# sleep mode vs turning kindle off



## Rasputina

It seems like using the sleep mode is very popular on KBs, as someone that always just turns kindle off what is the benefit of sleep mode over the on/off switch?

I think I'm just used to turning it off since I do the same thing with the tv to avoid burn in anytime I'm going to pause the screen for awhile.


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## Kathy

There is no burn in with e-ink. It will look like there is, but as soon as you turn the page or refresh it will go away. I usually just put it to sleep. It doesn't burn more battery in sleep mode.


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## pidgeon92

The only advantage for sleep vs. off is that the Kindle wakes up much quicker than it turns on. Since it uses no power during sleep mode, there is no disadvantage to using it.


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## Forster

I'm thankful for it cause I fall asleep reading every night.


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## luvmy4brats

According to Amazon, it's better to put the Kindle into sleep mode:

*Last Page Read*
You do not need to power down Kindle 2 between reading sessions, it is best to leave the device in sleep mode. Holding the switch at the top to power the device off is similar to pulling the power cord on your computer without shutting down the Operating System. If you turn the device off while in the middle of the book, the device cannot save that location. We save the location when the device goes into sleep mode or when you leave the book, so if you do need to power the device off then be sure to go to the Home screen first - this will save your last place in the book.

This is from the Amazon Customer service posts. There's a link to them in my signature. Hope that helps.


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## Rasputina

huh? That is just bizarre. It always saves my place in the middle of a book. Weird.


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## reemixx

Rasputina said:


> huh? That is just bizarre. It always saves my place in the middle of a book. Weird.


If you go back to the home menu first, it will save your place on the K2. Also, that was for the K2 only. The K1 still saves your place, I'm quite sure.

Also consider that turning the device off and back on again will use more power than simply putting it to sleep and awakening it. You could probably save a bit of battery by just putting it to sleep.


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## Rasputina

ahhh ok, I only have the K1. I thought that was odd.


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## luvmy4brats

Rasputina said:


> ahhh ok, I only have the K1. I thought that was odd.


Ooops, sorry. I wasn't paying attention. Yes, the info I posted was for the K2...

That's what I get for doing 5 things at once....


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## NogDog

Note that on the K2, when you slide the "on/off" switch and then release it, you are putting the K2 into sleep mode. You only turn it off if you slide the switch, hold it for at least 4 seconds, and _then_ release it.


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## Rasputina

That is good to know, thanks for posting it. I really don't know much about the K2


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## Cindy416

NogDog, thanks for clarifying the on/off vs. sleep mode procedure. I was getting ready to search for directions, as I thought I always put my Kindle 2 in sleep mode, but then I couldn't think where the on/off switch would be located. Guess I'd better pay attention to how long I hold the switch when I slide it. I do that automatically, and really hadn't given it much thought. Whatever I'm doing is working well, though, as I hardly ever have to charge my Kindle.


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## liannallama

I'm glad someone posted this.  my friend at work said I was supposed to just use sleep and I had been turning it off each time.  I didn't know that and was going to ask if anyone else had heard this!  Good to know!


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## Scheherazade

I was one who turned my Kindle2 off all the time at first too.  The not remembering your page thing only happens for a very small percentage of the books out there.  Out of all the ones I have I think only one does it.  That being sad, I really think you get better battery life by just putting the Kindle to sleep.  A lot more effort goes into turning it on than just waking it up from the device itself, so I don't see why it shouldn't.  Other advantages... it's kind of fun to see the screen savers and it also wakes up much more quickly than turning it on and off.  Holding the slider on the K2 takes like 5 seconds whereas you just slide and release to put it to sleep.  On the K1 I would imagine it's handier especially if you have it in a case because it means you don't have to access the back of it to hit the switch.  People also figure it saves wear and tear on the switch, which might be a case of stretching a bit for more advantages, but I suppose it's true.


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## brianm

Odd...........my K2 always saves the location and I use the on/off switch.

              Brian


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## JUNEBUG5

^same here. I always turn it on/off...and my K2 always saves me place. hmm..


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## Rita

I've always turned mine off at night and when I turn it back on during lunch the next day it always goes back to the page I left off reading. I've never seen the need to leave it on from say 10:30 at night until 12:00 the next day. Seems like a waste of battery to me.


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## reemixx

Rita said:


> I've always turned mine off at night and when I turn it back on during lunch the next day it always goes back to the page I left off reading. I've never seen the need to leave it on from say 10:30 at night until 12:00 the next day. Seems like a waste of battery to me.


With wireless off, it would actually use more battery to turn your Kindle off and back on again than it would to just keep it in sleep mode for that duration.


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## Rita

How do you figure that? What substantiates that theory? 

P.S. I love coming to this board; I'm learning all kinds of new things!


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## intinst

With e-ink technology no energy is used unless you do a page turn, once in sleepmode, no energy being used. To turn off and then back on requires the K to go through its shut down and powerup modes. At least that is what Amazon KIndle Customer Service says.


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## tashab

NogDog said:


> Note that on the K2, when you slide the "on/off" switch and then release it, you are putting the K2 into sleep mode. You only turn it off if you slide the switch, hold it for at least 4 seconds, and _then_ release it.


wow, I didn't know this. I NEVER turn mine off, then. lol.


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## Anju 

however, be sure your WN is off


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## Teach142

I have had both K1 and K2.  I usually just let it go to sleep mode.  I don't even hit the switch.  I think the only time I turn it off is when I go through the airport.  I advise this because there have been some issues with other's Kindles going through the metal detectors.  As for saving my place, I've always had my place saved.  On both...


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## NogDog

tashab said:


> wow, I didn't know this. I NEVER turn mine off, then. lol.


It's amazing the things you can find in the user's manual. I know: reading the manual is about as non-manly as asking for directions, but I did it with my K2 manual and I'm not afraid to say so.


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## Ann in Arlington

I've already read the DX manual. . . . . .and I'm not even sure when (or even if, but I think when) I'm going to get one.


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## webhill

brianm said:


> Odd...........my K2 always saves the location and I use the on/off switch.
> 
> Brian


well, isn't the "on/off switch" the same as the "sleep switch?" I use the switch too but never turn my K2 off... or, rather - only on rare accidental occasion, and when I do I am annoyed because I have to wait for it to boot up again when I turn it on.


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## Mycroft

I have a K1 and I used to use sleep mode all the time. Then, after maybe 6 months or so I noticed that the battery wasn't lasting as long as it had previously. So I started turning it off instead of putting it asleep, and that extends the battery life. I know that the battery is only supposed to be drawn when pages are turned, but my experience has been that sleep mode does cause some battery drain over time.


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## Anju 

Mycroft - I was experencing the same thing, but after "timing" it makes no difference if I turn it off or sleep mode, so I just do the sleep mode.  I do have extra batteries in the event I do need another one.


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## reemixx

Mycroft said:


> I have a K1 and I used to use sleep mode all the time. Then, after maybe 6 months or so I noticed that the battery wasn't lasting as long as it had previously. So I started turning it off instead of putting it asleep, and that extends the battery life. I know that the battery is only supposed to be drawn when pages are turned, but my experience has been that sleep mode does cause some battery drain over time.


After 6 months your battery *won't* be lasting as long as it did at first. That's the nature of batteries. Sleep mode doesn't use battery at all. Turning your device off and back on again uses more power than putting your device to sleep. So my guess is that your Kindle was probably indexing, wireless was turned on, or there was some other factor using up battery power.


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## Anju 

reemixx your post is why I have gone back to just sleeping


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## reemixx

Anju No. 469 said:


> reemixx your post is why I have gone back to just sleeping


Cool, glad I'm of some use. lol. 

There is one possible advantage to turning the device off, and that's while you're charging it. I haven't tested this, so I have no idea if this is true, but some people have reported that turning the Kindle off while charging allows it to charge faster. Again, I haven't tried it, and I've only heard it in relation to the K1. The Kindle charges so fast anyway that it's not really a problem for me, but perhaps someone else is willing to test this theory.


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## jimp1947

I wish Amazon would add the ability to shut the Kindle down with a keystroke combination. It's a pain to hold that switch to the right the required amount of time to shut the beast off. An Alt or Ctrl keystroke sequence would be welcomed.


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## JUNEBUG5

^I agree!!!!!!!!


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## GeoJono

Hello - I know this is an old thread, but the answers here pertain to K1 and K2.  I wondered if anyone had any wisdom on turning off vs sleep mode for the Kindle 3 and how it might be different from the K1 or K2.

I saw somewhere that the Kindle has to reindex all books each time it's turned off and back on.  Can anyone confirm that?  What, if any, are the benefits of turning the K3 off as opposed to sleep?

Thanks,
Jono


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## Ann in Arlington

No different.  I've pretty much never turned mine off; I think it's still best to just let it sleep.  

No, it does not re-index each time you turn it on and off.  I don't believe it re-indexes after a restart either.  

The device uses miniscule amounts of power while asleep (enough to keep the clock accurate).  I suppose it's possible it uses an even more miniscule amount while off. . .but, really, I don't think there's a difference that matters.  And it does take longer to start up from off than it does to wake from sleep.


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## GeoJono

Thanks Ann!  That was much more helpful than Amazon's Kindle Customer Support; they were very unhelpful.

One more question, if you don't mind...

My Kindle was very sluggish recently.  I turned it off and then on a couple of times with no improvement.  I then did a Restart (Menu > Settings > Menu > Restart).  It took longer than turning it off and on and it included a progress bar when coming back up.  After that all of the slowness was gone.  My Kindle is back to normal.

My question is: What is the difference between turning it off and on vs the Restart option in the Settings Menu.  Kindle tech support says there's no difference; it's the same thing.  That doesn't seem likely based on the experience I related above.  I guess it's possible that all it would have taken is one more time of turning it off and on to solve my slowness problem, but I doubt it.  Is there a difference?  If so, what is the Restart doing that the turning off is not?

Thanks again!
Jono


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## Ann in Arlington

I think restart is like rebooting your computer. . .clears out the crap. Just turning off and on does that on a computer, too, but it doesn't seem to as much on a Kindle. Though it's hard for me to say as I never turn it off.

Just to be sure we know what we're talking about:

slide and release the switch -- takes it in and out of sleep mode. Screen will have a picture displayed. (Lots of people think of this as off which, for all practical purposes, it is.) Wireless can still be connected and may periodically ping for downloads.

slide and hold the switch 5 -10 seconds -- turns it off. I assume you need the same amount of holding to turn it back on, but I'm not sure. Screen will be blank whitish. (If someone like a flight attendant tells you to turn it OFF, arguably, this is what they mean.) Even if you didn't _turn_ wireless off first, it's off now.

slide and hold for an extended period -- like 20 seconds or more. THIS is a hardware restart. light goes off; screen is blank, and then the machine will restart with the boy under a tree page and the progress bar. Whole cycle takes several minutes. When you've done this it will take a few minutes to show books in categories and your archives will show empty until you turn on and connect wirelessly.


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## sebat

When they said "there is not difference", I wonder if they thought you were referring to a "hard reset" which you do with the power switch instead of the "restart" that you do though the menu.


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## GeoJono

Ann - Thanks for the explanations.  Yes, we're on the same page.  Until today, I would turn my K3 off--holding the switch for 7 seconds--after using it.  (Turning it back on is just a slide and release, same as waking it up.)  I'll no longer do that; I'll just put it to sleep.  From your explanation, it seems the menu restart is the same as a hardware reset--holding the switch for 20 seconds.

sabat - You may be right.  Not understanding the hardware reset prior to Ann's explanation, I didn't clarify that in my conversation with customer support.  They may have thought I was talking about a hardware reset as opposed to just the 7-second turn off.

Thanks to you both for your replies.  I just found KindleBoards today; I'm glad I did.

Jono


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## HappyGuy

GeoJono, just as a point of information, if you keep your WiFi off, you will want to turn it on about once a month for a short while, 15 minutes or so. This will give your K time to synch with Amazon and pick up any software changes, but also seems to keep the clock and a couple of other things working properly. Just my observation - YMMV.


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## GeoJono

Thanks HappyGuy.  Unless I notice a significant battery drain, I intend to just leave the WiFi on all the time.

Jono


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## sebat

GeoJono said:


> I just found KindleBoards today; I'm glad I did.
> 
> Jono


Welcome!


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## Brem

I actually would turn off my kindle most of the time, when I found out that it doesn't matter turning it off, I decided to just use sleep mode. It's basically the same thing on computers, it just remembers what you were doing and starts up to that point right away.


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## RichardDR

Having read the manual before purchasing my K2 a couple of years ago and having a solid, albeit basic grasp of the whole "page-turns use power" idea, I find your discussion boring. However it did serve one purpose for me...I have realized that this is perhaps the only electronic device I use that is in use when it is static and not being used when its functioning. That is to say, I am actively reading it when it is at rest and not reading when it is refreshing the page. You may now carry on with your mundane ramblings about how ignorant you are.


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## Elk

RichardDR said:


> I have realized that this is perhaps the only electronic device I use that is in use when it is static and not being used when its functioning.


This is almost mystical.

I have goosebumps.


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