How to Change Screen Timeout to Turn Off Display After in Windows 11

Option One

The Settings app is the fastest way to change the timeout. It lets you pick an exact time limit or keep the display on indefinitely. It works the same on Windows 11 Home and Pro, and no restart is needed. The new value takes effect as soon as you choose it.

1. Press Win+I to open Settings.
2. Click System on the left side.
3. Click Power & battery on the right side. The name depends on whether your PC has a battery.
4. Click Screen and sleep on the right side to expand it. You should now see the timeout drop-down menus.
5. Open the drop-down menu for On battery power, turn off my screen after and choose a time. Desktop PCs without a battery do not show this option.
6. Open the drop-down menu for When plugged in, turn off my screen after and choose a time.
7. Select Never in either menu if you want the screen to stay on all the time.
8. Close Settings.

Only your administrator can change it. To undo your change, return to the same page and select your previous values, or 5 minutes and 15 minutes for the defaults.

Change Screen Timeout in Settings

Option Two  Open Power & battery settings

The classic Control Panel is useful if you prefer the traditional menus. It leads to the power management settings that have been part of Windows for years. This method changes the plan that is currently active.

1. Open Control Panel in icons view. If you see categories instead, change View by in the top-right corner to large or small icons.
2. Click the Power Options icon.
3. Click Choose when to turn off the display on the left side. The power plan page opens with the timeout options.
4. Open the drop-down menu for On battery and choose a time. Desktop PCs show only the plugged-in column.
5. Open the drop-down menu for Plugged in and choose a time.
6. Select Never in either menu if you want the screen to stay on all the time.
7. Click Save changes to apply the change. If you skip this, the old values stay.
8. Close Control Panel.

No restart is needed. To undo the change, open the same page and choose your earlier times.

Change Screen Timeout in Power Plan Settings

Option Three

Advanced power plan settings give you deeper control than the standard menus. You can set exact display shutdown times for plugged-in and battery states on a specific plan. This is the right place when you use more than one power plan and want to edit a plan other than the active one.

1. Open Control Panel in icons view.
2. Click the Power Options icon.
3. Click Change plan settings next to the plan you want to edit, for example "Ultimate Performance". The plan's settings page opens.
4. Click Change advanced power settings. A small Power Options dialog opens with a list of settings.
5. Scroll down and expand Display, then expand Turn off display after.
6. Set the value for On battery and/or Plugged in. Choose a number of minutes or hours, or select Never to keep the screen on.
7. Click OK to save the change.
8. Close Control Panel.

Each plan keeps its own values. If the plan you edited is not the active one, the change takes effect only when you switch to that plan. To undo it, reopen the dialog and enter the old values.

Change Screen Timeout in Advanced Power Plan Settings

Option Four

The command line changes the timeout with a single text command. The powercfg tool in Windows Terminal lets you skip the graphical menus entirely. This is handy if you prefer typing or want to script power changes across several PCs. It works on both Home and Pro editions and needs administrator rights.

1. Open Windows Terminal as administrator and select Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell. A prompt appears in the tab.
2. Type one of the commands below and press Enter. If the command works, it returns to the prompt without an error message.

For battery power:

powercfg -change -monitor-timeout-dc <minutes>

OR

powercfg /SETDCVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT 7516b95f-f776-4464-8c53-06167f40cc99 3c0bc021-c8a8-4e07-a973-6b14cbcb2b7e <seconds>

For plugged in:

powercfg -change -monitor-timeout-ac <minutes>

OR

powercfg /SETACVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT 7516b95f-f776-4464-8c53-06167f40cc99 3c0bc021-c8a8-4e07-a973-6b14cbcb2b7e <seconds>

Important:

• Replace <minutes> with how many minutes you want before the display turns off.
• Replace <seconds> with how many seconds you want before the display turns off.
• Using 0 (zero) minutes or seconds works the same as choosing "Never."
• Each pair offers two commands, so use whichever fits. The difference is the unit: one takes minutes and the other seconds.

3. Close Windows Terminal.

To check the result, open Settings › System › Power & battery (or Power) and look at the screen timeout drop-down menus. To undo the change, run the same command again with your old value.

Summary

You have four ways to change the screen timeout. All of them control how long your display stays active before it turns off, so choose the one that suits you.

• Option One: Use the Settings app for a quick and easy change.
• Option Two: Use Power Options in Control Panel to adjust when your display turns off.
• Option Three: Use Advanced Power Plan Settings for more detailed control, including plans that are not currently active.
• Option Four: Use command-line tools if you prefer typing commands (requires admin privileges).

The best method depends on personal preference. Whichever you use, a sensible timeout saves power and extends battery life.