Windows offers a Sleep Mode that temporarily stops everything on Windows. Resuming is quick, but there is no inbuilt method for instantly blacking out your screen. It is an excellent idea to switch off your laptop screen without completely shutting down the computer, whether for energy conservation, to perform lengthy tasks without interruption, or just for privacy reasons. The methods to turn off your PC’s screen while keeping it running are simple. In this post, we will share some methods and a list of free software that instantly turns the display or screen off in Windows.
How to turn off the screen of a laptop but keep the PC running
Given below are four methods you can try out on your Windows PC to turn off the screen while keeping the PC running:
- Use keyboard shortcut
- Adjust the power settings
- Change closing the lid settings
- Use free tools like ScreenOff
1] Use keyboard shortcut
In this method, you can use a keyboard shortcut to turn off the laptop screen while keeping your Windows PC running. Here is how:
- Press the Windows + P keys to open the Project menu.
- You can choose the PC screen only option from the menu to turn off the laptop screen while keeping the PC running.
2] Adjust the power settings
Let us see how to turn off the PC’s screen in a specified time interval while keeping the PC running by adjusting the power settings:
- Open Windows Settings and navigate to System > Power & battery.
- Under the heading Power, expand Screen and sleep.
- For the first two options On battery power, turn off my screen, and When plugged in, turn off my screen, click the drop-down box next to them and choose the preferred time you wish your PC screen to turn off while it still runs.
3] Change closing the lid settings
Most of us do not shut down our PCs but just shut its lid, causing them to enter a state of sleep or hibernation. Your PC does not run when you close the lid. It temporarily saves the state on the hard drive during hibernation. Once you open the lid of your PC, the system gets restored.
However, what happens if you still want the PC to function even with its lid closed? Fortunately, there is a way to customize this setting:
- Open the Control Panel and navigate to Hardware and Sound > Power Options.
- On the left pane, click the Choose what closing the lid does option.
- You will find the When I close the lid option under the heading Power and sleep buttons and lid settings. Expand the drop-down menu to choose the Do Nothing option for On Battery and Plugged In.
- Click the Save changes button. Your PC will continue running the next time you close your laptop lid. You can even switch to an external monitor and use it while keeping the laptop lid closed.
This small but powerful change to your power management choices can significantly impact how you use your computer daily.
4] Use free tools
Many times, I want my computer to play music in the background. Since that is the only thing I want it to do for a while, turning off the display makes sense. These kinds of software also come in handy when you want to black out the screen as somebody approaches quickly. Some offer keyboard shortcuts, while others can be launched directly or from the system tray.
Free tools like ScreenOff, Turn Off Screen, Black Top, Turn Off Monitor can help you instantly turn display off or on in Windows using a hotkey or shortcut.
ScreenOff
ScreenOff is our popular in-house freeware, which is extremely small and the fastest in the lot. It allows you to turn off the Windows laptop monitor screen with a click. It is the fastest, using the SendMessage Visual Basic command to send system commands to turn off the display. You do not need to download any .NET Framework version or install it. It is portable, and you can keep it wherever you want. The best option is to put it on the Taskbar.
Once you download ScreenOff, extract its contents and move its Program folder to a suitable location. Then, you may create a shortcut and pin it to the Start Menu or the Taskbar for quick access. You will have to click on the button to start it manually. On restart, the program gets deactivated. Since it is a portable tool, to uninstall it, simply delete its program folder.
Turn Off Monitor
It offers three ways to turn off the monitor. You can use a shortcut, a Taskbar Shortcut Icon, or a keyboard shortcut. Since we are talking about instant turn-off, set up a keyboard shortcut once you install it. The program will be available in the Start menu. Click on the Turn off Monitor Settings icon to configure
- In the Settings screen, click on the text box which says Hot Key to Turn Off Monitor.
- Now, use hotkeys like CTRL, SHIFT, ALT, or a combination of all three, along with an alphabet. The text will automatically appear in the text box.
- If you are doing it for the first time, click on Save. If you are changing it, click on the Change button and then save it.
In the same place, you can create a keyboard shortcut to turn off the display and lock the computer. WIN + L doesn’t turn off the screen instantly, but by using this option, you can turn off and lock the laptop immediately.
You can download Turn Off Monitor from its official website.
I hope you find this post helpful.
Read: How to turn off the Monitor using a Keyboard Shortcut on Windows
How do I close my laptop but keep my monitor on?
You need to disable the close lid action or change it to none for its action. Windows PC settings offer a power button, lid close, and other actions you can configure so you don’t have to log in repeatedly.
Read: How to change Laptop Lid Action in Windows
What is the shortcut to turn off laptop screen?
Third-party software can achieve this, but it is not reliable. Instead, you can minimize everything, press Alt + F4, and then choose to put the PC into sleep mode.
