By default, a typical Windows laptop goes to sleep mode when you close the lid. But it doesn’t have to be that way. What if you want your laptop to stay awake and play music, but you want to close the laptop lid to conserve some power? What if you want the laptop to shut down automatically when its lid is shut, so you can put it immediately in its bag without worrying about overheating?
To change your laptop’s default behavior when its lid is shut, go to the Power Options applet in the Control Panel. An easy way to get there is by pressing Start, typing “Power Options” and clicking on said applet (whose icon is a power plug wrapped around a green battery).
Click on Choose what closing the lid does among the list of options in the left pane. (For Windows XP laptops, go to the Advanced Tab instead.) Under the When I close the lid drop-down list, select an option you want. Three choices are typically available: Do nothing (i.e., stay awake), Sleep and Shut Down. A fourth choice called Hibernate may be present, which conserves power better than Sleep mode but takes longer to resume the computer’s full-power operation.
If your operating system is Windows Vista or later, your laptop may perform an action that depends on whether the laptop is plugged in or running on battery. For instance, you can configure your laptop so that closing the lid makes it do nothing when it’s plugged in, but it goes to sleep instead when it’s on battery power.
An option to require a password when your computer wakes up is also available. This is recommended for users who often user their laptops in public places.
When you’re done changing the settings, don’t forget to click the Save Changes or OK button.
