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Windows

Wake-on-LAN Not Working on Windows: How to Fix It

By ··Updated August 28, 2026·4 min read
What this guide covers
  1. 1. Turn off Fast Startup — start here
  2. 2. Configure the network adapter
  3. 3. Enable it in firmware
  4. 4. Verify from Windows
  5. 5. Send the packet correctly
  6. Over the internet
  7. 6. Check wi-fi expectations
  8. Frequently asked questions
  9. Why does it work from sleep but not from shutdown?
  10. It worked before and stopped.
  11. Do I need a static IP for the target?
  12. Is Wake-on-LAN a security risk?
  13. How do I know the packet is arriving?

Wake-on-LAN needs four separate things to be right, and it fails silently if any one of them is wrong. In order of how often each is the culprit:

  1. Fast Startup is on — this is the answer most of the time
  2. Wake-on-LAN is not enabled in the network adapter settings
  3. It is not enabled in the firmware
  4. The magic packet cannot reach the machine
Wake-on-LAN configuration on Windows
All four layers have to agree before a machine will wake.

Checked August 2026. Applies to Windows 11 and Windows 10 22H2.

1. Turn off Fast Startup — start here

Choose what the power buttons do in Windows Power Options
Power Options → Choose what the power buttons do.

Fast Startup means “shut down” is really a partial hibernation. The network adapter is powered down in a state where it does not listen for magic packets — so the machine never wakes, and nothing you configure elsewhere helps.

  1. Press Win + R, run powercfg.cpl.
  2. Select Choose what the power buttons do.
Clicking Change settings that are currently unavailable in Windows Power Options
The shutdown checkboxes are greyed out until you click this.
  1. Select Change settings that are currently unavailable.
Turning off fast startup in Windows shutdown settings
Clear “Turn on fast startup”, then Save changes.
  1. Clear Turn on fast startup (recommended).
  2. Select Save changes.

Boot becomes slightly slower. In exchange, a shutdown is a real shutdown — which is what Wake-on-LAN requires.

2. Configure the network adapter

Opening network connections with ncpa.cpl
Win + R, then ncpa.cpl.
  1. Press Win + R, run ncpa.cpl.
  2. Right-click your Ethernet adapter → Properties.
The Configure button in network adapter properties
Select Configure to reach the adapter’s own settings.
  1. Select Configure.
Enabling Wake on Magic Packet on the Advanced tab of a network adapter
On the Advanced tab, enable the wake settings.
  1. On the Advanced tab, enable these where present:
    • Wake on Magic Packet → Enabled
    • Wake on pattern match → Enabled
    • Enable PME → Enabled
    • Shutdown Wake-On-Lan → Enabled
    • Energy Efficient Ethernet → Disabled, as it can interfere
Power Management tab settings for a network adapter
Both boxes on the Power Management tab must be ticked.
  1. On the Power Management tab, tick:
    • Allow this device to wake the computer
    • Only allow a magic packet to wake the computer
  2. Clear Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.

3. Enable it in firmware

Wake on LAN settings in a computer BIOS
Named differently by every vendor — look under Power Management.

Enter firmware setup (Settings → System → Recovery → Restart now → Troubleshoot → Advanced options → UEFI Firmware Settings) and look under Power Management for:

  • Wake on LAN / Wake on PCI-E / Power On By PCI-E
  • Resume by PCI-E Device
  • ErP or EuP — this one must be disabled. It cuts standby power to the network port entirely, which makes waking impossible.
  • Deep Sleep — disable, for the same reason

4. Verify from Windows

From an elevated Command Prompt, list what is permitted to wake the machine:

powercfg /devicequery wake_armed

Your Ethernet adapter should appear. If it does not, step 2 has not taken effect.

To see what actually woke the machine last time:

powercfg /lastwake

5. Send the packet correctly

A magic packet is a UDP broadcast containing the target’s MAC address. Getting this wrong is the second most common failure.

  • You need the MAC address of the wired adapter — see how to find your MAC address.
  • Send to the broadcast address of the subnet, typically 192.168.1.255, not to the machine’s IP. A sleeping machine does not answer ARP, so its IP address does not resolve.
  • Port 9 is conventional; some tools use 7.

Test from another machine on the same network first. Only once that works should you attempt it from outside.

Over the internet

Harder, and worth being honest about:

  • Broadcasts are not routed across the internet, so the router must forward the packet.
  • Options are a port forward to the broadcast address (many routers refuse), a static ARP entry on the router, or — much better — a VPN into the network, or a small always-on device on the LAN to send it.

6. Check wi-fi expectations

Wake-on-Wireless-LAN exists but is far less widely supported, needs adapter and firmware support on both sides, and often does not work from full shutdown at all. If you can use a cable for the machine you want to wake, do.

Frequently asked questions

Why does it work from sleep but not from shutdown?

Fast Startup. A shutdown with it enabled leaves the adapter in a state that does not listen. Turn it off.

It worked before and stopped.

A Windows update replaced the network driver and reset its Advanced settings. Recheck the adapter properties — this is very common.

Do I need a static IP for the target?

Not for the magic packet, which is addressed by MAC. You will want one for connecting afterwards, and a DHCP reservation on the router is the tidiest way to arrange it.

Is Wake-on-LAN a security risk?

Modest. A magic packet can only power a machine on; it grants no access. The risk is exposing the forwarding rule to the internet, which is why a VPN is the better route.

How do I know the packet is arriving?

Test from a second machine on the same subnet first. If that works and remote does not, the problem is the router, not the PC.

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