How can I make my screen blank by a shortcut?

Question

I'd like a shortcut that makes the screen go to a black screen immediately, without turning any power off, or even putting it to sleep.

What ways can I do that?

How more efficient the solution is to set up, the better.

score 28 · Accepted Answer · edited Dec 30 '13 at 09:20

28

You can just make a shortcut to the blank screensaver and then set a keyboard shortcut via the properties window for the shortcut.

The screensaver is called scrnsave.scr, located in %SYSTEMROOT%\system32.

edited Dec 30 '13 at 09:20

slhck

235,242

answered May 31 '13 at 03:56

Candreasen

296

score 17 · Answer 2 · edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:17

You can easily do this with NirCmd, these four options will give you a black screen each (with side effect):

Turn off the monitor.
```
nircmd.exe monitor off
```
Start the default screen saver (set it to a blank one, so you can make the screen blank).
```
nircmd.exe screensaver
```
Put your computer in 'standby' mode.
```
nircmd.exe standby
```
Turn off your computer.
```
nircmd.exe exitwin poweroff
```

Make sure that you have nircmd.exe in C:\Windows\System32 if you want to call it from anywhere.

As Dennis Williamson pointed out in his comment, you can create a hotkey like this:

nircmd.exe cmdshortcutkey "C:\Windows\Temp" "MO" "Ctrl+Shift+M" monitor off

Or a shortcut on your desktop which you can click like this:

nircmd.exe cmdshortcut "~$folder.desktop$" "Turn Monitor off" monitor off

With AutoHotkey, you can bind any of the above commands to a hotkey:

#s::Run nircmd.exe monitor off

The above hotkey WIN+S would for example turn the monitor off.

An alternative program, if you dislike scripting, could be PhaseExpress.

Dennis Williamson · Answer 3 · 2011-02-19T16:58:31.610

6

Set your screensaver to the one called "blank". Press Win-L.

Here are some examples of using AutoHotkey to turn off the monitor or start the screen saver without needing NirCmd.

edited Feb 19 '11 at 16:58

answered Feb 19 '11 at 16:05

Dennis Williamson

111,445

score 1 · Answer 4 · answered Jul 17 '19 at 13:17

Another option using AutoHotkey:

SendMessage 0x112, 0xF170, 2,,Program Manager

You need to install AutoHotkey (1.1.x, not sure if it works in 2.x), create a text file with .ahk extension (e.g. turn_off_screen.ahk), paste this line there using any text editor, and you can run it by double click.

score 1 · Answer 5 · edited Nov 11 '12 at 09:24

1

I used NirCmd to create a task in Win7 task scheduler, that turns the monitor off when I lock the computer (Ctrl+L)

In the Actions, paste: nircmd.exe and in Arguments put monitor off.

Then use the drop-down in Triggers to choose "Workstation is locked". Works like a charm.

edited Nov 11 '12 at 09:24

Be Brave Be Like Ukraine

761

answered Oct 23 '11 at 13:50

Cherryaa

11
1

score 1 · Answer 6 · edited Dec 30 '13 at 09:41

1

There is a built-in function on my laptop. Just hit the Fn+F6. This toggles the black screen on my laptop, anyway: no extra command programming required.

edited Dec 30 '13 at 09:41

Jawa

3,679

answered Dec 30 '13 at 08:31

Klinkehoffen

11

score 0 · Answer 7 · answered Jun 22 '14 at 11:50

0

Fn+F2 does it quickly and simply for me (while NOT running PowerPoint or any other program, or hooked up to any other screen or device). Repeat the step to unblank.

answered Jun 22 '14 at 11:50

user337575

1

score 0 · Answer 8 · answered Jul 03 '14 at 02:08

If you want to blank just one display, without disabling or "sleeping" it you can use this VB6 program that simply loads a black background HTML file in full screen without any boarders:

http://jpelectron.com/download/viewit-rev3.zip

Copy all the files to: C:\Program Files (x86)\viewIT\ then run or make a shortcut to viewit.exe

There is also the option to make the entire screen white (like a flashlight app)

I created this because I needed a way to blank my tablet's screen (primary display) while I had a YouTube or other video playing full-screen elsewhere (secondary display)

If you don't like that this loads on the primary display only, I would suggest you open fillblack.htm in a browser, put that browser on the display you want, then press F11 to enable full-screen/kiosk mode - that will do it too.

score 0 · Answer 9 · answered Apr 07 '15 at 20:04

0

Another useful tool for this purpose is Multiscreen Blank. You will still need to set up a system-wide shortcut with an additional tool, but the screen blanking settings are nicely adjustable.

answered Apr 07 '15 at 20:04

JoshRivers

1,427

score 0 · Answer 10 · edited Jul 05 '15 at 06:59

The accepted answer by Candreasen on May 31 '13 at 3:56 was spot on.

Some additional information based on my implementation in Windows 7:
Create a shortcut with the following target:
C:\Windows\System32\scrnsave.scr
This blanks both screens when another display is connected to the HDMI port on my laptop.
This invokes the 'blank' screensaver.
I think any .scr screensaver file in the Windows folders can be started this way.
Unlike the automatic starting of a screensaver after inactivity on this machine, this invocation of the screensaver does not request a password when it restarts. According to this, it seems to be normal for a screensaver invoked in this way not to be locked:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms686421(v=vs.85).aspx#ss_keys
"Before a screensaver appears, Windows creates a new virtual desktop for it. The screensaver process is created on this second desktop, which is never locked."

score -1 · Answer 11 · answered Apr 24 '19 at 02:18

There is a regular standalone portable Don'tSleep utility from softwareok.com which allows to define which applications would be barred from forcing your PC or screen from sleeping.

I just need a blank screen so I can output a messsage, which would otherwise appears on regular desktop and not be quite legible, prompting the user to do something. I think "viewit" solution should work for me.

score -1 · Answer 12 · edited Oct 19 '15 at 15:47

to Avoid the sleeping mode save this script as a .vbs format and double click just once. Approximate 1 hour you screen will not go in sleeping mode. how its work: its keeps refreshing your PC for 1 hour . safe and secure . :D

set sh=createobject("wscript.shell")
for i=1 to 25
WScript.sleep 120000
sh.sendkeys"{F15}"
next
set sh=nothing

Step 1:
copy it and put this in your note pad
step 2:
while saving save it with .VBS ext. EX:   ABCDEF.vbs
Step 3:
after that just double click on it once.

How can I make my screen blank by a shortcut?

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