Microsoft has quietly made a major change to the system in Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 versions. When users close the laptop lid, press the power button, or select sleep mode, the system will no longer continue to play audio. This change is directly related to Windows 11’s Modern Standby feature and has been confirmed in official Microsoft documentation.
In the previous version of Windows 11, if the user closed the screen after playing music on the laptop, the audio would continue to play. However, starting with the Windows 11 24H2 version, Microsoft has introduced significant improvements in the modern standby feature, including adjustments to this audio playback behavior. Microsoft clearly stated in the technical documentation that starting from the Windows 11 24H2 version, the system no longer supports audio playback when the user actively enters standby state by pressing the power button, closing the laptop lid, or through the Start menu. Audio playback will only continue when the device naturally enters the screen-off state.
According to Microsoft, this change is specifically for actively entering Modern Standby mode. If Windows automatically turns off the screen because the device is idle, the audio will continue to play. In other words, when the user actively puts the device to sleep by closing the lid, pressing the power button, or using the sleep option, Windows 11 24H2 no longer supports audio playback in this state. This rule applies to both AC power and battery powered equipment.
Microsoft's technical documentation shows that the built-in speakers and Bluetooth speakers will still work normally when the device is idle and enter standby state, but will not work when it actively enters standby state. If the user wants the audio to continue playing, they need to modify the system behavior settings when the laptop is closed. While some devices may allow disabling the Modern Standby feature, this isn't an easily supported option on most modern Windows laptops.
Modern standby features once had a bad reputation for potentially hurting battery life or draining too much power, but this has improved significantly over time. This audio change appears to be part of these optimization efforts. Microsoft has also recently made other improvements to Windows 11's Modern Standby features, including preventing unexpected wake-ups or battery drains and adding a new policy that disables most wake sources when excessive power consumption is detected, so that the device can only be woken by the power button or opening the lid. These behind-the-scenes improvements show that while Microsoft rarely talks publicly about Modern Standby features, the company continues to roll out changes to make them more useful.