When should you turn off your computer?

There are two types of people in the world: those who turn off their computers every night and those who simply close their laptops without turning them off. You've probably heard conflicting messages about the most effective way to save energy and maintain your equipment. We're here to make things clear.

Different low consumption states of the computer

Most computers have three levels of low power states when not in use: sleep, hibernation, and shutdown. In sleep mode, your computer turns off parts of itself but keeps a snapshot of what you were doing so you can pick up where you left off, says Geek Squad agent Derek Meister. Hibernate mode is similar but turns off more things for deeper sleep and lower power consumption. The main difference you'll notice is the time it takes to restart, says Brad Nichols, a technician at Staymobile, a tech repair company. Sleep mode allows your computer to restart within seconds after you move your mouse, but it may take a few minutes to wake from sleep mode. Turning your computer off completely means that it is completely turned off and is using almost no power.

Does turning off your computer use more power?

You may have heard that completely shutting down your computer actually consumes more power in the long run because the system is under more stress than usual during shutdowns and startups. This may have been true with older models, but is no longer a problem with modern computers. You may remember loud noises like fans spinning on your first PCs, but newer models have solid hardware rather than a lot of moving parts, Meister says. This newer technology makes stopping easier, too. “Modern computers don't use much more energy — if at all — when they start up or shut down than they do normally,” he says.

How often should you shut down your computer?

Even if you leave your laptop in sleep mode most nights, it's a good idea to shut down your computer completely at least once a week, according to Nichols and Meister. The more you use your computer, the more applications it runs, from cached copies of attachments to ad blockers in the background. “These things need to be reset at some point so they don't always work,” Nichols says. “It builds up over time, and the more you use it, the slower it gets.”

Additionally, a weekly shutdown can prevent technological issues. You've probably experienced computer problems before a simple reboot fix, and making it a habit can prevent these problems, Nichols says. “It resets the computer and gives it a fresh start,” he says.