More options for Windows power control?
August 10, 2021 5:23 PM Subscribe
I use a Windows 10 laptop (Thinkpad X1 Carbon 5th Gen) both with and without an external monitor. I'd like to be able to close the lid of the laptop without having it go to sleep, but only when it's connected to an external monitor.
I'm able to use the normal power options to determine what happens when I close the lid of the laptop (by default, sleep), and I can change that behavior depending on whether the power cable is plugged in. That's close to what I want, but not quite.
For my uses, I'm more interested in whether an external display is plugged in. When I plug into my monitor, I want to be able to close my laptop without it sleeping. When I'm on the couch, I want to put it to sleep by closing it -- regardless of whether it's plugged into power.
Is there a more granular power control for Windows that can let me do that, either buried in Windows itself or available as an add-on or third party application?
I'm able to use the normal power options to determine what happens when I close the lid of the laptop (by default, sleep), and I can change that behavior depending on whether the power cable is plugged in. That's close to what I want, but not quite.
For my uses, I'm more interested in whether an external display is plugged in. When I plug into my monitor, I want to be able to close my laptop without it sleeping. When I'm on the couch, I want to put it to sleep by closing it -- regardless of whether it's plugged into power.
Is there a more granular power control for Windows that can let me do that, either buried in Windows itself or available as an add-on or third party application?
Is there a more granular power control for Windows that can let me do that, either buried in Windows itself or available as an add-on or third party application?
To the best of my knowledge the answer is,
-buried in Windows itself: No.
-available as an add-on or third party application: No, but you could make one?
There are third party tools to change power configurations, and there are PowerShell commands you can run to detect external monitors. So with those and some scripting knowledge you could make a script that would change your power configuration when it detects a change in the monitor setup, but actually writing that script (or giving any specific advice as to how) is beyond me.
posted by tiamat at 5:49 AM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
To the best of my knowledge the answer is,
-buried in Windows itself: No.
-available as an add-on or third party application: No, but you could make one?
There are third party tools to change power configurations, and there are PowerShell commands you can run to detect external monitors. So with those and some scripting knowledge you could make a script that would change your power configuration when it detects a change in the monitor setup, but actually writing that script (or giving any specific advice as to how) is beyond me.
posted by tiamat at 5:49 AM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
Actually, better yet, replace "third party tools" above with "Powercfg command-line options".
posted by tiamat at 5:51 AM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by tiamat at 5:51 AM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
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posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 7:44 PM on August 10, 2021