How To Use a Laptop While Keeping the Lid Closed

Many people like to close their laptop when using a docking station and external monitors. This article describes how to adjust the power settings to make this easier.

Introduction

If you are using a laptop that’s connected to a docking station, you may want to close the laptop and only use the external displays and mouse/keyboard. However, this isn’t possible if closing the laptop tells the computer to “go to sleep.” This guide will walk you through how to change this setting.

Instructions

1. Open the Power Options menu by searching for “sleep” in the Windows Search Bar. After opening the “Power & Sleep” settings menu, click on “additional power settings.”
   

2. Alternatively, you can access this menu by going to Control Panel > Power Options (or Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options)
   

3. Once in the “power options” menu, do not adjust the power plan. Instead, click on the sidebar link that says “choose what closing the lid does.”
    

4. Click the dropdown options for “When I close the lid” under “on battery” and “plugged in.” Make sure that each one is set to “do nothing” and then save changes.

5. The laptop should now stay awake when the lid is closed. If it is still going to sleep, check the power options menu again to make sure the changes are saved. If the issue persists, try restarting the computer, disconnecting and reconnecting the external displays, or creating a troubleshooting ticket for assistance.