How to Configure Network Connectivity During Modern Standby in Windows 11

Before configuring network connectivity settings, confirm your device supports Modern Standby. Open Windows Terminal as administrator and run the power configuration analysis command.

powercfg /a

Look for "Standby (S0 Low Power Idle) Network Connected" or "Standby (S0 Low Power Idle) Network Disconnected" in the output. If you see these entries, your device supports Modern Standby.

The easiest method uses the built-in Power Options control panel. Press the Windows key, type "Control Panel", and press Enter. Ensure the view is set to icons by clicking "Category" next to "View by:" and selecting "Large icons" or "Small icons".

Click the "Power Options" icon, then click "Change plan settings" for your currently active power plan. Click "Change advanced power settings" to open the detailed configuration window.

Expand the "Network connectivity in Standby" section. You'll see two dropdown menus:

• On battery: Controls behavior when running on battery power
• Plugged in: Controls behavior when connected to AC power

For each dropdown, select from three options:

• Enable: Always maintain network connectivity (uses more battery)
• Disable: Disconnect network during standby (saves battery)
• Managed by Windows: Let Windows decide automatically

Click "OK" to apply your changes.

For more reliable configuration, especially in managed environments, use PowerShell commands. Open Windows Terminal as administrator and use the powercfg utility with specific GUID values.

The GUID F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 represents the network connectivity setting. Use these commands based on your requirements:

Configure battery power settings:

# Enable network connectivity on battery
powercfg /setdcvalueindex scheme_current sub_none F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 1

# Disable network connectivity on battery
powercfg /setdcvalueindex scheme_current sub_none F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 0

# Let Windows manage on battery
powercfg /setdcvalueindex scheme_current sub_none F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 2

Configure plugged-in power settings:

# Enable network connectivity when plugged in (default)
powercfg /setacvalueindex scheme_current sub_none F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 1

# Disable network connectivity when plugged in
powercfg /setacvalueindex scheme_current sub_none F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 0

# Let Windows manage when plugged in
powercfg /setacvalueindex scheme_current sub_none F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 2

After running your chosen commands, activate the changes:

powercfg /setactive scheme_current

For enterprise environments or permanent configuration, use the Local Group Policy Editor. This method is only available in Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

Press Windows + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter. Navigate to the following path:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Power Management > Sleep Settings

You'll find two relevant policies:

• "Allow network connectivity during connected-standby (plugged in)"
• "Allow network connectivity during connected-standby (on battery)"

Double-click each policy to configure it. Select one of three options:

• Not Configured: Uses default Windows behavior
• Enabled: Forces network connectivity during standby
• Disabled: Prevents network connectivity during standby

Click "OK" after configuring each policy, then close the Group Policy Editor.

For advanced users or deployment scenarios, create registry files to configure these settings. Open Notepad and create .reg files with the appropriate registry entries.

Sample registry file to enable network connectivity when plugged in:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Power\PowerSettings\f15576e8-98b7-4186-b944-eafa664402d9]
"ACSettingIndex"=dword:00000001

Sample registry file to disable network connectivity on battery:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Power\PowerSettings\f15576e8-98b7-4186-b944-eafa664402d9]
"DCSettingIndex"=dword:00000000

Registry values explanation:

• ACSettingIndex: Controls plugged-in behavior
• DCSettingIndex: Controls battery behavior
• dword:00000000: Disabled
• dword:00000001: Enabled
• dword:00000002: Managed by Windows

Save each file with a .reg extension, then double-click to merge into the registry. Click "Run", "Yes", and "OK" when prompted.

After applying your configuration, test the settings to ensure they work as expected. Put your device into Modern Standby by closing the lid or pressing the power button briefly (don't hold it down).

Wait 2-3 minutes, then wake the device. Check if network connectivity behaved according to your configuration:

• If enabled: Network apps should show recent activity and notifications
• If disabled: Network apps will need to reconnect and sync when you wake the device
• If managed by Windows: Behavior varies based on system conditions

Use these commands to monitor power and network states:

# Check current power scheme settings
powercfg /query scheme_current sub_none F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9

# Generate detailed power report
powercfg /batteryreport /output "C:\battery-report.html"

# Check network adapter power management
Get-NetAdapter | Get-NetAdapterPowerManagement

Review the battery report to see how your configuration affects power consumption during standby periods.

If your configuration isn't working as expected, follow these troubleshooting steps to identify and resolve common problems.

Settings not visible in Power Options:

Some devices don't show the network connectivity option in the GUI. Use PowerShell or Group Policy methods instead:

# Force refresh power settings
powercfg /restoredefaultschemes
powercfg /setactive scheme_current

WiFi disconnects despite enabled setting:

Check your network adapter's power management settings:

# Disable power saving for WiFi adapter
$adapter = Get-NetAdapter -Name "Wi-Fi"
Set-NetAdapterPowerManagement -Name $adapter.Name -AllowComputerToTurnOffDevice Disabled

Settings don't persist after restart:

This often happens with PowerShell commands. Use Group Policy or registry methods for permanent changes, or create a startup script:

@echo off
REM Startup script to reapply network connectivity settings
powercfg /setdcvalueindex scheme_current sub_none F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 0
powercfg /setacvalueindex scheme_current sub_none F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 1
powercfg /setactive scheme_current

Group Policy Editor not available:

Windows 11 Home edition doesn't include gpedit.msc. Use PowerShell or registry methods instead, or enable Group Policy Editor:

FOR %F IN ("%SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~*.mum") DO (DISM /Online /NoRestart /Add-Package:"%F")
FOR %F IN ("%SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~*.mum") DO (DISM /Online /NoRestart /Add-Package:"%F")