Over the last few weeks I’ve noticed that Plex Media Server is preventing my computer and monitors from sleeping properly. If Plex Media Server is running on my computer neither it nor my monitors will not sleep or hibernate, period; even if the Media Server is not being accessed. This is of particular concern given how much power it wastes, it prevents my computer from locking for security purposes, and it prevents my monitors from ever turning off (instead staying on indefinitely with a black screen)
Here’s what happens: When my computer SHOULD automatically go to sleep, instead; the video feed to my monitors will turn off but they will remain on (an illuminated black screen), and my PC will continue running at full power indefinitely (my keyboard/mouse and all peripherals remain on with power, the desktop fans all remain on, power LEDs indicate it is in full-power mode). This persists until I use my keyboard/mouse in which case, my monitors will switch immediately from a blank black screen to my desktop as if the system was always on … because it was always on.
What can I do to address this issue, short of having to turn Plex Media Server on and off repeatedly so my computer/monitors will properly sleep/hibernate?
My current settings are:
-Plex “Support away mode when preventing system sleep” Off (problem also persists when “on”)
-Automated HDD scanning for library updates disabled
-Any automatic Plex Media Server maintenance (updates, scans, library album covers, etc.) disabled
-Persists with PC “Wake on LAN” disabled
-Running Version 1.7.5.4035 of Plex Media Server
-Running Windows 10 Version 1703 (15063.413)
-The issue is certainly Plex Media Server; I have no issues with sleep/hibernation when I turn the program off.
Disabling “Enable DLNA Server” in Plex Media Server settings has resolved the issue. With that service (which was enabled by default) disabled, my computer and monitors will now sleep properly.
Support away mode when preventing system sleep - Unchecked
Run a partial scan when changes are detected - Unchecked
Update my library automatically - unchecked
Update my library periodically - 12 hours (if you go any less like 6 hours, the computer will wake up after a few minutes)
Tested each of these settings one by one, then putting the computer to sleep. And not via the sleep button in the start menu. But using this command in a Scheduled Task: C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe Powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState Sleep
I got success with this. Put my computer to sleep with a scheduled task, then wake it up in the early morning with a WOL script sent from my NAS. I couldn’t wake up my Intel NUC any other way (task scheduler, bios setup), some ongoing firmware issue.
@swsquish said:
Ok so I finally got Plex to go to sleep.
Enable DLNA Server - Unchecked
Support away mode when preventing system sleep - Unchecked
Run a partial scan when changes are detected - Unchecked
Update my library automatically - unchecked
Update my library periodically - 12 hours (if you go any less like 6 hours, the computer will wake up after a few minutes)
Tested each of these settings one by one, then putting the computer to sleep. And not via the sleep button in the start menu. But using this command in a Scheduled Task: C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe Powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState Sleep
I got success with this. Put my computer to sleep with a scheduled task, then wake it up in the early morning with a WOL script sent from my NAS. I couldn’t wake up my Intel NUC any other way (task scheduler, bios setup), some ongoing firmware issue.
Thanks for this. The same settings helped on my system, where disabling the DLNA server wasn’t enough.
A year later and this is still not resolved? I had to disable DLNA because my PC would try going to sleep and immediately wake up. Not that I need it because it doen’t work anyway after the latest PMS update…
I just went through 2 hours of reading and trying different methods. Hopefully someone like me finds this thread easily by looking up something like “Plex prevents windows from going into sleep” or “Windows 10 is not going to sleep”.
After trying what is on this thread and many, many others, I noticed that the suggested changes to the settings no longer work for Windows to actually go to sleep.
What did it for me, and friends that had the same issue, was going to:
Control Panel > Power Options (in icons view, not category; click category in blue to change) > Change Plan Settings (in blue near whatever Preferred Plan is selected) > Change Advanced Power Settings > + Multimedia Settings > + When Sharing Media > Setting: Allow the computer to sleep.
This seems to override the Plex request to never go to sleep:
System Availability Requests:System Required Request
The program has made a request to prevent the system from automatically entering sleep.
Requesting Process \Device\HarddiskVolume6\Program Files (x86)\Plex\Plex Media
Rephrasing. When you allow the computer to go to sleep when sharing media, does it go to sleep when you are watching a movie on the TV interrupting it and forcing you to go to the pc and get out of the sleep mode?
That was supposed to be a 1 instead of a 3, haha sorry. It must’ve numbered them automatically.
The computer will not go to sleep if you are watching a movie from any other device. I guess it counts as being used while it’s streaming the data from the pc to whatever device you’re using.
i deactivated all the dlna-automatic-scan-update-maintance-stuff in pms with no success. i also allowed the mentioned energy-setting, that the computer can go to sleep while sharing media.
no matter what i did, cmd-command “powercfg /requests” or “powercfg /energy” always tells me, that “c:…\plexmediaserver.exe” is preventing the system from going to sleep. btw the monitor is going to sleep after the configured monitor-shut-down-time.
Background, using my RoG laptop as HTPC at home and media server when traveling. After this weekend my laptop wouldn’t go to hibernate. What would happen was:
I press sleep on K400r
Laptop goes to sleep
Laptop immediately turns on, but without screen out.
After finally figuring out what I changed this weekend (updating fkn Plex). I managed to fix this issue.
Fix:
Disabling the Plex Update Service under services.
I noticed that after the upgrade to Version 1.15.2.793 (windows 10 PC) my computer is no longer going to sleep either. I’ll have to try some of the fixes mentioned here when I get home from work.
Hmmm, I actually uninstalled PMS and re-installed version 14 and my PC still won’t go to sleep if PMS is running. I even rolled Win 10 back a week, which was before this started happening, and still no luck…
Hi guys
Before I happened to format my Windows drive just recently, I believe I had found the DLNA ‘Client-specific configuration’ script to allow the Plex DLNA service to sleep the PC whilst DLNA was still enabled & when not in use, as it indeed was working.
I have attached a screenshot of most of the script itself as I happened to take a photo before formatting, however the one thing I did not do was copy this whole script before formatting the drive. I found this script listed somewhere on the net (I cant remember) a few years ago when I was having the same problem. Is anyone able to complete this script’s complete wording listed under ‘DLNA client preferences’ in General in the PMS Windows settings? If you can, please list it here, as it would be much appreciated!
