How to enable and use Wake on LAN (WoL) on Windows 11
This is a function that can be useful in certain needs, where it is necessary to maintain a computer connected to the network in order to have access to files, while avoiding that it remains on when not needed and thus reducing energy consumption. Once Wake on LAN is enabled, it will be possible to send what is called a "magic packet", containing the MAC address of the device to be reactivated, over the network. In this guide, we will list the steps necessary to use it.
Windows 11: how to enable and use Wake on LAN
To enable the Wake on LAN feature, you will first need to go to the BIOS settings / UEFI of your motherboard, then proceeding to activate it from the Windows 11 settings. The system Wake on LAN works only when the PC is in standby, however some devices also support restarting from hibernation or even shutdown, even if these are purely hardware features not supported in Windows 11.How to enable Wake on LAN from the motherboard BIOS / UEFI
Open the Windows 11 settings; Click on the “System” section; Now select the item "Restore";| ); }Select "Troubleshoot", then "Advanced options" and finally "UEFI firmware settings"; Now click on "Restart" to access the configuration settings of the motherboard; From here you will have to search for and enable the "Wake on LAN" option, which you should be able to find in the power settings section. Since BIOS / UEFI settings vary from model to model, please read up on the manual.
Configuring Wake on LAN on Windows 11
Once the function has been activated, you can now proceed with the configuration on Windows 11:Go to Windows 11 settings again; Select "Network and Internet"; At the bottom, click on “Advanced network settings”, then select “more options for the network card”;
In the window that opens, right-click on the icon for the network card, then select "Properties";
Now click on the “Configure” button; In the "Advanced" tab, select "Wake on Magic Packet" from the "Properties" box; Select "Enabled" in the drop-down menu on the right; If you use a Realtek network card, you may also need to enable the "Wake on pattern match" option and set the "WoL & Shutdown Link Speed" item to "10Mbps"; In the "Power Management" tab, now check the options "Allow the computer to turn off the device to save energy", "Allow the device to wake the computer" and "Allow only the Magic Packet to wake the computer"; Finally, click on “Ok” to confirm the changes made.
How to restart a computer remotely on Windows 11 with Wake on LAN
There are several methods to wake up a computer remotely through Wake on LAN on Windows 11: one of them is a third party software that is able to send a “Magic packet” signal to wake up the PC. One program that you can use is NirSoft's WakeMeOnLan, which we will illustrate in the next steps:Download WakeMeOnLan from the NirSoft web page; Extract the contents from the compressed folder and start the software; Select the "Play" button in the top bar to start scanning and detect all devices connected to the local LAN; Make sure the PC you plan to wake up remotely is turned on during the search; Having identified the address of the remote computer to be reactivated, right-click on its IP and select the item "Wake Up Selected Computers"; Finally click on “Yes”. At this point, the software will proceed to send the "magic package" which will wake the PC remotely even when it is turned off, if its network card is still active. If another tool is used, it will be necessary to identify the IP and MAC addresses of the computer to be reactivated: this can be done quickly by going to Settings> Network and internet> Advanced network settings> Hardware and connection properties.
Troubleshooting
If for some reason you are unable to wake a PC remotely via Wake on LAN on Windows 11 remember that the system must be able to support the protocol in the BIOS / UEFI of the motherboard or, at otherwise, you will of course not be able to use the function. Also check that with the PC off, the network card still works, by checking the lighting of the relative lights positioned next to the Ethernet port. If you are using a USB-type Ethernet adapter, turning off your computer may cut power to the USB ports.If you are on a laptop, make sure it is plugged in or the Wake on LAN is not it will work. Finally, check that there are no network problems, by pinging the affected PC: to do this, open the terminal, typing "cmd" on the start search bar and enter the command "ping" (without the quotes) followed by the address Local IP of the computer, checking specifically that 4 packets are sent correctly.
