Herbie Murray
If you want to turn off your Mac display without putting the computer to sleep, there are several methods to choose from. This is useful if you need to turn off your screen quickly and don't want your Mac to go to sleep, such as when you want to keep a large download running while you're away from your desk. You can use your keyboard, mouse, or terminal to do this.
Methods to turn off a Mac display without putting the Mac itself to sleep:
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Using Keyboard | Press Control + Shift + Eject (if you have an Eject key) or Control + Shift + Power (if you have a Power key) |
| Using Keyboard with Touch Bar | Press Control + Command + Q, then press Escape at the login screen |
| Using Touch Bar | Select System Preferences from the Apple menu, open Keyboard, and click Customize Control Strip |
| Using Mouse | Select System Preferences, open Mission Control, click Hot Corners, and choose Put Display to Sleep from one of the corner dropdowns |
| Using Terminal | Open a new Terminal window and enter the command: pmset displaysleepnow |
| Using System Settings | Click the Apple symbol, select System Settings, scroll down and select Displays, click Advanced, and toggle on Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Using your keyboard
If you want to turn off your Mac display without putting your computer to sleep, there are several methods you can use. Here are the steps you can take to achieve this using your keyboard:
If your keyboard has an Eject key, simply press Control + Shift + Eject simultaneously. Your display will immediately turn off, but your Mac will continue running. Alternatively, if your keyboard has a Power key, you can press Control + Shift + Power at the same time to achieve the same result.
If you have a newer Mac with a Touch Bar, the process is slightly different. Press Control + Command + Q at the same time, then, at the login screen, press Escape. This will turn off your display while keeping your Mac active.
Additionally, you can set a "hot corner" to turn off your display without putting your Mac to sleep. To do this, go to System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Screen Saver > Hot Corners. Here, you can choose a corner and select "Put display to sleep" or any other commands you prefer. With this set up, moving your mouse to that corner will turn off your display without affecting your Mac's active state.
By following these keyboard and keyboard-adjacent methods, you can easily turn off your Mac's display while keeping it awake and active.
Keep Your Mac Display Off Without Sleeping
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Using your mouse
If you want to turn off your Mac display without putting the computer itself to sleep, you can do so by using your mouse. Here's how:
First, select System Preferences from the Apple menu at the top-left corner of your screen. You can identify the Apple menu by the Apple logo (). Once you've opened System Preferences, navigate to the Mission Control settings window.
In the Mission Control settings window, you'll see the option for Hot Corners at the bottom left. Click on this, and then choose 'Put Display to Sleep' from one of the corner drop-down options. Now, whenever you move your mouse to that particular corner, your display will go to sleep, while your Mac remains active.
You can also set up a Hot Corner by going to System Preferences > Desktop and Screen Saver > Screen Saver > Hot Corners. Here, you can choose a corner and select 'Put Display to Sleep' or any other command you prefer.
Additionally, you can modify your sleep and wake settings to prevent your Mac from automatically going to sleep when the display is off. To do this, go to System Settings/Preferences > Lock Screen. Find the line "Turn display off on power adapter when inactive" in the right panel, click on the drop-down next to it, and set the sleep time to your desired option. You can also set it to 'Never' if you don't want your display to turn off automatically. Repeat this step for the line "Turn display off on battery when inactive."
Ways to Wake Up Your Laptop Without Opening the Lid
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Using Terminal
If you're comfortable using the Terminal, there's a command you can use to turn off your Mac's display without putting the computer to sleep. Here's what you need to do:
Open the Terminal application, which you can find in the Utilities folder inside your Applications folder. Alternatively, you can use the Spotlight search (Command + Space bar) to find and open Terminal.
Once Terminal is open, you'll be presented with a command prompt. By default, it will show your username, an "@" symbol, your computer's name, a colon, and then a tilde (~) character, which represents your user directory.
To turn off your display, you need to use the "pmset" command, which is used to manipulate power management settings on your Mac. Specifically, you'll be using the "displayleep" and
Effective Sleep Apnea Treatment Options Beyond CPAP Machines
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![Insomnia [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91yjuJkz+ZL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Using the System Preferences
- Click on the Apple menu icon in the top-left corner of your screen and select "System Preferences."
- In the System Preferences window, locate and click on the "Energy Saver"
Sleep Solutions: Coping Without You
You may want to see also
Explore related products
$11.74
Using third-party apps
If you want to turn off your Mac display without putting your computer to sleep, you can use third-party apps like Caffeine, No Sleep, Lungo, and OneSwitch. These apps allow you to keep your Mac awake for extended periods, ranging from a few minutes to several hours or even indefinitely.
Here's how you can use these third-party apps:
- Caffeine and No Sleep: These apps can be downloaded and installed on your Mac. Once installed, you can use them to modify your system preferences and prevent your Mac from going to sleep when the display is turned off.
- Lungo and OneSwitch: These apps are available on Setapp, a platform offering various Mac, iPhone, and iPad utility apps. With Lungo, you can keep your Mac awake for 1, 2, 4, 8, or 12 hours, or indefinitely. OneSwitch offers similar functionality, allowing you to set your Mac to stay awake for 5 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 5 hours, or 8 hours. Both apps provide more flexible customization options than the default Mac sleep settings.
Additionally, you can use the Terminal to make temporary changes to your Mac's sleep settings. Open the Terminal and enter the following command: "caffeinate -d". This will keep your Mac awake as long as the Terminal window is open. If you want to specify a duration, use the command "caffeinate -t X", where X is the number of seconds you want your Mac to stay awake.
Utilizing AssistiveTouch to Power Off Your iPhone
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
If your keyboard has an Eject key, press Control + Shift + Eject at the same time. If your keyboard has a Power key, press Control + Shift + Power at the same time.
Press Control + Command + Q at the same time, then press Escape at the login screen.
Open a new Terminal window and enter the following command: pmset displaysleepnow.
Select System Preferences from the Apple menu at the top left of your screen. Open Mission Control. Click Hot Corners from the bottom left of the Mission Control settings window. Choose Put Display to Sleep from one of the corner dropdowns. Now when you move your mouse to that corner, your display will go to sleep.
Click the Apple () symbol in the top-left corner of your Mac's menu bar, then click System Settings. Using the sidebar, scroll down and select Displays. Click the Advanced... button. In the "Battery & Energy" section, toggle on the switch next to Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off.
