How to turn the screen off on a laptop?
How to turn the screen off on a laptop?
I often find myself needing to turn the screen off on my laptop without closing the lid or shutting down the device entirely. There are times when I just want to save power or reduce distractions without interrupting my work, music, or other ongoing processes. Additionally, there are situations when I might be projecting to an external monitor and don’t need my laptop screen to be on simultaneously. The built-in functionality for turning off just the screen isn’t immediately obvious, and sometimes I wonder if there are different methods for various operating systems or specific laptop brands. I need a clear, straightforward way to manage this feature so I can efficiently use my laptop without unnecessary screen usage.
9 Answers
Users of Linux distributions like Ubuntu can conveniently manage screen settings through the Power menu:
1. Open ‘Settings’ and go to ‘Power’.
2. Adjust the ‘Blank screen’ option to an immediate or preferred time.
This ensures the display powers down after a set duration of inactivity, aligning with your energy-saving preferences.
On some laptops, especially with brand-specific utilities, there may be dedicated function keys that serve this purpose. For example, my Dell laptop has an ‘F9’ key that functions specifically to switch off the screen:
1. Simply press ‘Fn + F9’ on your keyboard.
Look for icons on the function keys that correlate with display management – they often simplify the process significantly.
When using an external monitor, I set my laptop to ‘Do nothing’ when the lid is closed, which turns off the internal display while keeping everything running. Here’s how to do it on a Windows laptop:
1. Go to ‘Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options’.
2. Select ‘Choose what closing the lid does’ from the sidebar.
3. Set ‘When I close the lid’ to ‘Do nothing’.
This is useful when you need the additional workspace while keeping the main laptop tucked away.
Sometimes, a non-technical approach can also be effective. Simply using a piece of paper or a book to cover the screen can work in a pinch, especially if you need to block out the light without turning off the screen entirely.
This approach is basic but functional when you’re looking for an immediate solution.
If you prefer a quick and temporary solution, adjusting the brightness to the lowest setting can help. Lowering the brightness might not turn off the screen entirely, but it can save power and reduce eye strain when you don’t need full visibility:
1. Use the brightness keys (usually indicated with a sun icon) to dim the display to the lowest level possible.
This method is quick and doesn’t require modifying any settings.
Personally, I like to use a third-party application to manage different power states for my machine. Tools like ‘ScreenOff’ or ‘NirCmd’ on Windows can be particularly helpful. With these applications, you can create a script or hotkey to turn off the screen on demand. This solution offers more flexibility because you’re not tied to the default system settings, and you can perform this action instantly from your desktop.
For those who enjoy a bit of customization, another method involves using Windows PowerShell:
1. Open PowerShell by typing ‘PowerShell’ in the Start menu and selecting it.
2. Enter the command: powershell (Add-Type ‘[DllImport(“user32.dll”)] public static extern int SendMessage(IntPtr hWnd, int wMsg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam);’ -Name Session -PassThru)::SendMessage([IntPtr]::Zero, 0x112, [IntPtr]0xF170, [IntPtr]2).
This command will turn off the display immediately and is great if you like using scripting to enhance your productivity.
One simple way to turn off your laptop screen is to use the power options within the operating system settings. Specifically, on Windows, you can:
1. Right-click on the desktop and select ‘Display settings’.
2. Scroll down and click on ‘Power & sleep settings’.
3. Within this menu, adjust the screen settings so that the display turns off after a specific amount of inactivity.
This method allows you to conserve energy while still running background processes. It is a straightforward practice that you can customize according to your needs.
For those who use a Mac, you can turn off the screen without putting your laptop to sleep by utilizing a simple keyboard shortcut:
1. Press ‘Control + Shift + Eject’ (or Control + Shift + Power in the absence of an Eject key).
This combination immediately turns off the display while keeping your system active. It’s very handy when working with an external monitor or just reducing glare.