Reference number: CH000390

Is it better to leave the computer on or turn it off?

Question:

Is it better to leave the computer on or turn it off?

Additional information:

In the past (1993 and earlier) it may have been beneficial to leave the computer on because of potential power switch related issues with some computer manufacturers. However, this issue was not always applicable and today is no longer an issue with any computer. Although it is still possible for components to become bad in a computer, it is almost always not attributed to turning the computer on and off each day.

Answer:

The answer to this question really depends upon how you use your computer. Our recommendation for most users is when the computer is first turned on that it remains on until it is late and you don't plan on using it until the next day. However, if you are actively running anything on the computer or you wish for tasks to run during the night such as a backup, scandisk, defrag, or a virus scan, it is recommend that the computer remain on all night.

In short, it is neither good nor bad to turn off the computer each day or for you to leave the computer on all day every day.

Note: If you decide to leave your computer on all day we still recommend that the computer monitor be turned off.

Additional thoughts:

For companies or homes that have several dozen/thousand computers it may be beneficial to turn the computer off each night or at the end of the work day to help conserve power. Although many computers and electronic devices have power saving features, they will still consume power, and hundreds of computers consuming power can be costly each month.

Additional Questions:

Does turning off the computer each night cause power surges through the computer potentially damaging components?

No. 

Does turning off the computer cause hot electrical components or soldiering to cool down causing damage or cracks to electrical components?

No. Although it is true that the electrical components within the computer are going to cool down, it is no more likely to cause a failure turning off the computer frequently than leaving the computer on all the time. For example, many individuals will turn on and off their TV each day, sometimes several times a day. Much like a computer, components within the TV get hot and cool down when a television is turned off and have no issues.

Does turning off the computer each night or often cause moving parts such as fans to wear down?

No.

Will turning off the computer often wear down the power button?

It was known to occur on old OEM computers, however today this issue has not been known to occur and there has been no documented of a related issue of this occurring with any major computer manufacturers.

Will turning my computer off help prevent a power surge?

A power surge will destroy an electrical device regardless if it is on or off. Therefore, turning the computer off will not prevent this from occurring.

As the computer is booting it takes up much more power.

Not true.

Leaving a computer on will cause it to overheat.

Unless a fan within the computer fails while the computer is on it will not overheat. In fact a computer that is left on and is not doing anything will be much cooler than a computer that is on and being used.

A laptop is different than a desktop it should be turned off.

Although physically different a laptop can also remain on for 24/7 just like a desktop and all the above information also applies to a laptop.

Additional information:

• Additional information about how often you should restart your computer can be found on document CH000963.
• Information about it being safe for you to put your laptop into standby instead of turning it off can be found on document CH000999.