Switching to Sleep Mode

The “Sleep Mode”, as many of you Windows enthusiasts might already be aware of, is an option for you to actively reduce the power consumption of your computer for times when you are not working on it.

And as such, this mode is quite similar to the hibernation mode except for the fact that active files and programs are still retained in your system’s memory, allowing you to get back to them once you return your computer to its normal operating mode.

Now in getting on with our article and the task at hand, you can easily follow the guide as formulated by Windows 7 help team below in electing to enter the sleep mode for your computer from Windows 7 taskbar’s “Start” menu.

The steps are quite simple and in learning to do so, you can conveniently manage your computer’s power saving features.

Windows 7 Help instructions to Switch your Windows 7 Computer to Sleep Mode

Follow the steps as given below:

Entering and Exiting Sleep Mode

• To first begin with, get on Windows “Start” menu.
• Following which, click on the arrow mark located towards the right of the “Shutdown” button. This will open up a drop down menu with more shutdown options for your computer.
• Now click on “Sleep” from the resulting menu in allowing your computer to enter sleep mode.
• Next up, if in case you wish to exit the same mode, you will need to press the power button. Do so by clicking your mouse or pressing on any random key from your keyboard.

(NOTE: The method differs between computers. So consult your computer’s operating manual for specific instruction. If you are already in sleep mode, you need to exit sleep mode to access the taskbar’s shutdown button)

Changing Shutdown to Sleep

Switching to Sleep Mode

• Additionally, in changing a shutdown operation to Sleep on your computer, right click on an empty area of your Windows taskbar and select “Properties“.
• Now get on Windows “Start” menu from the taskbar and open the start menu properties window.
• Following which, click on the “Power Button Action” drop down menu and select “Sleep”.
• Now select “Ok” to change the default behavior of the “Shutdown” button to “Sleep“.

So from here on, you can shut down your computer into sleep mode directly from the taskbar. This saves you the trouble of manually selecting the sleep action as described in the first section.