Change the Inactivity Timeout for Sleeping Tabs in Microsoft Edge on Windows 11 Did you know that Microsoft Edge puts inactive tabs to sleep to save system resources? While this feature helps reduce memory and CPU usage, it can interfere with background tasks or scripts. In this video, we’ll walk through different ways to change the inactivity timeout for Sleeping Tabs in Microsoft Edge on Windows 11. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to NinjaOne’s IT video hub and our YouTube channel for more tech content like this. What Is Sleeping Tabs? Sleeping Tabs is part of Microsoft Edge’s performance features. When a tab hasn’t been used for some time, Edge places it into a low-resource state. By default, Edge may also enable Efficiency Mode, which can shorten the timeout to as little as five minutes or less, depending on system resource usage. Adjusting this period can help prevent issues caused by tabs going to sleep too early, especially in professional or administrative environments. There are several ways to change the inactivity timeout for Sleeping Tabs. Let’s start with the easiest one. How to Change the Inactivity Timeout for Sleeping Tabs in Microsoft Edge Method 1 — Using Microsoft Edge Settings First, open Microsoft Edge. In the address bar, type edge://settings/system and press Enter. Next, click Performance and scroll to Put inactive tabs to sleep after the specified amount of time. Then use the dropdown menu to choose a timeout: from 30 seconds to 12 hours. Your changes are applied immediately, so no browser restart is required. Method 2 — Using the Registry Editor For intermediate users or system administrators, the Registry Editor method is ideal. Just note that editing the Windows Registry can cause system issues, so be sure to back up your registry before proceeding. First, press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Navigate to one of the following paths: this per user... or this systemwide... If the Edge key doesn’t exist, create it. Next, add a new DWORD (32-bit) Value named SleepingTabsTimeoutInMinutes. Then set the value to your desired timeout in minutes—or set it to 0 to disable Sleeping Tabs entirely. Once you’re done, restart Microsoft Edge to apply the change. Method 3 — Using Command Prompt Lastly, if you prefer a scriptable approach, Command Prompt is a fast way to apply changes, especially across multiple systems. Start by opening the Start Menu, searching for Command Prompt, and selecting Run as administrator. Then run the following command to disable Sleeping Tabs systemwide: Or run this one to set a 30-minute timeout for the current user: When you’re done, restart Microsoft Edge. For automation using PowerShell or enterprise deployment through Group Policy Preferences, refer to our blog. In the end, managing the inactivity timeout for Sleeping Tabs in Microsoft Edge gives both users and IT administrators greater control over performance and system resources. For more information, check out our official blog post on changing the timeout for this feature in Windows 11, linked in the description below.