How to Turn a PC On and Off Remotely

To remotely awaken your computer from a low power state using a magic packet, Wake On LAN can be utilized. Initially, enabling it in your UEFI firmware settings and configuring your Ethernet network adapter settings is necessary. Subsequently, a WOL utility can be employed to power on your remote computer using another computer, an Android phone, or an iPhone.

For those unfamiliar with WOL on Windows, the following instructions detail how to activate and configure Wake on LAN on computers running Windows 10 and 11. 

1. Configure UEFI Firmware Settings to Enable Wake-on-LAN

 While most modern Ethernet network adapters are capable of supporting Wake-on-LAN, the feature is often not enabled by default. To ensure that your PC can be activated by a magic packet, you may need to activate the feature in both your PC's BIOS/UEFI menu and the settings of your network adapter within Windows 10.

You can activate Wake On Lan on a compatible computer by accessing the UEFI firmware menu or BIOS. The steps provided are specific to an HP PC, so they may vary slightly depending on the manufacturer of your computer. Typically, however, you will find this option within the networking or power-related settings.

To access the UEFI firmware menu or BIOS, select the power button located in the bottom right corner of the login screen. Then, press and hold the Shift key while clicking on Restart. If prompted, choose Restart Anyway. Allow your computer to restart and enter the Windows Recovery Environment.

Under Choose an option, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings. Then, click Restart to enter UEFI (BIOS).

In the BIOS Setup Utility, open the Configuration tab. Using the down arrow key, go to and select S3/S4/S5 Wake On LAN. Then, hit Enter and choose Enabled. Finally, press F10 to save and exit setup.

2. Configure Wake on LAN Settings for the Ethernet Adapter

Access Windows normally after activating Wake-on-LAN in the BIOS/UEFI of your desired PC. Next, adjust the Ethernet adapter configurations to activate the Wake On Magic Packet feature.

Initially, launch the Device Manager. For Windows 10/11 users, utilize the shortcut Windows key + X to open it from the administrative tools quick menu. Another option is to press the Windows key or click on the Start menu and search for Device Manager.

1.Expand the Network adapters category and double-click on your network adapter (or right-click on it and choose Properties). 

2. Move to the Advanced tab and check the entries under Property. Locate the entry for Wake on Magic Packet and enable it.

 3.While in the network adapter's properties, go to the Power Management tab. Ensure that Allow this device to wake the computer and Only allow a magic packet to wake the computer are enabled.

4.Finally, you'll need this PC's IP address to wake it up remotely. To find your IP address, press Windows key + R, type cmd, then click OK to run Command Prompt. Type ipconfig in the Command Prompt and press Enter to run the command. The address you need will be the IPv4 Address. 

3. Disable Fast Startup

You will also need to disable fast startup to ensure that your Ethernet adapter continues to work even when the system is in a low-power state.

1. Type "Control" in the search bar to open the Control Panel.
2. Go to Power Options.
3. In the left pane, click Choose what closing the lid does.

4.Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.

 5.Under Shutdown settings, uncheck Turn on fast startup, and save your changes.

 

4. Wake Up a Computer Remotely Using WakeMeOnLan

In order to remotely power on a PC, it is necessary to have a means of sending a magic packet to it. Numerous remote control solutions are capable of waking up a PC. Nevertheless, complete remote control is not required solely for the purpose of waking up a PC. One convenient method to achieve this is by utilizing NirSoft's WakeMeOnLan tool, which is available for free.

1.Download WakeMeOnLan.  

2.The tool is a portable app that doesn't need installation. To use it, simply extract the contents of the ZIP archive into a folder and copy the path to the folder.

3. WakeMeOnLan will scan your network for all connected devices when you run the tool. Select a device from the list to send the magic packet, and then choose Wake Up Selected Computers.