How to Run Laptop with Lid Closed in Windows 10 & 11

When you close the laptop lid, Windows automatically puts it to sleep. Here is how to run the laptop with its lid closed in Windows 10 & 11.

When you connect the laptop to an external monitor, most of us prefer to close the laptop lid. However, closing the laptop lid turns off the monitor because Windows puts the laptop to sleep.

This is an automatic Windows mechanism to preserve the laptop battery. Most users keep their lid open to avoid putting the laptop to sleep and use it with an external monitor.

But the thing is, there is no need to keep the lid open just to keep the laptop running. You can change a few settings to run the laptop with the lid closed in Windows. i.e., the laptop doesn’t sleep when the lid is closed.

The good thing is that it is pretty easy to configure what happens when you close the laptop lid. Without further ado, let me show you how to keep the laptop turned on with its lid closed.

Table of contents:

• Run laptop with its lid closed
• Benefits of using a laptop with its lid closed

The steps below work the same in Windows 10 and 11.

Run laptop with its lid closed in Windows

To run a laptop with the lid closed, we need to change Windows power options from the Control Panel. Sounds not so easy, but it is really simple and straightforward. Here is how.

1. Press the Start key.
2. Search and open “Control Panel.”
3. Select “Large icons” from the “View by” dropdown.
4. Click on “Power Options.”
5. Click on the “Choose what closing the lid does” link.
6. Choose “Do nothing” from the “When I close lid” dropdown menus.
7. Press the “Save changes” button.
8. Close the Control Panel window.
9. Reboot Windows.
10. With that, the laptop runs with its lid closed.

Steps with more details:

We need to open the Power Options page in the Control Panel. There are multiple ways to do it. The method I’m showing will work the same in Windows 10 and 11.

First, press the “Start” key on your keyboard to open the Start menu. Next, search for “Control Panel” and open it.

In the Control Panel window, select “Large icons” from the “View by” dropdown menu. Now, find and click on the “Power Options” option. As you can guess, this page hosts some of the important Windows power management options. Remember that this page will eventually be migrated to the Settings app.

On the right panel of the Power Options page, click the “Choose what closing the lid does” link.

Now, select “Do nothing” from the two drop-down menus next to “When I close lid” and hit the “Save changes” button.

Finally, close the Control Panel and reboot the computer. After rebooting, you can use the laptop with its lid closed.

Benefits of using a laptop with its lid closed

There are several benefits to using the laptop with its lid closed. A few include but are not limited to connecting an external monitor, running it unattended, and more. Below is my personal use case.

Like many, I do most of my work on a laptop. The reason is simple; a laptop is portable and just as powerful if not more than a desktop.

One of the main advantages is that it allows me to carry it anywhere I want without losing productivity or efficiency.

Being the main machine, it hosts all my daily usage files, folders, and applications. Even at home, I prefer using the laptop over the desktop. However, I connect the laptop to an external monitor.

As you know, the external monitor gives us more screen real estate for better productivity. I use it so much that I made myself a simple plywood docking station that contains a full keyboard, mouse, and USB setup. This simple docking station allows me to dock the laptop and start using it with an external monitor and all the peripherals.

To use the laptop while it is connected to an external monitor, I need to be able to close the lid. Otherwise, the laptop screen can be a big distraction. After all, using two screens with different resolutions and sizes is a bit inconvenient.

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That is all. It is that simple to run a Windows laptop with its lid closed.

I hope this simple and easy Windows how-to guide helped you.

If you are stuck or need some help, send an email, and I will try to help as much as possible.