Where is the sleep button on Windows 8?

Question

On Windows 8, in the "Advanced Power Settings" (even though they're not that advanced), when you expand "Power buttons and lid," there is an option called "Sleep button action." Where is this "sleep button"? I can't find it anywhere on the laptop (a Dell Inspiron 15z) and when I search for it, not many people apparently care about it. Where is it?

Here are some pictures of places on the keyboard I think it might be:

Solution 1

That is correct, some computers or keyboard have it some do not, it can also be assigned. . . I use this: In win7 if you toss this into a shortcut , you can make a sleep icon. C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState I do not know if it works for 8 but it works great here.
– Psycogeek Oct 1 '13 at 4:42"

Works on Windows 10, 01/30/16, but to change the Icon to something useful, insert this

%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll 

in the "Look for Icons in this file window" to find the usual suspects to select from. Nothing sleepy-looking in mine so I used a red slashed circle and renamed SLEEP. Thanks!

Solution 2

Some keyboards (usually multimedia keyboards) and laptops have a “sleep key” (figure 1) that is the equivalent of using the Sleep command in the Start menu or closing a laptop lid. It can have a text label or not and have one of several different icons on the key:

• Sleep
• _z^z
• ☾ / 🌙

On laptops, it is often one of the function keys used in conjunction with the Fn key (figure 2).

Some keyboards even have a power key (figure 3).

In your case, the Dell Inspiron 15z does not have a Sleep key (though you could use an external keyboard that does).

---

Figure 1: Microsoft keyboard with (labeled) Sleep key

Figure 2: Acer laptop with the z^z key on F4 (used with Fn):

Figure 3: Dell keyboard with and keys

Solution 3

I have Dell Inspiron 15 3542 touch.
As mentioned earlier, there is no dedicated Sleep button.
But the Fn + Insert combination does the trick!

Solution 4

By random experimentation with my Inspirion I figured out that fn+esc makes the computer sleep

Solution 5

On desktop computers many keyboards have a dedicated "Sleep"-button. Normally laptops don't but they might have a Fn-shortcut to the sleep mode.

I'm looking at a really old Dell where it is Fn + Esc. And sometimes it is Fn + F5. (Look for the "Sleep" or "Suspend" text below the keys.)

Historically Fn + Esc is used for "Suspend/Sleep" mode for a lot of notebooks so even if it's not on the keyboard itself you could try it.

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Comments

[Ramhound]

This is normally the power button provided you have declared your powered button should behave as such.

[trysis]

Yes but as you can see in my picture "Power button action" and "Sleep button action" are different "actions." This indicates to me they are 2 different buttons.

[Ramhound]

This means your laptop does not have a Sleep button. You can also simply configure your power button to place your computer to sleep and/or go to sleep when the lid is closed.

[trysis]

You are saying that because Windows claims there is a separate button for sleeping and power off, that there is not a different button for sleeping and power off?

[trysis]

Maybe the sleep button is only on tablets. The lock screen mentions a security button that is only on tablets so it's possible. If anyone can find out for sure & make it an answer I will accept it even though I said it first.

[trysis]

I guess that means my computer doesn't have a sleep button. See my pictures in my edited post.

[trysis]

Maybe by saying "sleep & power buttons", they didn't mean buttons on the keyboard, but these buttons.

[Synetech]

No, ’fraid not. The function keys F8 and up control media playback and volume. F1 = Internal/External Monitor toggle, F2 = Wireless Radio On/Off, F3 = Touchpad On/Off, F4/F5 = Screen Brightness Up/Down, F6 = Backlight Toggle. I don’t know what the silver keys are, but they might be system button (like the power button) as opposed to keyboard keys; they might also be Windows 8-specific keys.

[Synetech]

The one with the start is probably “Favorites” and the one with the gears probably opens the Control Panel. There was no mention of them in the manual, but you could try pushing them to find out what they do, though I doubt any of them are a sleep key. :-|

[trysis]

One opens some kind of settings menu. When the screen is off the button with the star & rectangle turns it back on but it doesn't do anything when the screen is on. No idea what the 3rd one is.

[Synetech]

That’s crazy; I would expect better logic and support from Dell. :-/

[trysis]

It's Microsoft not Dell.

[Synetech]

ಠ_ఠ You said it was a Dell Inspiron 15z laptop.

[trysis]

The reference to the sleep button was in the Windows options, not Dell's options. Windows doesn't typically let others change its core OS stuff, only add onto it.

[Synetech]

But we’re talking about those silver buttons on the laptop; I would have expected Dell to make it clear what they do either on the hardware, in the manual, or in software or something. You certainly should not have to say you have no idea what a button does; that’s poor design and Dell is not a new, small-time manufacturer. Incidentally, have you tried asking them either in the forums or directly ([email protected])?

[Ben N]

Danger! rundll32 is deprecated. Also, that command will cause the computer to hibernate, not sleep, if hibernation is enabled. I suggest using the Sysinternals PsShutdown tool instead.

[fixer1234]

This is a repeat of information in Rik's answer.

[Kittsil]

Thanks, Logan. Apparently this is the correct answer for all Inspiron 15s, but it took me forever to find.