What is the hotkey to put my Windows to sleep?

In English Windows (versions prior to Windows 10)

Windows , , , s will put the computer to sleep.

In English Windows 10

Win+X , U , S

If sleep is configured to be hybrid, then it will be a hybrid sleep.


Windows doesn't have a standard hotkey or keyboard shortcut for going to sleep - except the "sleep" button that you see on some keyboards.

Instead, you can use a program to trigger the sleep state, and you can assign a shortcut to launch this program:

  1. Download Steve's Wizmo tool.
  2. Create a shortcut to this program on your desktop.
  3. Right-click the shortcut, and select Properties.
  4. In the field Target, add the word standby. *)
  5. Click in the field Shortcut key, then press the key combination you want to use. This is then displayed in the field. Note: Not all shortcuts work, e.g. Win+S gets translated to Ctrl-Alt-S instead.
  6. Click OK and try out the shortcut!

*) See the Wizmo webpage for complete documentation. Wizmo can do lots more!


Starting in Windows 8, and continuing in Windows 10 at least as of the Creators Update, the Windows+x menu allows quick access to the "shut down or sign out menu." And it has sensible accelerators; "u" for the shut down menu, and then "s" for sleep.

You can sleep with the sequence Windows+x, u, s.