How to Make Your Screen Stay on Longer via Windows 11 Screen Timeout Settings

You can adjust your screen timeout settings in a variety of scenarios with ease through the use of the Settings app. It only takes a few seconds in total.

⚠️ Please note: The process described below is the same in Windows 11 as it is in Windows 10. However, bear in mind that we'll be using screenshots from Windows 11, so your UI may look a little different. We'll point out any changes you need to be aware of as they come up.

1. Press Start and click “Settings”

   If you're on Windows 11, you can press the Settings cog above the power button instead.

   

2. Click “System” in the Settings sidebar, then “Power & battery”

   If you're on Windows 10 you'll want to press “System” in the icons grid instead, then “Power & battery” in the sidebar.

   

3. Expand the “Screen and sleep” section and change your screen timeout settings

   You can stop your screen from turning off entirely by setting the plugged-in and unplugged settings to “Never”. 

   

You can stop your screen from timing out in Control Panel, too. This has the exact same effect and even the same options but may provide a more familiar interface for those used to the legacy UI.

1. Press Start and type “Control Panel,” then click the top result

   

2. Type “Power Options” in the search bar and then click “Power Options” in the main window

   

3. Press “Choose when to turn off the display” in the sidebar

   

4. Change the screen timeout settings to suit your preferences and press “Save changes”

   Remember, you can keep your screen from timing out entirely by changing one or both of them to “Never”. 

   

Alternatively, you can stop your screen from turning off when you don't want it to by changing your power plan settings. These can also be accessed via the Control Panel.

1. Press Start/search and type “Control Panel”, then click the top result 

   

2. Type “Power Options” in the Control Panel search bar and click “Power Options”

   

3. Press “Change plan settings” next to your active power plan

   

4. Press “Change advanced power settings”

   

5. Expand the “Display” and “Turn off display after” headings, adjust the values, and press “OK”

   You can stop your screen from turning off entirely by typing “0” as the number.

   

If you prefer to use the command line or are using a GUI-less install like Windows Server, you can adjust your display timeout settings with Command Prompt. The power settings commands are even quite easy to remember:

1. Right-click your Start button and choose “Windows Terminal”

   If you're on Windows 10, you can just open Command Prompt instead.

   

2. Press the down arrow next to the new tab icon and choose “Command Prompt”

   

3. Use the powercfg command to change your screen timeout settings

   You can type the following to change your screen timeout on battery, replacing the x with the number of minutes:

   powercfg -change -monitor-timeout-dc x

   Or use this command to stop the screen from turning off when plugged in:

   powercfg - change -monitor-timeout-ac x

   You can use 0 as the number for either to ensure the screen never turns off automatically.