Awake - Microsoft PowerToys

Overview

Awake is a utility that prevents Windows from entering sleep mode or turning off the display. It provides flexible control over your computer’s power state with support for indefinite, timed, and process-bound keep-awake modes.

Awake uses the Win32 SetThreadExecutionState() API with ES_SYSTEM_REQUIRED and ES_DISPLAY_REQUIRED flags.

Activation

Enable via PowerToys

Open PowerToys Settings and enable Awake in the utilities list

Configure Mode

Choose from PASSIVE, INDEFINITE, TIMED, or EXPIRABLE modes

Access via Tray Icon

Right-click the Awake system tray icon for quick mode changes

Standalone Command-Line Usage

Awake can also run independently with CLI arguments:

PowerToys.Awake.exe [options]

Key Features

Operating Modes

PASSIVE

Normal power behavior (utility disabled)System can sleep normally

INDEFINITE

Keep awake until manually stoppedMost common mode for extended work

TIMED

Keep awake for specific durationExample: 2 hours, 30 minutes

EXPIRABLE

Keep awake until specific date/timeExample: Until 11:59 PM today

Display Control

Independent control of display sleep behavior:

// Power state flags used by Awake
ES_SYSTEM_REQUIRED   // Prevents system sleep
ES_DISPLAY_REQUIRED  // Prevents display sleep
ES_CONTINUOUS        // Maintains state until changed

Task Scheduler Limitation: When “Keep display on” is enabled, Windows Task Scheduler cannot detect system as idle. This prevents scheduled maintenance tasks (TRIM, defragmentation) from running automatically.See Known Limitations for workarounds.

Timed Operation

Set duration-based keep-awake periods:

# Keep system awake for 1 hour
PowerToys.Awake.exe --time-limit 3600

# Keep awake for 2 hours with display on
PowerToys.Awake.exe --time-limit 7200 --display-on

Time limit specified in seconds.

Expiration Scheduling

Keep system awake until specific date/time:

# Keep awake until end of day
PowerToys.Awake.exe --expire-at "2026-03-04 23:59:59"

# Keep awake until specific time
PowerToys.Awake.exe --expire-at "2026-03-04 17:30:00" --display-on

Process Binding

Bind Awake to another process lifecycle:

# Keep awake while process 1234 is running
PowerToys.Awake.exe --pid 1234

# Bind to parent PowerToys process
PowerToys.Awake.exe --use-parent-pid

When bound process terminates, Awake automatically exits.

System Tray Integration

Awake provides a custom tray icon implementation:

// Pure Win32 API for minimal footprint (no WPF/WinForms)
// Uses Shell_NotifyIcon API for tray management
// Custom SynchronizationContext for thread-safe UI updates

Right-click tray icon to:

Switch between operating modes
Toggle display keep-awake
Set timed durations
Open PowerToys Settings
Exit Awake

Configuration

Settings Location

When using PowerToys integration:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\Awake\settings.json

Command-Line Options

--use-pt-config

flag

Use PowerToys configuration file instead of command-line settingsShort: -c

--display-on

flag

Keep display on (prevents monitor sleep)Short: -dDefault: false

--time-limit

number

Time limit in secondsShort: -tExample: 3600 (1 hour)

--pid

number

Process ID to bind toShort: -pBehavior: Awake exits when specified process terminates

--expire-at

datetime

Expiration date and timeShort: -eFormat: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS

--use-parent-pid

flag

Bind to parent process automaticallyShort: -uUse case: When launched by PowerToys runner

PowerToys Settings UI

Configure Awake through PowerToys Settings:

Mode Selection: Choose operating mode from dropdown
Display Keep-Awake: Toggle display sleep prevention
Duration Picker: Set hours and minutes for timed mode
Expiration Picker: Choose date and time for expirable mode

Use Cases

Long-Running Operations

Software Compilation

Prevent sleep during overnight builds:

# Start build then enable Awake
msbuild LargeSolution.sln /m
# Enable INDEFINITE mode via tray icon

Or use timed mode:

PowerToys.Awake.exe --time-limit 28800  # 8 hours

Data Processing

Keep system awake during data analysis or ETL jobs:

# Bind Awake to Python process
$process = Start-Process python analyze_data.py -PassThru
PowerToys.Awake.exe --pid $process.Id --display-on

File Transfers

Prevent sleep during large file uploads or downloads:

Start file transfer
Enable Awake INDEFINITE mode
Disable “Keep display on” to save power
Disable Awake when complete

Presentations & Meetings

Before Meeting

Enable Awake INDEFINITE mode with display keep-awake

During Meeting

System and display remain active without interaction

After Meeting

Disable Awake or use timed mode (e.g., 2-hour meeting)

# Set up for 2-hour presentation
PowerToys.Awake.exe --time-limit 7200 --display-on

Development & Testing

Server Testing

Keep system awake while running local development servers

# Bind to Node.js server process
node server.js &
PowerToys.Awake.exe --pid $!

Automated Testing

Prevent sleep during long test suite runs

# Run tests with Awake
PowerToys.Awake.exe --time-limit 3600
pytest tests/ --verbose

Database Operations

Keep awake during database migrations or backups

# Expire when maintenance window ends
PowerToys.Awake.exe --expire-at "2026-03-05 06:00:00"

Monitoring Dashboards

Display monitoring systems without sleepEnable INDEFINITE with display on

Media & Downloads

Common scenarios:

Video Rendering: Keep system awake during video export
Batch Downloads: Prevent sleep while downloading large files
Media Streaming: Maintain display during video playback
Music Playback: Keep system active for extended listening

Technical Details

Architecture

Design Highlights

Pure Win32 Tray
Reactive Extensions
Dual Operation Mode

No WPF/WinForms dependencies for minimal binary size

// Direct Shell_NotifyIcon API usage
// Custom SynchronizationContext for thread-safe updates
// Tray operations run on dedicated thread

File: src/modules/awake/Awake/Core/TrayHelper.cs

Uses Rx.NET for timer operations:

// Timed mode using Observable.Timer()
Observable.Timer(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(timeLimit))
          .Subscribe(_ => SetMode(AwakeMode.PASSIVE));

// File watcher with 25ms throttle for config changes
fileWatcher.Changed
           .Throttle(TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(25))
           .Subscribe(LoadSettings);

Dependency: System.Reactive NuGet package

Standalone Mode:

Command-line arguments only
No PowerToys dependency
Direct execution

Integrated Mode:

PowerToys settings file (--use-pt-config)
Process binding to runner (--use-parent-pid)
Managed by PowerToys lifecycle

File: src/modules/awake/Awake/Program.cs

Key Components

Component	Purpose	File
`Program.cs`	Entry point & CLI parsing	`src/modules/awake/Awake/Program.cs`
`Manager.cs`	State orchestration & power management	`src/modules/awake/Awake/Core/Manager.cs`
`TrayHelper.cs`	System tray UI management	`src/modules/awake/Awake/Core/TrayHelper.cs`
`Bridge.cs`	Win32 P/Invoke declarations	`src/modules/awake/Awake/Core/Native/Bridge.cs`

Dependencies

<!-- From Awake.csproj -->
<PackageReference Include="System.CommandLine" />  <!-- CLI parsing -->
<PackageReference Include="System.Reactive" />     <!-- Rx.NET timers -->
<PackageReference Include="PowerToys.ManagedCommon" />
<PackageReference Include="PowerToys.Settings.UI.Lib" />
<PackageReference Include="PowerToys.Interop" />

Known Limitations

Task Scheduler Idle Detection

Issue: When “Keep display on” is enabled (ES_DISPLAY_REQUIRED flag), Windows Task Scheduler cannot detect system as idle.Impact:

Scheduled maintenance tasks won’t run automatically
SSD TRIM operations may be delayed
Disk defragmentation skipped
Other idle-triggered tasks postponed

Microsoft Documentation:

“An exception would be for any presentation type application that sets the ES_DISPLAY_REQUIRED flag. This flag forces Task Scheduler to not consider the system as being idle, regardless of user activity or resource consumption.”

GitHub Issue: #44134

Workarounds

Disable 'Keep display on'

Only use ES_SYSTEM_REQUIRED without ES_DISPLAY_REQUIRED:

Prevents system sleep
Allows Task Scheduler idle detection
Display can still turn off

Configuration: Uncheck “Keep display on” in Awake settings

Manual maintenance tasks

Run maintenance tasks manually when needed:

# Run TRIM manually (as Administrator)
Optimize-Volume -DriveLetter C -ReTrim -Verbose

# Check defragmentation status
Optimize-Volume -DriveLetter C -Analyze -Verbose

# Run defragmentation
Optimize-Volume -DriveLetter C -Defrag -Verbose

Schedule Awake off periods

Use timed or expirable modes to allow maintenance windows:

# Work hours only (8 AM to 6 PM)
PowerToys.Awake.exe --expire-at "2026-03-04 18:00:00"

# Allows overnight maintenance tasks

Troubleshooting

System still goes to sleep

Possible causes:

Awake not running (check system tray)
Mode set to PASSIVE
Group Policy overriding power settings
Laptop lid closed (triggers sleep regardless)

Solutions:

Verify Awake tray icon is present
Check current mode in tray menu
Review Group Policy power settings
Use external monitor with lid closed

Display still turns off

Check:

“Keep display on” is enabled in Awake settings
Display timeout in Windows power settings
Screen saver is disabled

Note: Some applications may override display settings

Tray icon not appearing

Troubleshooting:

Check if PowerToys is running
Look in system tray overflow area
Restart PowerToys
Check Windows notification area settings

Implementation: src/modules/awake/Awake/Core/TrayHelper.cs

Timed mode not expiring

Verify:

Time limit is set correctly (in seconds)
System clock is accurate
No configuration file changes overriding timer

Debug: Check Awake logs in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\Awake\Logs

Resources

Official Website: awake.den.dev
Microsoft Learn: PowerToys Awake Documentation
GitHub Issues: Report bugs or request features
Source Code: src/modules/awake/README.md

Get Started

Core Utilities

Mouse & Input

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Configuration

Community & Support

​Overview

​Activation

​Standalone Command-Line Usage

​Key Features

​Operating Modes

PASSIVE

INDEFINITE

TIMED

EXPIRABLE

​Display Control

​Timed Operation

​Expiration Scheduling

​Process Binding

​System Tray Integration

​Configuration

​Settings Location

​Command-Line Options

​PowerToys Settings UI

​Use Cases

​Long-Running Operations

​Presentations & Meetings

​Development & Testing

Server Testing

Automated Testing

Database Operations

Monitoring Dashboards

​Media & Downloads

​Technical Details

​Architecture

​Design Highlights

​Key Components

​Dependencies

​Known Limitations

​Task Scheduler Idle Detection

​Workarounds

​Troubleshooting

​See Also

​Resources

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Activation

Standalone Command-Line Usage

Key Features

Operating Modes

Display Control

Timed Operation

Expiration Scheduling

Process Binding

System Tray Integration

Configuration

Settings Location

Command-Line Options

PowerToys Settings UI

Use Cases

Long-Running Operations

Presentations & Meetings

Development & Testing

Media & Downloads

Technical Details

Architecture

Design Highlights

Key Components

Dependencies

Known Limitations

Task Scheduler Idle Detection

Workarounds

Troubleshooting

See Also

Resources