How do I turn off my laptop display without shutting down the entire system?
I often find myself in situations where I need to keep my laptop running to complete tasks like downloading files, running software updates, or playing music, but I don’t always need the screen to be on. Sometimes, the bright display can be distracting, especially when I’m trying to focus on other activities, like reading a book or watching a movie on a different device. I’ve tried dimming the screen, but it doesn’t completely solve the issue, and I worry about the long-term effects on my laptop’s battery life. Additionally, I’m looking for different options to manage this because I switch between using a Windows laptop and a MacBook, so ideally, I would love to have methods that work seamlessly on both operating systems. I’m seeking a reliable way to turn off my laptop display while keeping the laptop fully operational.
3 Answers
If you’re using a Windows laptop, turning off the display without shutting down is pretty straightforward. First, press the Windows key + X to open the Quick Access menu. Select ‘Power Options,’ then navigate to ‘Choose what closing the lid does.’ Here, you can customize settings for ‘When I close the lid’ to ‘Do nothing’ while the laptop is plugged in or on battery. This way, closing your laptop lid will turn off the display without affecting the running system. For a MacBook, it’s a bit different. Go to ‘System Preferences,’ then ‘Energy Saver.’ Adjust ‘Display Sleep’ settings to a short time, so the display turns off sooner. Alternatively, you can press ‘Control + Shift + Eject’ (or ‘Control + Shift + Power’ on newer models without the Eject key) to immediately turn off the screen while keeping the system active.
From my experience with various laptops, smoothly turning off the display without disturbing ongoing activities hinges on understanding the features your device offers. On a Mac, you can leverage Terminal for a quick fix. Open Terminal and type ‘sudo pmset displaysleepnow’—this command turns off your MacBook’s display while keeping background processes running. For a Windows laptop, the ‘Project’ feature is handy. Press ‘Windows key + P’ and choose ‘Second screen only.’ This option essentially turns off the screen as if you were projecting to another display, which helps in saving battery and eliminating screen distractions.
As someone who uses both a Windows laptop and a MacBook, I’ve found effective ways to manage the screen separately on each device. For Windows users, one of the simplest methods is creating a shortcut. Right-click on the desktop, choose ‘New,’ then ‘Shortcut.’ In the location field, paste ‘C:\Windows\System32\scrnsave.scr /s.’ Name the shortcut anything you like, such as ‘Turn Off Display,’ and you can use it to turn off the screen with a double-click. For Mac users, a more intuitive method exists within ‘System Preferences’ -> ‘Battery.’ Here, adjust the settings for ‘Turn display off after’ to a minimal time. This way, your screen will power down quickly while everything else remains operational. Additionally, you can enable ‘Hot Corners’ in ‘Mission Control’ settings for even quicker access to display off actions.