Miya Pearson
If you want to turn off your iMac screen without putting the computer to sleep, there are several methods to choose from. This can be useful if you need to turn off the screen and don't have time for the screensaver or energy saver preferences to kick in, or if you want to conserve battery life. You can use your keyboard, mouse, or touch bar to turn off your display immediately, or you can set up a Hot Corner to turn off your display in a few seconds.
Methods to turn off an iMac screen without putting it to sleep:
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Using Keyboard | Press Control + Shift + Eject/Power at the same time |
| Using Keyboard with Touch Bar | Press Control + Command + Q at the same time, 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 from the Apple menu, 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 Hot Corner | Set a "hot corner" by going to System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver and clicking on Hot Corners |
| Using System Preferences | Open System Preferences > Battery, select Battery from the left pane, and push the "Turn display off after" slider as far as you need |
| Using Screen Lock | Tap the Screen Lock icon on your Touch Bar to reach the login window, then tap Escape |
| Using Caffeinate Command | Use the "caffeinate" command to run long processes without your Mac going to sleep |
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What You'll Learn
Using your keyboard
If you want to turn off your iMac screen without putting the computer to sleep, there are several methods you can use, depending on your iMac model and keyboard type. Here are the detailed instructions for using your keyboard:
If your keyboard has an Eject key, simply press Control + Shift + Eject simultaneously. Your display will immediately turn off, but your iMac will remain active. This method is useful if you want to play music overnight without the bright display, or if you want to save battery power.
Alternatively, if your iMac has a Power key on the keyboard instead of an Eject key, press Control + Shift + Power at the same time. Just like the previous method, this will instantly turn off your display while keeping your iMac powered on.
For newer iMac models, the keyboard shortcut is slightly different. Press Shift + Control + Power to turn off the display without putting your iMac to sleep.
If you have a MacBook connected to an external monitor, you can try using the keyboard's brightness keys. Move the brightness all the way down using the keys, and this may turn off your display without affecting the rest of your system.
Custom Keyboard Shortcuts:
You can also create custom keyboard shortcuts to turn off your iMac screen. Go to System Settings or System Preferences, then select the Desktop & Dock category. For macOS 12 Monterey and earlier versions, open the Desktop & Screen Saver category and navigate to the Screen Saver tab. Here, you can set up your desired keyboard shortcut to turn off the screen.
Additionally, you can set a hot corner to turn off the display in a few seconds. This involves selecting a specific corner of your screen and configuring it so that when you move your mouse cursor to that corner, the display turns off.
By following these keyboard-based methods, you can easily turn off your iMac screen without putting the entire computer to sleep, allowing you to save power, increase privacy, or perform any other tasks that don't require the display.
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Using your mouse
To turn off your iMac screen without putting your iMac to sleep, you can set up a "hot corner" on your desktop. This allows you to turn off your display by moving your mouse to a specific corner of your screen.
Here's how to set up a hot corner using your mouse:
- Click on the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your screen.
- Select "System Preferences".
- Open "Mission Control" or "Desktop & Screen Saver".
- Click on Hot Corners at the bottom of the settings window.
- Choose "Put Display to Sleep" from one of the corner drop-downs.
Now, when you move your mouse to that selected corner, your iMac display will turn off without putting your system to sleep.
Note that you can also set a keyboard shortcut to turn off your display. Pressing "Ctrl + Shift + Eject" (or "Ctrl + Shift + Power" if your keyboard doesn't have an Eject key) will immediately turn off your display while keeping your iMac active.
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Using the terminal
To turn off your iMac screen without putting your iMac to sleep, you can use the Terminal utility on your Mac. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do it:
- Open the Terminal application on your iMac. You can find it in the Utilities folder inside your Applications folder. Alternatively, you can use Spotlight Search to find and open Terminal.
- Once Terminal is open, you'll see a command prompt where you can enter commands. Type the following command: pmset displaysleepnow and press Enter. This command will immediately turn off your iMac's display while keeping the system active.
- If you want to turn your display back on, simply press any key on your keyboard or move your mouse.
Additionally, you can create a custom keyboard shortcut to turn off your display without using Terminal each time. Here's how to set it up:
- Open Automator, which is located in your Applications folder.
- In Automator, click on "New Document" and select "Quick Action" from the options.
- Choose "No input" under "Workflow receives" at the top of the Automator window.
- Click on Library in the left sidebar, if it's not already visible.
- Find and drag the "Run Shell Script" action to the workflow area.
- In the Shell Script action, type pmset displaysleepnow as the script.
- Go to File > Save or press Command + S to save your new Quick Action. Name it something like "Turn Off Screen".
- Now, open System Preferences and go to the Keyboard category.
- Click on Keyboard Shortcuts or open the "Shortcuts" tab.
- In the sidebar, select Services and then find your newly created "Turn Off Screen" action under the "General" section.
- Check the box next to your action and then click on "Add Shortcut".
- Now you can set your custom keyboard shortcut. For example, you could use Control + Shift + T.
- Click "OK" to save your new keyboard shortcut.
From now on, you can use your custom keyboard shortcut (e.g., Control + Shift + T) to instantly turn off your iMac's display without putting the computer to sleep.
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Using the Touch Bar
If you want to turn off your iMac screen without putting the computer to sleep, there are several methods you can try. Here are detailed instructions for achieving this using the Touch Bar:
Firstly, you can use the Screen Lock shortcut on your Touch Bar. Simply tap the Screen Lock icon on the Touch Bar, which will take you to the login window. From there, tap the Escape key, and your display will immediately turn off while keeping your iMac on.
Another method involves adjusting your iMac's settings. Go to System Preferences, then Keyboard settings, and click on 'Customise Touch Bar'. Here, you will find the ''Screen Lock' shortcut, which you can use to lock your display without putting the iMac to sleep. Additionally, you can explore other shortcuts like 'Sleep' and 'Screen Saver' to customise your Touch Bar according to your preferences.
It's worth noting that while these methods will turn off your display, they may not offer complete privacy. For enhanced privacy, consider lowering the brightness on your iMac screen using the brightness buttons with sun icons in the top left corner of your keyboard. By reducing the brightness to the minimum, you can effectively turn off your screen while keeping your iMac active.
Remember, these methods might not work for older iMac models, and the specific steps may vary slightly depending on your iMac's settings and configuration.
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Using hot corners
Hot corners are a useful feature in macOS that can help you perform quick actions. They can be used to turn off your iMac screen without putting your computer to sleep. Here's how you can set up and use hot corners for this purpose:
Setting Up Hot Corners:
- Go to System Preferences. This can be accessed from the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen.
- Open Mission Control. Depending on your macOS version, you may find it in different places within System Preferences. In newer versions, it is located under the "Desktop & Screen Saver" or Energy Saver settings.
- Click on "Hot Corners" within the Mission Control settings.
- Choose the screen corner(s) you want to use. You can select any of the four corners independently and don't need to enable all of them at once.
- Set the action for the selected corner to "Put Display to Sleep" or "Sleep Display". This will ensure that only your display goes to sleep, and your computer remains active.
- Close out of System Preferences. Your hot corner is now set up and ready to use.
- Move your mouse cursor to the designated hot corner of your screen.
- The action assigned to that corner, in this case, "Put Display to Sleep," will be triggered immediately. Your iMac screen will turn off without putting your computer to sleep.
- To turn your display back on, simply move your mouse or use your keyboard.
Hot corners offer a convenient way to control your display's sleep mode, especially when you want to quickly hide what's on your screen or when stepping away from your iMac. Keep in mind that accidentally moving your cursor to the hot corner will also trigger the action, so choose your corners wisely!
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Frequently asked questions
Press Control + Shift + Eject at the same time if your keyboard has an Eject key. If your keyboard has a Power key, press Control + Shift + Power at the same time.
Go to System Preferences > Mission Control > Hot Corners. 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.
Go to System Preferences > Battery. Select Battery from the left pane and push the "Turn display off after" slider to the desired time.
Open a new Terminal window and enter the following command: pmset displaysleepnow. Your display will immediately turn off.
