How to Prevent Your Computer from Sleeping During Workouts

WattPlan Help Guide

WattPlan uses Bluetooth to connect to your smart trainer, power meter, and heart rate monitor. If your computer goes to sleep during a workout, these connections will be lost. Here's how to prevent that from happening.

Why This Matters

When your computer enters sleep mode, it suspends all Bluetooth connections to save power. This means your workout data stops recording, and you'll need to reconnect your devices when the computer wakes up.

WattPlan automatically keeps your display from turning off during workouts, but your computer's sleep settings are controlled by your operating system and need to be adjusted separately.

Tip: You only need to change these settings once. After your workout, you can leave them as-is or change them back - your preference!

Instructions by Platform

Windows 10 / 11

Click the Start menu and open Settings
Or press Windows + I on your keyboard
Go to System → Power & sleep
On Windows 11, this may be under System → Power & battery → Screen and sleep
Under "Sleep", set When plugged in, put my device to sleep after to Never
(Optional) You can leave "Screen" settings as-is - WattPlan handles that automatically

Laptop users: Make sure your laptop is plugged in during workouts. Battery power settings may be different and more aggressive about sleeping.

macOS

macOS Ventura and later (13.0+)

Click the Apple menu and select System Settings
Click Displays in the sidebar
Click Advanced... at the bottom
Toggle off Prevent automatic sleeping when the display is off

Alternative method:

Go to System Settings → Energy Saver (or Battery → Options on laptops)
Set Put hard disks to sleep when possible to off
Enable Prevent your Mac from automatically sleeping when the display is off

macOS Monterey and earlier

Click the Apple menu and select System Preferences
Click Energy Saver
Drag the "Computer sleep" slider to Never
Check Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off

MacBook users: Settings may differ between "Battery" and "Power Adapter" tabs. Configure the Power Adapter settings for indoor training.

Chromebook

Click the time in the bottom-right corner
Click the Settings gear icon
Go to Device → Power
Under "When idle", set While charging to Keep display on

Mobile Devices

Important: Mobile browsers (iOS and Android) have significant limitations with background Bluetooth connections. For the most reliable experience, we recommend using a desktop or laptop computer for indoor training sessions.

If you must use a mobile device:

Keep the screen on and the app in the foreground at all times
Don't switch to other apps during your workout
Don't lock your phone
Consider using a phone mount where you can see the screen

Troubleshooting

My devices keep disconnecting

If you've adjusted your sleep settings but still experience disconnections:

Make sure your computer is plugged into power
Check that your Bluetooth adapter drivers are up to date
Try moving your computer closer to your trainer/sensors
Ensure no other apps are trying to connect to your devices

Settings won't stay changed

Some corporate or school-managed computers may have policies that override your settings. Check with your IT administrator if you're unable to change power settings.

Ready to Ride?

Once you've adjusted your settings, you're all set for uninterrupted indoor training.

Open Workout Player