Why does my computer turn off when I close the lid?

When you close the lid of your laptop, your computer will suspend in order to save power. This means that the computer is not actually turned off — it has just gone to sleep. You can resume it by opening the lid. If it does not resume, try clicking the mouse or pressing a key. If that still does not work, press the power button.

Some computers are unable to suspend properly, normally because their hardware is not completely supported by the operating system (for example, the Linux drivers are incomplete). In this case, you may find that you are unable to resume your computer after you have closed the lid. You can try to fix the problem with suspend, or you can prevent the computer from trying to suspend when you close the lid.

Stop the computer from suspending when the lid is closed

These instructions will only work if you are using systemd. Contact your distribution for more information.

You need to have Tweaks installed on your computer to change this setting.

If you do not want the computer to suspend when you close the lid, you can change the setting for that behavior.

Be very careful if you change this setting. Some laptops can overheat if they are left running with the lid closed, especially if they are in a confined place like a backpack.

  1. Open the Activities overview and start typing Tweaks.

  2. Click Tweaks to open the application.

  3. Select the General tab.

  4. Switch the Suspend when laptop lid is closed switch to off.

  5. Close the Tweaks window.