PC Wake timers not disabled

Question

PC Wake timers not disabled

Bryan L 0

Computer keeps waking from sleep (live chat is not helpful)

Steps i've done:
Disabled wake timers for power settings (even settings i'm not using)
Checked powercfg lastwake / wakearmed to verified no devices are enabled for waking from sleep
Checked device manager and removed every device option for waking pc (internet, mice, keyboard, etc.)
Gone through every task scheduler and either switched from schedule to on-login, removed 'wake this pc' checkboxes (if possible), and any 'run when network connection' available. For every task (scheduled or not)

However one scheduler (orchestrator) is unable to be edited (i assume protected by windows11). And is set to wake PC every 6 hours.

How do i prevent my pc from waking. I just want it to sleep, and not hear it start up every 2-6 hours in sleep mode without shutting down.

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Hi Bryan L,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A!

I'm sorry to hear your PC keeps unexpectedly waking from sleep despite disabling wake timers. I understand how frustrating it is, especially after thorough troubleshooting and checking all scheduled tasks. From your description, you've already done everything right, and the remaining issue appears to be tied to a protected system task (Orchestrator). Here’s what you can try next:

1 - Handle protected Orchestrator Tasks

Open Task Scheduler > Microsoft > Windows > UpdateOrchestrator
Right-click the task (e.g., Reboot, Maintenance) > Properties
Uncheck Wake the computer to run this task if available
If that still doesn't work > Control Panel > Security and Maintenance
Open Maintenance > Change maintenance settings
Uncheck Allow scheduled maintenance to wake up my computer at the scheduled time
Temporarily pause Windows Update if needed.

2 - Revoke access to Orchestrator:

Open File Explorer > navigate to (or find your PC's path to Orchestrator): C:\Windows\System32\Tasks\Microsoft\Windows\UpdateOrchestrator
Denying the SYSTEM security principal access.
Put an empty file there named Schedule Wake To Work

3 - Disable Wake on LAN in BIOS/UEFI

Restart your PC > enter BIOS/UEFI by pressing F2, F12, or Del (depending on the model)
Disable Wake on LAN
Enable ErP Ready (cuts power to USB/network in sleep)

Disclaimer: Microsoft provides no assurances and/or warranties, implied or otherwise, and is not responsible for the information you receive from the third-party linked sites or any support related to technology. If you are going to modify BIOS Settings, please back up all your personal files first to ensure you do not lose data.

4 - Block the Orchestrator Task (Admin workaround solution)

Open Command Prompt as Administrator > run the following prompts: schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\UpdateOrchestrator\Reboot" /DISABLE schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\UpdateOrchestrator\USO_UxBroker" /DISABLE
Prevent it from re-enabling with reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU" /v NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

If your PC still wakes up unexpectedly, use PowerShell to try to disable ALL tasks set to wake the PC. Run the following:

Get-ScheduledTask | Where-Object { $_.Settings.WakeToRun -eq $true } | Disable-ScheduledTask

I hope the information above helps. Please do not hesitate to let me know if you'd like me to help with any of these steps or if the issue persists after applying the changes.

Warm Regards,

Lychee-MSFT | Microsoft Q&A Support Specialist

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Omnipheasant 0 Reputation points

2026-09-04T19:16:52.4566667+00:00

Tried the powershell command and was told that "A positional parameter cannot be found that accepts argument 'Disable-ScheduledTask'

While I appreciate the effort you put into your response, I can only say I'm appalled that Microsoft has not been able to find a simple, one stop way to stop wake commands from breaking Sleep. Over the years as my computers and operating systems have come and gone I've spent quite a lot of time burrowing through Device Manager settings to change Power Management settings, usually with eventual success. But over the years Microsoft has added more twists to this labyrinth, so that we arrive at this ridiculous point. Somewhere, someone in your organization should feel embarrassed about this. How many person hours have been wasted on this foolishness?
Lychee-Ng 28,125 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-07T06:57:54.93+00:00

Hi Omnipheasant,

It might sound generic for you to hear I say that I understand your frustration, but I really do. Microsoft Q&A is a community forum and although there's a chance that Microsoft engineers take a look once in a while, contributors here are just users like you.

We can give suggestions based on official information or some personal experience, but we cannot influence any technical decisions or speak on behalf of Microsoft. We don't even have the tools to analyze your specific device and provide advice accordingly if something was working incorrectly on your PC.

Just like while posting here may help attract others who have encountered similar behavior and find out possible solutions, it is unlikely that the thread itself will be reviewed by the Windows engineering team. The only way for your questions and reports to reach them is via:

Feedback Hub (Win + F)

Microsoft Support.

Still, I'd like to help as much as I can. So if you don't mind, share the screenshot of the PowerShell window after running the command below, with both what you entered and the result:

Get-ScheduledTask | Where-Object {$_.Settings.WakeToRun -eq $true}

The command above will list all the Wake to run tasks.

You can then disable specific task with Disable-ScheduledTask -TaskName "TaskName" -TaskPath "\TaskPath\" or I can help if you're not sure or the results appear abnormal.

Answer 2

Lychee-Ng 28,125 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Good day! I hope you're doing well!

It has been a while and i am writing to see how things are going with this issue. Have you had a chance to check the reply provided? Please feel free to let me know if there’s anything I can assist you with.

Lychee-MSFT | Microsoft Q&A Support Specialist

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