Troubleshooting a Windows PC that won’t stay asleep

Automatic Maintenance has its own permission to wake the computer. Windows lets users change its daily time or clear the option that allows scheduled maintenance to wake the machine.

If a mouse, keyboard or another USB device is responsible, Device Manager can revoke that device's wake permission. Testing with peripherals disconnected can help identify the culprit. Network adapters have a similar setting; users who need Wake-on-LAN can restrict wakeups to a magic packet rather than disabling the feature entirely.

Use global wake settings carefully

Windows power plans include an option to disable wake timers on battery and while plugged in. That setting affects every timer and can block useful scheduled activity, so it is a later step rather than the first one.

PowerShell can list scheduled tasks configured to wake the PC with Get-ScheduledTask | where {$_.settings.waketorun}. Individual tasks can then be changed in Task Scheduler. New software, hardware or updates can reintroduce the problem, which is why recording the actual wake source is more durable than switching off every mechanism at once.