How Do I Stop My HP Laptop From Timing Out?

To stop your HP laptop from timing out, you need to adjust its power settings, specifically the display and sleep timeout settings.

The most direct way to prevent your HP laptop from timing out (either turning off the screen or going to sleep) is by going to your power settings and making sure that the display timeout settings are set to your preferences. As mentioned in the reference, you can easily access these settings by right-clicking on the battery icon in the system tray and selecting "Power Options."

Adjusting Power Settings on Your HP Laptop

Windows Power Options control how your laptop manages power when it's idle. This includes settings for when the display turns off and when the computer goes to sleep. Adjusting these settings allows you to control or stop the "timing out" behavior.

Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Access Power Options:

   • Locate the battery icon in your system tray (usually in the bottom-right corner of the screen).
   • Right-click on the battery icon.
   • Select "Power Options" from the context menu.

2. Choose or Customize a Power Plan:

   • In the Power Options window, you'll see different power plans (like Balanced, Power saver, High performance, etc.).
   • You can adjust settings for your currently selected plan or customize any plan.
   • To change timeout settings, click on "Change plan settings" next to the power plan you are using or want to modify.

3. Adjust Display and Sleep Settings:

   • On the Edit Plan Settings screen, you will find options like:
     • Turn off the display: This controls when the screen goes black.
     • Put the computer to sleep: This controls when the laptop enters a low-power sleep mode.
   • For both "On battery" and "Plugged in," you'll see dropdown menus with time options.
   • Select a longer time frame or choose "Never" from the dropdown menu for the setting you want to disable. For instance, selecting "Never" for "Turn off the display" will keep your screen on constantly when plugged in.

4. Save Changes:

   • Once you've adjusted the settings to your desired times (or "Never"), click "Save changes".

Example Settings Table

Here’s a quick look at typical settings you might want to change:

Setting	On Battery	Plugged In	Action to Prevent Timeout
Turn off the display	5 minutes	15 minutes	Select "Never" or a longer time
Put the computer to sleep	15 minutes	30 minutes	Select "Never" or a longer time

Note: Setting options to "Never" will use more battery power when running on battery. It's generally recommended to set reasonable timeouts for battery mode to conserve power, while you might set "Never" when plugged in.

By setting these options to "Never," you effectively stop your HP laptop's display from turning off or the computer from going to sleep automatically due to inactivity.

Remember that some HP laptops might have additional power management software installed, but the core Windows Power Options are the standard place to control these timeout behaviors.