Evie Summers
There are several reasons why you might want to turn off your Mac display without putting your computer to sleep. One of the main reasons is privacy, especially when you are in a public place and need to step away from your laptop. Another reason is to conserve battery life, as turning off your screen when it's not in use can help improve your MacBook's battery life. There are several methods to turn off your Mac display without putting your computer to sleep, including using keyboard shortcuts, system preferences, and third-party apps.
Characteristics and Values
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Keyboard shortcut | Control + Shift + Eject |
| Control + Shift + Power | |
| Control + Command + Q, then Escape | |
| System Preferences | Desktop and Screen Saver > Screen Saver > Hot Corners |
| Battery > Power Adapter | |
| Mission Control > Hot Corners | |
| Terminal command | pmset displaysleepnow |
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What You'll Learn
Using keyboard shortcuts, e.g. Control + Shift + Eject
If you want to turn off your Mac display without putting your computer to sleep, using keyboard shortcuts is a good option. Here's how to do it:
Firstly, check if your keyboard has an Eject key. This key usually shows as ⏏. If you have this key, simply press Control + Shift + Eject simultaneously. Your display will immediately turn off while your Mac continues to function normally.
For newer Mac models without the Eject key, use the Power key instead. Press Control + Shift + Power at the same time. Just like with the Eject key combination, this shortcut will instantly turn off your display while keeping your Mac awake.
If you prefer a different keyboard shortcut, you can also try Control + Command + Q, followed by the Esc key. This shortcut will lock and turn off your Mac's screen.
Using keyboard shortcuts is a convenient way to quickly turn off your Mac's display without putting the entire system to sleep. It's especially useful when you need to turn off your screen in a hurry or want to increase your privacy without interrupting any running tasks on your Mac.
Additionally, you can explore other methods to turn off your Mac's display, such as setting up "Hot Corners" or adjusting screen saver and energy saver settings. However, the keyboard shortcuts mentioned above offer a straightforward and immediate solution.
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Using System Preferences to set up a Hot Corner
To set up a Hot Corner on your Mac, follow these steps:
- Go to System Preferences: Click on the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your screen and select System Preferences from the menu.
- Open Mission Control: In the System Preferences window, look for the Mission Control icon (it may be in the Other category) and click on it.
- Access Hot Corners: In the Mission Control settings window, click on Hot Corners in the bottom-left corner. Here, you will see options for each of the four corners of your screen.
- Choose a Corner: Decide which corner of your screen you want to use as the Hot Corner. Click on the corresponding drop-down menu.
- Select an Action: From the drop-down menu, choose "Put Display to Sleep" or "Start Screen Saver." You can also choose other actions like Notification Center, Launchpad, or Lock Screen.
- Enable Modifier Keys (Optional): If you want to use a modifier key (Ctrl, Alt, Cmd, or Shift) in combination with the Hot Corner, press and hold the desired key(s) while selecting the action from the pop-up menu.
- Test the Hot Corner: Close the System Preferences window. Move your cursor to the selected Hot Corner to test if it works. Your display should now turn off without putting your Mac to sleep.
Note: You can set multiple Hot Corners by repeating these steps for each corner you want to use. Additionally, if you have a keyboard with an Eject or Power key, you can use the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Eject or Ctrl + Shift + Power to instantly turn off your display without affecting your Mac's sleep state.
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Using the Terminal command pmset displaysleepnow
If you want to turn off your Mac display without putting it to sleep, there are a few methods you can try. One way is to use the Terminal command "pmset displaysleepnow".
Before using the "pmset" command, it's important to understand what it does. "pmset" is a tool that allows you to manipulate power management settings on your macOS device. It can be used to modify settings such as the idle sleep timer, wake on administrative access, automatic restart on power loss, and more.
Now, let's delve into the specifics of using "pmset displaysleepnow" to turn off your Mac display without sending your system into sleep mode. Here's a step-by-step guide:
- Open Terminal: Locate the Terminal application on your Mac, typically found in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder.
- Use the "pmset" command: In the Terminal window, type the following command: "pmset displaysleepnow". This command will immediately turn off your Mac display.
- Verify the change: After executing the command, your Mac display should turn off. To verify that only the display is affected, try playing an audio file. If the audio continues to play, it confirms that your Mac remains active in the background.
- Restore the display: To turn your display back on, simply press any key on your keyboard or move your mouse. This action will wake up the display, and you can resume using your Mac as usual.
It's important to note that the "pmset displaysleepnow" command is a temporary solution. If you close the lid of your MacBook or let it remain idle for a certain period, it will eventually go into sleep mode to conserve power.
Additionally, keep in mind that there are alternative methods to achieve a similar result. For instance, you can use the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl + Shift + Eject" to turn off your display while keeping your Mac active. You can also explore third-party apps like Caffeine or No Sleep, which are designed to keep your Mac awake and prevent it from entering sleep mode.
By following the steps outlined above and exploring the available options, you can effectively turn off your Mac display without putting the entire system to sleep.
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Adjusting Power Adapter settings in System Preferences
To adjust your Power Adapter settings in System Preferences, follow these steps:
- Click on the Apple logo in the upper-left corner of your screen.
- Go to System Preferences.
- Click on Battery.
- In the sidebar menu on the left, choose Power Adapter.
- Move the slider to adjust the display-off time.
For macOS Catalina and older versions, the process is slightly different:
- Click on the Apple icon.
- Choose System Preferences.
- Click on Energy Saver.
- Find the line "Prevent your Mac from automatically sleeping when the display is off," select the checkbox, and confirm.
Alternatively, you can enable "Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off." Here's how:
- Go to the Apple menu > System Settings.
- Choose Displays in the sidebar.
- Click on Advanced.
- Check "Prevent automatic sleeping when the display is off."
- Click Done to save your changes.
By adjusting the Power Adapter settings in System Preferences, you can control how long your Mac stays on before turning off the display, ensuring that your Mac remains awake even when the display is off.
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Using the Caffeine or No Sleep apps
There are third-party apps like Caffeine and NoSleep that can help keep your Mac awake and prevent it from going to sleep when you turn off the display.
Caffeine is a lightweight app that puts a coffee cup icon in the right side of your menu bar. Clicking the cup toggles whether Caffeine is active or not. A full cup indicates that Caffeine is active and will prevent your Mac from automatically going to sleep, dimming the screen, or activating a screensaver. Conversely, an empty cup means your Mac will sleep normally.
You can right-click or ⌘-click the icon to access the preferences window and set a timeout if you only need Caffeine to prevent sleep for a specific duration. You can also configure options like having Caffeine automatically start every time you boot up your Mac and setting a default duration after which Caffeine will automatically turn itself off.
NoSleep is another app with a similar function to Caffeine. It is a MacOS X kernel extension that prevents your Mac from going to sleep when you close the lid.
Additionally, you can use the command Ctrl + Shift + Eject to put your display to sleep while keeping your Mac running. You can also set up a hot corner for this function by going to System Preferences > Desktop and Screen Saver > Screen Saver > Hot Corners and then choosing the corner and selecting "Put display to sleep."
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Frequently asked questions
There are several ways to do this, including:
- Using the command Ctrl + Shift + Eject to put the display to sleep while keeping the Mac running.
- Adjusting your System Preferences to prevent automatic sleeping when the display is off.
- Using the keyboard shortcut Control + Command + Q to lock your Mac, then pressing Escape.
- Adjusting your display settings to turn off the display after a short period of inactivity.
- Using third-party apps like Caffeine or No Sleep.
Go to System Preferences > Battery > Power Adapter, then turn on the "Prevent automatic sleeping when the display is off" toggle.
Go to System Preferences, then click the pop-up menu next to "Turn display off on battery when inactive" and choose an option. You can also do this for the "Turn display off on power adapter when inactive" setting.
Apps like Caffeine and No Sleep can be used to keep your Mac awake. You can also use the "caffeinate" command in the Terminal app.
Press Control + Command + Q, then press Escape at the login screen.
