action and then press enter. It's three keyboard operations if sleep is your default action. I kind of like the Alt+F4 window it brings up.

Another good option: Use "psshutdown -d -t 0"

From pstools of SysInternals:

Create the shortcut with its hotkeys. Pin the shortcut to taskbar, have it on desktop, use hotkeys ;D.

Way back, you are asking about shortcut for "hybrid sleep" which goes for stationary PS's, avoiding RAM-erase if external power supply should be accidently cut off. I have not activated this function, but only normal "sleep" on my laptop, which have power back-up by internal battery.

Still in 2022 it seems there is no easy short-cut on windows for sleep mode. If no of the above answers fits you (or more recent visitors), you can try "my" easy method. I have configured the power button on the laptop keyboard to go into sleep instead of shut down. See below. (note that my Windows 10-system is in Danish, so maybe not the quite correct translations here)

• go to Control panel
• go to System
• go to Power options
• In the right column of the window chose "Advanced power management"

Now you are at the options for Power Management Plans. In the left column I can select what happens when I press the power on/off button, and reconfigure the action from "shut down" to "sleep", "hibernate", and maybe "hybrid sleep".

So, voila, I just press the power button on the laptop (or the PC?) to go to sleep mode. Again: I am not sure if it works on PCs, but good luck.