Wake your gaming PC with Moonlight (Wake-on-LAN)
Short answer: On your home network, Moonlight can usually wake a PC that is asleep. It sends a Wake-on-LAN packet to the network adapter address it learned while the PC was online. It often fails after a full Windows shutdown, because Windows doesn’t arm the network adapter for Wake-on-LAN from Fast Startup. Away from home, waking is unreliable, so Moonlight recommends leaving the PC awake.
Checked October 30, 2026 against Moonlight PC v6.2.0 and Sunshine v2026.914.233613 (latest stable releases) and their documentation. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
How Moonlight wakes a PC
- When the PC is offline, Moonlight PC’s menu for that PC shows Wake PC.
- Moonlight learns the PC’s network adapter (MAC) address while the PC is online, so add and connect to the PC at least once while it’s awake. Moonlight PC’s code can’t send a wake packet without a stored MAC address.
- Moonlight PC sends the standard “magic packet” to the PC’s known addresses and as a broadcast on several ports, including 9.
Why it fails: sleep vs shutdown
Microsoft documents this: with Windows 10’s default shutdown (hybrid shutdown, also called Fast Startup), Wake-on-LAN from shutdown isn’t supported, and network adapters are explicitly not armed for it. Windows supports Wake-on-LAN from sleep, or from hibernate when you choose hibernate yourself. Some motherboards can still wake from shutdown at the firmware level.
| PC state | Wake from Moonlight |
|---|---|
| Sleep | Supported by Windows, if the adapter and BIOS allow it |
| Hibernate (you chose it) | Supported by Windows |
| Shut down with Fast Startup (the Windows default) | Not supported by Windows. Some hardware can do it anyway. |
The simple fix is to let the PC sleep instead of shutting it down. If you really need wake from shutdown, Microsoft describes turning off Fast Startup under Control Panel › Power Options › Choose what the power buttons do, but it doesn’t recommend disabling it. Whether wake from shutdown then works depends on your hardware.
Settings to check on the PC
- Network adapter driver: Moonlight’s FAQ says to make sure Wake-on-LAN is enabled in the NIC driver settings. The exact names vary by adapter (in Windows, look in Device Manager under the adapter’s properties).
- BIOS/UEFI: enable Wake-on-LAN. Moonlight’s FAQ names the BIOS as the other place to check; the setting’s name varies by motherboard.
- Prefer Ethernet. Microsoft describes the wake event as typically a specially constructed Ethernet packet, so a wired PC is the usual setup.
- Keep the PC’s IP stable with a DHCP reservation on your router, so Moonlight’s stored address stays right. See Moonlight can’t find your PC.
Waking from outside your home
Moonlight’s FAQ is clear: away from home it isn’t always possible. Some routers support it, many don’t, and Moonlight recommends leaving the computer awake if you want to stream remotely. A mesh VPN such as Tailscale doesn’t change this: a sleeping PC can’t answer on it either. See streaming outside your home.
FAQ
Why doesn’t Wake PC work after I shut down Windows?
Windows 10’s default shutdown uses Fast Startup, and Microsoft says Wake-on-LAN from that state isn’t supported: network adapters aren’t armed for it. Use sleep instead, or check whether your hardware supports wake from shutdown.
Can Moonlight wake my PC when I’m away from home?
Not reliably. Moonlight’s FAQ says some routers support it but many don’t, and recommends leaving the PC awake if you plan to stream outside your home.
Why doesn’t Moonlight offer Wake PC for my computer?
Moonlight learns the PC’s network adapter address while it is online. Connect to the PC once while it’s awake on the same network, then try again when it sleeps.
Sources
- Moonlight FAQ: Can I wake up my PC for streaming if it’s asleep? (official Moonlight docs)
- Moonlight PC source: Wake-on-LAN (nvcomputer.cpp) (Moonlight source, master branch)
- Moonlight PC source: PC menu (PcView.qml) (Moonlight source, master branch)
- Microsoft Learn: Wake on LAN behavior in Windows (official Microsoft docs)
- Moonlight wiki: Setup Guide (official Moonlight docs)