How to Enable S3 Sleep State & Disable Modern Standby (SO)
A Registry script is the safest method to accomplish this
- There are various sleep states the system can use, which includes the S3 state also.
- If the Modern Standby (SO) is enabled on your PC, it will disable the S3 sleep state and prevent it from working.
- You can disable the Modern Standby via the Registry Editor and the Command Prompt.
A sleeping system indicates that it is not engaging in any computation process and appears to be off. Different states have sleep depths that differ from others. However, users struggle with enabling the S3 sleep state on their PC.
From our guide, read on to find out how to enable S3 sleep state and disable Modern Standby on your PC.
What is the S3 sleep state?
The S3 sleep state is when the system can be on when it’s not performing any computational tasks. It is the third in the sleep state order States S1, S2, S3, and S4. They all have different characteristics that determine how they operate.
However, the S3 sleep state is a low wake latency sleeping state, and for some systems, the S3 sleep state is not supported.
It features the CPU context, system cache contents, and chipset context loss because it retains only the system memory. Also, placing the system in an S3 sleep state only provides power to the USB 3.0 ports.
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However, the S3 sleep state is disabled when Modern Standby (SO) low power idle is supported. So, to enable the S3 sleep state, we’ll take you through how to disable the Modern Standby (SO) on Windows.
How can I check my PC’s sleep state?
Before proceeding with any steps, check your system’s current sleep state:
- Press Windows + X key to open the Quick Link menu, then click on Windows Terminal (Admin).
- Type the following command and press Enter:
powercfg /a - If the system reports Standby (S0 Lower Power Idle) Network Connected/Disconnected, then Modern Standby is enabled.
- If the system reports This standby state is disabled when S0 low power idle is supported, it indicates you can disable Modern Standby to enable Legacy Standby (S3).
So, proceed with the steps below to disable the Modern Standby to enable the Legacy Standby (S3).
How do I enable S3 sleep state & disable modern standby?
1. Use a Registry script
- Press Windows + R key to open the Run dialog box, type notepad, and click OK to open a new Notepad file.
- Copy and paste the following script into the notepad file:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power] "PlatformAoAcOverride"=dword:00000000
- Click on File in the top-left corner and select Save As.
- Enter the file name as Disable_Modern_Standby.reg, click the Save as type drop-down, select All files, and click Save to save the registry file.
- Double-click on the Disable_Modern_Standby.reg file and click Yes when UAC prompts.
- Restart your PC to apply the changes.
The steps above will disable the Modern Standby and give way for you to enable the S3 sleep state. Read how to fix errors accessing the Registry if you run into issues with the steps above.
2. Use Command Prompt
- Left-click the Start button, type Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.
- Click Yes on the User Account Control prompt.
- Type the following commands and press Enter:
reg add HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power /v PlatformAoAcOverride /t REG_DWORD /d 0
- Close the Command Prompt and restart your PC to apply the changes.
The Command Prompt uses the reg commands to modify the Windows registry, disabling the Modern Standby.
This solution will also help you disable modern standby on Windows 10 so try it out.
Check our guide on what to do if you can’t run the Command Prompt as an administrator on Windows 11.
3. Via the Registry Editor
- Press Windows + R key to open the Run dialog box, type regedit, and click OK to open Registry Editor.
- Click Yes if prompted by UAC.
- Copy and paste the following registry path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power
- Right-click on the Power entry, select New, and choose DWORD (32-bit) Value from the drop-down, then input PlatformAoAcOverride as the Value name.
- Right-click on the PlatformAoAcOverride value and select Modify. Type 0 in the value data field and click OK.
- Close the Registry Editor and restart your PC to apply the changes.
Editing the Power entry in the Registry Editor will impact the Modern Standby and disable its power state.
Note: Disabling the Modern Standby (SO) on Windows via any of the above steps allows the S3 sleep state to work. So, users can run the steps to check the system’s current Sleep State to know if the S3 sleep state is enabled.
Further, our readers may be interested in our article about the Ultimate Performance power plan and how to enable it. Also, read how to fix a computer not going to sleep on Windows 11.
Also, users report computer crashes after waking up from sleep, making it difficult to revive the system.
In conclusion, ensure you follow all the steps outlined strictly for optimal results to disable modern standby and enable the S3 sleep state. Further questions or suggestions are welcomed in the comments section.
