How to Run Windows Laptop with Lid Closed

Like many of you, I do the majority of my work on a laptop. The reason being, the laptop is very portable while being as powerful if not more than a desktop. This allows me to carry it anywhere I want without losing productivity or efficiency.

Since I do all my work on the laptop, it hosts all the files I need in my daily usage. As such, even when I'm at home, I prefer to connect my laptop to the external monitor. As you know, the external monitor gives us more screen real estate and better productivity. In fact, I made myself a simple docking station with plywood that contains a full keyboard, mouse, and USB setup. So, when I want to use the external monitor I simply dock the laptop and start working.

When you connect the laptop to an external screen, most us prefer to close the laptop lid. However, when you close the laptop lid it is automatically put into sleep mode and turned off.

This is an automatic Windows mechanism to make sure that you are not losing any battery power while you are not using the laptop.

To avoid this, most users keep their lid open.

But the thing is, there is no need to keep the lid open just to keep the laptop running. You can change a couple of Windows settings to make the laptop stay turned on even when the screen is closed. By doing this, you can use the external monitor with the laptop lid closed. In case you are wondering, here is how to run Windows laptop with the lid closed.

Run Windows Laptop with the Lid Closed

To run Windows laptop with the screen closed we need to change the Windows power options.

1. First, right-click on the battery icon in your taskbar and select "Power Options" option.

2. On the right panel, click on the link "Choose what closing the lid does."

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

That's it. From now on you can run Windows laptop with the lid closed. It won't put to sleep or hibernate automatically when close lid.