How to Keep Your Screen from Turning Off in Windows 11: A Step-by-Step Guide

If your screen keeps turning off automatically in Windows 11, you’re not alone. Many users find it frustrating when their display goes black or enters sleep mode while watching videos, reading, or working. Fortunately, there’s a simple fix — you can easily stop your Windows 11 screen from turning off by adjusting power and display settings.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover every possible method to keep your screen on — from changing power settings to disabling sleep mode, and even using advanced settings and registry tweaks.

Whether you’re using a laptop or desktop PC, this step-by-step guide will help you maintain full control over when (or if) your display turns off.

Why Does Windows 11 Turn Off the Screen Automatically?

Windows 11 automatically turns off your screen after a certain period of inactivity to:

• Save battery life (especially on laptops)

• Prevent screen burn-in

• Improve energy efficiency

This behavior is controlled by your Power & Sleep settings. By default, Windows may turn off your display after:

• 5 minutes (on battery)

• 10 minutes (when plugged in)

If this is too short for your workflow or entertainment, you can change these settings to never turn off the screen.

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Method 1: Change Screen Timeout in Settings

The easiest way to prevent your screen from turning off is by adjusting screen timeout in the Windows Settings app.

Steps:

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.

2. Go to System → Power & battery.

3. Under Power, click Screen and sleep.

4. Adjust these options:

   • On battery power, turn off my screen after: → Choose “Never” or a longer time.

   • When plugged in, turn off my screen after: → Choose “Never” or a longer time.

💡 Tip: You can also set the sleep mode option to “Never” to ensure your PC stays awake completely.

Result:

Your screen will now stay on indefinitely until you manually turn it off or close the lid (for laptops).

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Method 2: Adjust Power Plan Settings (Control Panel)

If you prefer the classic Control Panel, you can tweak the power plan settings directly.

Steps:

1. Press Windows + R, type control, and press Enter.

2. Navigate to Hardware and Sound → Power Options.

3. Click Change plan settings next to your active plan.

4. Under Turn off the display, choose:

   • On battery: Never

   • Plugged in: Never

5. Click Save changes.

Result:

Your system will now prevent Windows from turning off the screen — even if idle for long periods.

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Method 3: Use Power & Battery Settings for Laptops

Laptops often have separate settings for battery use vs. when plugged in.

Steps:

1. Open Settings (Windows + I).

2. Go to System → Power & battery.

3. Under Battery settings, expand Battery saver.

4. Make sure Battery saver is turned off, or increase its trigger percentage (e.g., 10%).

5. Scroll down and select Screen and sleep, then set both to Never.

⚠️ Note: Keeping your screen on all the time while on battery can reduce battery lifespan — consider only using “Never” when plugged in.

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Method 4: Prevent Screen Timeout When Plugged In

If you use your device mostly while charging, you can prevent the display from turning off only when plugged in.

Steps:

1. Open Settings → System → Power & battery.

2. Click Screen and sleep.

3. Set:

   • On battery power, turn off my screen after: (set your preferred time)

   • When plugged in, turn off my screen after: → Never

Result:

Your display will always stay on when charging, saving battery when you’re on the go.

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Method 5: Keep Your Screen On Using the Command Prompt

Advanced users can use a Command Prompt trick to modify power settings directly.

Steps:

1. Press Windows + S, type cmd, and choose Run as administrator.

2. To set display timeout to never, type the following commands:

   powercfg -change -monitor-timeout-ac 0
powercfg -change -monitor-timeout-dc 0


   • -ac = plugged-in mode

   • -dc = on battery

   • 0 means “Never”

3. Press Enter after each command.

Result:

Your display will stay on permanently for both power modes.

🧠 Pro Tip: You can also check your current settings with:

powercfg /query


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Method 6: Stop Sleep Mode Entirely

Even if you disable screen timeout, Windows might still go into sleep mode, which also turns the screen off. To fix this, disable sleep altogether.

Steps:

1. Open Settings → System → Power & battery.

2. Under Screen and sleep, set:

   • On battery power, put my device to sleep after: → Never

   • When plugged in, put my device to sleep after: → Never

⚙️ Alternatively, go to Control Panel → Power Options → Change plan settings → Put the computer to sleep → Never.

Now, your PC will never enter sleep mode automatically.

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Method 7: Use the “Presentation Mode” Trick

Windows includes a hidden tool called Presentation Mode, designed to keep the screen on during meetings or presentations.

Steps:

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.

2. Type:

   presentationsettings.exe


   and press Enter.

3. Enable “I’m currently giving a presentation.”

4. Check the box “Turn off the screen saver.”

Result:

Your PC will stay awake, and the screen won’t turn off until you disable presentation mode.

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Method 8: Use PowerToys or Third-Party Tools

If you prefer automation, Microsoft’s PowerToys app includes a feature called Awake that keeps your system active without changing power settings.

Steps:

1. Download Microsoft PowerToys from the Microsoft Store.

2. Launch PowerToys and go to the Awake tab.

3. Toggle Enable Awake to On.

4. Choose:

   • Keep screen on indefinitely

   • or Keep awake until a specified time

Alternative Tools:

• Caffeine – keeps your PC awake by simulating key presses.

• Don’t Sleep – lightweight tool for preventing standby, hibernation, or screen-off.

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How to Keep Screen On When Watching Videos

If your screen still turns off while watching videos, this might be due to video player inactivity or power plan settings.

Try These Fixes:

• Use Windows Media Player, VLC, or YouTube (these apps usually prevent timeout automatically).

• Make sure your browser has hardware acceleration enabled.

• Update your graphics drivers.

• Adjust Power Options → Advanced Settings → Multimedia settings → When playing video → choose Optimize for video quality.

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Why It’s Sometimes Good to Let the Screen Turn Off

While keeping your display always on can be useful, it’s worth understanding the downsides:

⚠️ Recommendation: Only keep your screen permanently on when needed — for downloads, monitoring, or presentations.

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Troubleshooting: Screen Still Turns Off Automatically

If your display still turns off even after making changes, try these fixes:

1. Check Screen Saver Settings

1. Press Windows + S, type screen saver, and select Change screen saver.

2. Set Screen saver to None.

3. Click Apply → OK.

2. Disable Battery Saver Mode

1. Go to Settings → System → Power & battery.

2. Turn Battery saver off.

3. Check Group Policy (for Pro/Enterprise users)

1. Press Windows + R, type gpedit.msc, and hit Enter.

2. Navigate to:

   Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Power Management → Video and Display Settings


3. Double-click Turn off the display (plugged in) → Set to Disabled.

4. Update Display Drivers

Outdated drivers can sometimes cause unwanted screen blackouts.

• Open Device Manager → Display adapters → Right-click your GPU → Update driver.

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Tips for Battery Optimization While Keeping Screen On

If you decide to keep your screen on indefinitely but still want to conserve energy, here are a few smart tips:

1. Lower Brightness: Reduce display brightness to 30–40%.

2. Use Dark Mode: Go to Settings → Personalization → Colors → Choose dark theme.

3. Turn Off Bluetooth/Wi-Fi When Idle.

4. Disable Unused Startup Apps: Open Task Manager → Startup Apps → Disable unnecessary apps.

5. Use a Custom Power Plan: Balance between performance and screen-on time.

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Conclusion

Keeping your screen from turning off in Windows 11 is easy — you just need to adjust the screen timeout and sleep settings. Whether you prefer doing it through Settings, Control Panel, or Command Prompt, Windows offers several ways to keep your screen on as long as you need.

From presentations and downloads to coding or media viewing, the power is in your hands to decide when your display turns off — or never does.

By following the steps in this guide, you can take full control of your Windows 11 power settings and ensure your screen stays awake whenever you need it.

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FAQs About Keeping Your Screen from Turning Off

1. Why does my Windows 11 screen keep turning off?

It’s due to the power timeout settings. Adjust the screen and sleep settings to prevent automatic turn-off.

2. How do I make my screen stay on permanently?

Go to Settings → Power & battery → Screen and sleep, then set both screen and sleep options to Never.

3. Does keeping the screen on damage it?

Extended use can shorten the display’s lifespan or cause burn-in, especially for OLED panels. Use moderation.

4. Can I keep the screen on only when plugged in?

Yes — set On battery: a short timeout and Plugged in: Never.

5. What’s the easiest way to keep the screen awake temporarily?

Use PowerToys → Awake mode or run Presentation mode for a quick, reversible option.

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Key Takeaways

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Final Thoughts:
With these settings, you’ll never again have to deal with your Windows 11 screen turning off automatically. Whether you’re presenting, watching, or multitasking, your display will stay active exactly as long as you want — giving you full control and convenience.