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How to Set Up Wake-on-LAN in Windows 10 and 11

5 min read

Wake-on-LAN lets you power on a Windows PC remotely over the network. How to enable it in BIOS and Windows, send a magic packet, and troubleshoot WoL not working.

Wake-on-LAN (WoL) lets you remotely power on a sleeping or shut-down PC by sending a "magic packet" over the network. Useful for accessing a home PC remotely without leaving it on 24/7.

Requirements

  • PC connected via Ethernet (WoL over Wi-Fi works on some adapters but is unreliable)
  • Network adapter that supports WoL (most desktop and laptop adapters do)
  • BIOS with WoL support
  • PC must be on the same network or you need to configure port forwarding for internet WoL

Step 1: Enable WoL in BIOS

Restart → enter BIOS (Del, F2, F10 depending on manufacturer)

Look for:

  • Wake on LAN — enable
  • Power on by PCIe — enable (some boards use this)
  • EuP/ErP setting — if set to "Enabled", it may disable WoL. Set to Disabled.

Save and restart.

Step 2: Enable in Windows Network Adapter Settings

Win + X → Device Manager → Network adapters → right-click your Ethernet adapter → Properties → Advanced tab

Find and enable:

  • Wake on Magic Packet → Enabled
  • Wake on Pattern Match → Enabled

Also go to Power Management tab → check:

  • Allow this device to wake the computer
  • Only allow a magic packet to wake the computer

Step 3: Disable Fast Startup

Fast Startup can prevent WoL from working because the PC isn't truly powered off.

Control Panel → Power Options → Choose what the power buttons do → uncheck Turn on fast startup

Or:

powercfg /hibernate off
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Power" `
  -Name "HiberbootEnabled" -Value 0 -Type DWord

Step 4: Find Your PC's MAC Address

The magic packet targets a specific MAC address:

Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq "Up"} |
  Select-Object Name, MacAddress, InterfaceDescription

Write down the MAC address of your Ethernet adapter (format: AA-BB-CC-DD-EE-FF).

Step 5: Send a Magic Packet

From another Windows PC on the same network:

# Install if not present
Install-Module -Name WakeOnLan -Force -Scope CurrentUser

# Send magic packet
Invoke-WakeOnLan -MacAddress "AA-BB-CC-DD-EE-FF"

Via CMD without modules:

# Simple PowerShell magic packet sender
function Send-WakeOnLan {
  param([string]$MacAddress)
  $mac = $MacAddress -replace '[^0-9A-Fa-f]', ''
  $bytes = [byte[]]((0xFF) * 6 + ($mac -split '(..)' | Where-Object {$_} | ForEach-Object {[Convert]::ToByte($_, 16)}) * 16)
  $udp = New-Object System.Net.Sockets.UdpClient
  $udp.Connect([System.Net.IPAddress]::Broadcast, 9)
  $udp.Send($bytes, $bytes.Length) | Out-Null
  $udp.Close()
}

Send-WakeOnLan -MacAddress "AA-BB-CC-DD-EE-FF"

Free tools:

  • WakeMeOnLan (nirsoft.net) — GUI, scans network for devices
  • wolcmd — command-line tool

Step 6: WoL Over the Internet

For waking a PC from outside your network:

  1. Assign a static local IP to the target PC (via router DHCP reservation)
  2. Set up port forwarding on your router: UDP port 9 → local PC IP
  3. Know your router's public IP (or use DDNS like DuckDNS)
  4. Send magic packet to your public IP, port 9

Troubleshoot WoL Not Working

# Check if WoL is configured
Get-NetAdapterPowerManagement -Name "Ethernet" |
  Select-Object WakeOnMagicPacket, WakeOnPattern

Common issues:

  • Fast Startup is on — disable it (Step 3)
  • Wrong BIOS setting — check for EuP/ErP being enabled
  • Using Wi-Fi — WoL is unreliable over Wi-Fi, use Ethernet
  • Router blocks broadcast — use directed broadcast or subnet-directed broadcast instead
  • PC assigned different IP — use MAC-based DHCP reservation so IP stays consistent

Summary

Enable WoL in BIOS → enable "Wake on Magic Packet" in adapter Properties → disable Fast Startup → note MAC address → send magic packet using PowerShell or WakeMeOnLan. For internet WoL: set up port forwarding on your router for UDP port 9.

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