Solved Windows 11 Power > turn off my screen after *only* works if set to 5 minutes or less?


starbuck

Active member
Local time
8:53 AM
Posts
40
OS
Windows 11 Pro 23H2
I have been testing this for several days now and I'm completely confused by this behavior or how to resolve it. This issue has been going on for several months at least and I've finally decided to try and solve it.

Under Settings > System > Power > Screen and sleep if I change the setting for "When plugged in, turn off my screen after" and set it to 10 minutes or more, the screen never turns off. However, as soon as I change the setting to 5 minutes or less, it always works.

My screensaver is completely disabled and I have tried running the Windows Troublehsooter for Power to check and fix the power and it when it does that it always changes those settings back to 5 minutes and then sets 'put my device to sleep after' to 15 minutes. I don't want my device to sleep as I often connect to my system from remote locations, but I do want the monitors to power off/sleep after 10 or 15 minutes.

Anyone have any ideas how to fix this?

Other than Windows Troubleshooter, I have also tried sfc /scannow and the DISM tool and it has had no effect.
 
Windows Build/Version
Windows 11 Pro 22H2 build 22621.755

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-12600K
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4
    Memory
    DDR4-3603 / PC4-28800 DDR4 SDRAM UDIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2060 Super XC Ultra Gaming (08G-P4-3163)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 980 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    Corsair 750W Gold
    Case
    Corsair
    Cooling
    Corsair
    Internet Speed
    Fibre 1gbps
I have
1.jpg

# Sleep Timeout (40_CURRENT and 15_CURRENT) & Display (30_CURRENT and 10_CURRENT)
C:\Windows\System32\powercfg.exe /SETACVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_SLEEP STANDBYIDLE 2400
C:\Windows\System32\powercfg.exe -change -monitor-timeout-ac 30
C:\Windows\System32\powercfg.exe /SETDCVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_SLEEP STANDBYIDLE 900
C:\Windows\System32\powercfg.exe -change -monitor-timeout-dc 10
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI MS-7D98
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-13490F
    Motherboard
    MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI
    Memory
    2 x 16 Patriot Memory (PDP Systems) PSD516G560081
    Graphics Card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G (GV-N4070WF3OC-12GD)
    Sound Card
    Bluetooth Аудио
    Monitor(s) Displays
    INNOCN 15K1F
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    WD_BLACK SN770 250GB
    KINGSTON SNV2S1000G (ELFK0S.6)
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1000W
    Case
    CG560 - DeepCool
    Cooling
    ID-COOLING SE-224-XTS / 2 x 140Mm Fan - rear and top; 3 x 120Mm - front
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 RGB TKL
    Mouse
    Corsair KATAR PRO XT
    Internet Speed
    100 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender Antivirus
    Other Info
    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/66553205
For whatever reason, I couldn't get the image of my settings in the message, but, while you are using a laptop, I am on a desktop, so only the top two settings apply ad I have them set just as you, 10 min, 30 min. I did notice, however, that my screensaver started working. I too have the "Balanced" power mode. I haven't gotten away from the computer long enough to see if the other settings are now working. I'll report back as soon as I do.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
# Sleep Timeout (40_CURRENT and 15_CURRENT) & Display (30_CURRENT and 10_CURRENT)
C:\Windows\System32\powercfg.exe /SETACVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_SLEEP STANDBYIDLE 2400
C:\Windows\System32\powercfg.exe -change -monitor-timeout-ac 30
C:\Windows\System32\powercfg.exe /SETDCVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_SLEEP STANDBYIDLE 900
C:\Windows\System32\powercfg.exe -change -monitor-timeout-dc 10
Those just look like the cli commands to set the various timeouts? Is that supposed to help in someway instead of using the GUI to set the timeouts? Also, I'm on a desktop too
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-12600K
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4
    Memory
    DDR4-3603 / PC4-28800 DDR4 SDRAM UDIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2060 Super XC Ultra Gaming (08G-P4-3163)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 980 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    Corsair 750W Gold
    Case
    Corsair
    Cooling
    Corsair
    Internet Speed
    Fibre 1gbps
My session is working now. I believe the reset "reset" the screensaver and that's what was preventing my system from the timing for power settings.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
Those just look like the cli commands to set the various timeouts? Is that supposed to help in someway instead of using the GUI to set the timeouts? Also, I'm on a desktop too
Everything should work out of the box, with default values.
If you can't remember what you changed in the computer settings, reset the bios/uefi and do a clean install of Windows.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI MS-7D98
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-13490F
    Motherboard
    MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI
    Memory
    2 x 16 Patriot Memory (PDP Systems) PSD516G560081
    Graphics Card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G (GV-N4070WF3OC-12GD)
    Sound Card
    Bluetooth Аудио
    Monitor(s) Displays
    INNOCN 15K1F
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    WD_BLACK SN770 250GB
    KINGSTON SNV2S1000G (ELFK0S.6)
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1000W
    Case
    CG560 - DeepCool
    Cooling
    ID-COOLING SE-224-XTS / 2 x 140Mm Fan - rear and top; 3 x 120Mm - front
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 RGB TKL
    Mouse
    Corsair KATAR PRO XT
    Internet Speed
    100 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender Antivirus
    Other Info
    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/66553205
For whatever reason, I couldn't get the image of my settings in the message, but, while you are using a laptop, I am on a desktop, so only the top two settings apply ad I have them set just as you, 10 min, 30 min. I did notice, however, that my screensaver started working. I too have the "Balanced" power mode. I haven't gotten away from the computer long enough to see if the other settings are now working. I'll report back as soon as I do.

Those just look like the cli commands to set the various timeouts? Is that supposed to help in someway instead of using the GUI to set the timeouts? Also, I'm on a desktop too



I used to use the Power settings and even the screen saver to turn off the display, at a certain time interval.
Then ofc, the Win 11 Tutorials section came to the rescue...




Much better solution in my opinion...

Image1.png


I also have it set to 5 minutes in the Power Options (not required).
I've never tried 10 minutes, but 5 mins and 20 mins both seem to work.





/edit You can also use the old Windows 10 context menus as well...
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3374 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
Everything should work out of the box, with default values.
If you can't remember what you changed in the computer settings, reset the bios/uefi and do a clean install of Windows.
I never said that I, "can't remember what I changed" and to accuse me of that and then suggest I just do a clean install of windows is a drastic and extreme response.

Of course I can solve just about any problem in windows by doing a clean install. The point of forums like this is to avoid having to go through that ;-).

Perhaps you didn't intend it as such @abactuon , but I took your tone as pretty curt. It certainly wasn't the question I asked, which was for clarification if the CLI might do something different and yield a better result than making the identical change via the control panel / settings options?

In my case, the monitor was going to sleep just fine and then it surfaced as an issue a few months ago. I had hoped that upgrading to Windows 11 might resolve, but it didn't.

I'll try using powercfg to change the screen timeout to see if my issue goes away which would suggest some kind of bug/corruption/fault in the GUI and I'll report back my findings.


Thank you @Ghot for your suggestions of the nircmd alternative. A good option, but my big issue is getting pulled away from my desk and forgetting to manually invoke a command. My preference is to get my Windows installation to honor the setting to turn the screen off when I set it to something other than 5 minutes (the big problem with 5 minutes is I can easily be on a zoom/skype call for more than 5 minutes without using my mouse and then have the screen go black...that's why I want a longer timeout).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-12600K
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4
    Memory
    DDR4-3603 / PC4-28800 DDR4 SDRAM UDIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2060 Super XC Ultra Gaming (08G-P4-3163)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 980 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    Corsair 750W Gold
    Case
    Corsair
    Cooling
    Corsair
    Internet Speed
    Fibre 1gbps
@starbuck


That's the main reason I opted for the context menu option.
It took me a while to get used to it. I had to use a yellow stick-it note for a while, but now it's habit.

As soon as my butt leaves the computer chair... I just right click and choose Turn Off Display.


Windows has billions of tiny things that interact all the time.
Mainly I would go through your power settings and their advanced options.

You can also try running in an elevated command prompt...
sfc /scannow

And/or...
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth








As a last resort that doesn't remove all your programs and files, you might want to consider an In-Place Upgrade.
It should only take about 30-40 minutes on your computer.
It repairs all of Windows, while not touching "your" stuff.






Here is the short version of the In-place upgrade tutorial...

DISABLE non-Microsoft:
a) antivirus software
b) firewall software
c) drive encryption software

Make a full OS backup with a program like Macrium Reflect (free)
Macrium Software | Macrium Reflect Free

Get the Windows 11 ISO image and save it to your desktop...



Right click the ISO image and choose: MOUNT
Open File Explorer and you will see a new drive letter. It will "look" like a DVD optical drive.
Double click the new drive letter to open it.
Find setup.exe and double click it to start the in-place upgrade.

Choose the Keep personal files and apps option.

After it's all done... to UNmount the ISO image, right click the new drive letter and choose: EJECT.


The ONLY thing you will lose is some of your personalizations. Your programs and data will be intact.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3374 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
well sonofagun - using the following from an elevated command prompt has actually made a difference! Not sure if that was what @abactuon was hinting at or not, but it seems to have actually fixed this problem...which is very surprising to me.

I executed the following and for the first time my system turned off the monitor at 6 minutes:

Code:
C:\Windows\System32\powercfg.exe -change -monitor-timeout-ac 6

I've tried it at 9 minute via powercfg and it worked and then I have also tried changing it via the GUI and it's now honoring that setting.

I've literally had this issue for months. Anyone have any idea why it would not work beyond 5 minutes? Some kind of stuck registry setting and by executing it with administrator privileges cleared whatever was jamming it up?


The behavior seems to be persisting after reboots as well so I'll gladly take this unexpected solution, but I'm damn curious to know why this worked!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-12600K
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4
    Memory
    DDR4-3603 / PC4-28800 DDR4 SDRAM UDIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2060 Super XC Ultra Gaming (08G-P4-3163)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 980 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    Corsair 750W Gold
    Case
    Corsair
    Cooling
    Corsair
    Internet Speed
    Fibre 1gbps
well sonofagun - using the following from an elevated command prompt has actually made a difference! Not sure if that was what @abactuon was hinting at or not, but it seems to have actually fixed this problem...which is very surprising to me.

I executed the following and for the first time my system turned off the monitor at 6 minutes:

Code:
C:\Windows\System32\powercfg.exe -change -monitor-timeout-ac 6

I've tried it at 9 minute via powercfg and it worked and then I have also tried changing it via the GUI and it's now honoring that setting.

I've literally had this issue for months. Anyone have any idea why it would not work beyond 5 minutes? Some kind of stuck registry setting and by executing it with administrator privileges cleared whatever was jamming it up?


The behavior seems to be persisting after reboots as well so I'll gladly take this unexpected solution, but I'm damn curious to know why this worked!
It's Windows 11! We are in for a helluva ride my friends!!!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11

Latest Support Threads

Back
Top Bottom