Most people use the classic clock radio that turns on and plays the morning radio in order to wake you up. There’s also the option to use the even more old-fashioned ringing alarm. For a more modern twist, you can use the alarm included with your smartphone to wake you up as well.
Why not use your laptop or PC instead? Just make sure the speakers are turned on before going this route, though. If you want to know how to set an alarm on a computer windows 10, here’s the deal.
Why Should You Set the Alarm on Windows 10?
If you need to wake up at a certain time, you can use your PC or laptop to do so, especially if you’re doing a work-at-home arrangement with your office due to the persistent Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns. Any Windows 10 device can accomplish this.
The operating system includes a built-in alarm clock app that you can setup up using the steps below. Just remember that alarms and timers work even if the device is locked or the app is closed.
How to Turn on Your Windows 10 Alarm
Here’s the nitty-gritty regarding turning on your Windows 10 alarm. It involves the following steps.
Step 1: Go to the Windows search box located on the taskbar of your laptop or PC. Now type “alarm” on it in order to search for the alarm. It should autofill the name, “Alarms & Clock”, referring to the Windows app. Now click on that icon, the “Best Match” result, or “Open”.
Step 2: Click the alarm icon then click the plug button or the “Add New Timer” button in order to do just that. You can also select existing alarms in order to edit them.
Step 3: Set an alarm time you wish. You can set it to 7:00 AM to wake up early enough to beat the morning traffic or even 8:30 AM if you work at home and plan to get a quick breakfast.
Step 4: You can also set the number of times the alarm repeats if you’re a heavy sleeper, snooze time to give you reprieve, and alarm sound in accordance with your personal preferences.
Step 5: Don’t forget to click on the “Save” button on the window’s lower right corner once you’re done. Press “Cancel” if you want to start over.
How to Make Sure Your Device Doesn’t Go to Sleep
If there’s a warning showing that notifications only appear if the device is awake, make sure the device doesn’t go to sleep.
Step 1: Go to the Start Button, bring up the menu then click the Settings Icon (the gear-shaped one) then go to “System”. Now go to “Power & Sleep” in order to adjust your PC’s sleep settings.
Step 2: You can also access Power & Sleep settings by typing “Power & Sleep” onto the Windows search bar on your taskbar.
Step 3: This is the Power & Sleep settings. You can make sure whether it’s on battery power or plugged in, the PC never sleeps in order to allow the alarm to work.
Step 4: To be more specific, under the “Screen” header, you should set the sleep time to “Never” for “On battery power, turn off after” and on “When plugged in, turn off after”. Just be warned that if your laptop doesn’t’ turn off while in battery power, it will run out of power faster.
Q&A
Does the laptop alarm work in sleep mode?
Alarms and timers might not work if the computer goes to sleep. Only newer laptops and tablets with a feature called “InstantGo” can wake up from sleep to play an alarm or timer.
Does my PC support InstantGo?
Run the powercfg /a option from a command prompt to see if your device can do it or not. you’ll see the Standby (Connected) option only if you have InstantGo:
With the addition of this new feature or power state, called “InstantGo,” to your Windows 11/10/8.1 computer, you can expect it to have longer battery life and wake up faster from sleep.
The Bottom Line
It’s pretty simple to set your alarm using your Windows 10 PC or laptop. Just don’t forget to adjust your device’s sleep settings in case the Alarms & Clock app doesn’t activate notifications in sleep mode.
References:
- Avram Piltch, “How to Set Alarms in Windows 10“, LaptopMag.com, December 16, 2017
- “How to use alarms and timers in the Alarms & Clock app in Windows 10“, Microsoft.com Support, Retrieved June 8, 2022