Computers equipped with an ethernet adapter that has this feature enabled can wake a computer from a low power state when it detects a WOL event such as a magic packet. A magic packet is a carefully crafted packet that has the destination computer MAC address in it which instructs the computer adapter to wake up from sleep, which in turn wakes up the computer. There are many areas one can turn on the wake-on-LAN feature. Some computers allow it to be enabled from its BIOS settings, but for most Windows PC, it can be done from within Windows OS. If your computer has a network adapter manufacturer software installed, it may be possible to turn it off there as well. Although Windows 11 comes with many features, WOL isn’t new. It has been part of Windows since XP. To get started with enabling or disabling wake on LAN in Windows 11, follow the steps below:
How to enable wake on LAN on Windows 11
As mentioned above, Wake On LAN feature allows for the computer to be woken up from sleep or low power mode by a careful network packet known as a magic packet. When a network adapter equipped with the feature detects a magic packet, it wakes the computer up. Windows 11 has a centralized location for the majority of its settings. From system configurations to creating new users and updating Windows, all can be done from its System Settings pane. To get to System Settings, you can use the Windows key + I shortcut or click on Start ==> Settings as shown in the image below: Alternatively, you can use the search box on the taskbar and search for Settings. Then select to open it. Windows Settings pane should look similar to the image below. In Windows Settings, click Network & internet, and select Advanced network settings on the right pane of your screen shown in the image below. On the Advanced network settings pane, click on More network adapter options as shown below. On the network adapter settings pane, right-click on the computer network adapter and select Properties. On the network adapter properties settings windows, click the Configure button. On the Advanced tab, scroll down the list and select Wake on Magic Packet on the list, then change its value to Enabled. Next, select the Power Management tab, then check the boxes to “Allow this device to wake the computer“. You may also want to check the box “Only allow a magic packet to wake the computer“
How to disable wake on LAN in Windows 11
If you change your mind about enabling the wake on LAN feature in Windows 11, simply reverse the steps above to disable it. Go to Start ==> Settings ==> Network & internet ==> Advanced network settings ==> More network adapter options ==> right-click on the network adapter and select Properties. Then on the Advanced tab, select Wake on Magic Packet and select Disabled. On the Power Management tab, uncheck to box: “Allow this device to wake the computer“. Click OK to save your changes and exit. That’s it! Conclusion: This post showed you how to enable or disable the wake on LAN feature in Windows 11. If you find any error above, please use the comment form below to report.
