In this guide, we show you how to change when the screen turns off. Is your screen turning off without you intending it too? There are a number of reasons why your screen might be turning off or dimming, I will show you how to control when your screen dims or turns off.
Why does my screen automatically switch off?
Windows automatically switches off the screen because the screen uses a lot of power whilst on. To preserve battery life, save money, be more eco-friendly and protect your screen. It can also dim your screen if you have not touched a key or the mouse for a period of time and on some laptops it is even capable of detecting via a sensor the ambient lighting in the room and adjust accordingly. This feature is known as adaptive brightness.
The are three main settings that could turn the screen off or put the computer to sleep. Those are power options on battery, mains, and the screen saver. It can be very annoying if you are in the middle of something and the screen turns off but we are here to help.
Power Options – How to change when the screen turns off
Windows 7
- Press the Start key
- Select Control Panel
- Choose Hardware and Sound
- Select Power Options
- Select Balanced (recommended) if not already selected.
- To the right of Balanced (recommended) you will need to click Change plan settings
- Now you will be able to enter a time period more suitable to your needs or select Never
Windows 10
- Press the Windows key to activate the text box on the taskbar.
- Type Power Options in the text box on the taskbar and press Enter
- Now you will be able to enter a time period more suitable to your needs or select Never
Information about how the screen turns off when On battery power or Plugged in.
If you are using a laptop, you will notice there are two options, Plugged in and On battery. Obviously, if you are plugged in then you will not be worried about saving battery power as much as if you are outside. There are also two options in which to set the amount of time that elapses before the computer takes control of the screen, they are Turn off the display and Put the computer to sleep.
- Turn off the display cuts power only to the display but leaves the computer running.
- Put the computer to sleep sends the entire computer including the display into a state of hibernation and does not wake back up until you touch a key or move the mouse. You may need to enter your password to wake the computer from sleep mode. This option can make the computer appear like it is switched off but it will not be. This option is handy if you are working on your computer throughout the day but do not want to have to switch off the computer each time you walk away.
Could it be your screen saver be turning the screen off automatically?
If your screen appears to be turning off by itself then there is a chance that it is just the screen saver turning on to protect the screen which is causing the problem.
What is a screen saver?
The computer screen saver is designed to protect your screen. If an image is left on the screen for a long period of time then there is a risk that phosphor burn-in may occur. This is when the screen has dead or discoloured pixels (small dots which do not change colour) or a ghost of the previous image left on the screen permanently.
To prevent this, Microsoft Windows has an inbuilt utility called the screen saver. It works by detecting a period of inactivity and then either turning the screen blank or depending on settings can flash colours around the screen, play a slideshow of photos. It works because as long as the same colour is not left on the screen for a long period of time the screen will be fine. If your screen appears to be turning off there is a chance it is just the screen saver turning on to protect the screen.
How to adjust your screen saver settings.
- Press the Windows key to activate the text box on the taskbar.
- Type screen saver in the text box on the taskbar and press Enter
- The screen saver settings window will open as shown below.
- To turn the screen saver off, select (none) from the drop-down menu. Alternatively, you could increase the wait time before it starts.
Note: It is worth noting that newer screens are much better protected and the length of time required for burn-in is much greater than usual screen use. We recommend leaving the screen saver enabled but increasing the period of inactivity required.
If Windows 10 is still dimming the screen it could be Adaptive brightness
Be aware that this is not on all laptops or computers. It works by analysing the light in the room and then changing the display to suit the enviroment.
- Press the Start key.
- Select Control Panel.
- Choose Hardware and Sound.
- Choose Power Options.
- Select Change plan settings which is by the current power plan
- Select Change advance settings.
- Click the + next to Display.
- Enable adaptive brightness.
- Turn off adaptive brightness for both plugged in and on battery.
Information on Brightness Settings
Finally, there are also Brightness settings for laptops. To change the brightness level of the screen depending on if the computer is plugged in or on battery. This setting has nothing to do with the time periods and is a default setting for your computer. However, It makes sense if you are conserving battery to have the brightness slightly lower. Depending on the monitor your using and whether you are on a desktop computer or laptop you may not see the option for brightness click here for more info.
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