Say you had to attend to an emergency at work or your child or spouse needed something suddenly. This means leaving your PC and attending to other relevant issues every once in a while. But there are risks attached, especially if you don’t turn off the screen.

Someone could access your data and use it for malicious purposes. Or they could ruin an entire day’s work by mistake when going through your computer. To prevent any of that from happening and to also help use less energy, here are several ways to turn your Windows PC screen off more quickly.

1. Use Your Windows Power Management Settings

You can create a custom setting that forces your computer to shut down the screen just by using the power button. To do this, you will need to do the following:

  1. Go to your computer’s Control Panel and search for the terms “change what the power buttons do.”

  2. Click on the result and set your PC to sleep each time you press the power button. You can do this by clicking the drop-down menu.

  3. As soon as you finish, save your settings.

2. Set Your Power and Sleep Settings

Using the power settings is an efficient way to turn off your screen in Windows quickly. It is especially useful when you have to step away from your computer at a moment’s notice. It works by turning the display off after a set period elapses. Here’s how to do this:

  1. Go to Windows search and search for “power & sleep settings.” (You must use the ampersand sign.)

  2. Click on the result. It should present a screen that looks like the following image:

  3. Click on the first two drop-down menus and set the screen to go off in two minutes.

  4. Repeat the same step for the sleep settings too.

That’s all. The next time you step away from your PC, you can be sure it would go to sleep after two minutes.

3. Turn Your Screen Off in Windows Using a Keyboard Shortcut

Windows has many built-in shortcuts for many functions. There is also one that you can use for turning off your PC screen more quickly. Follow the steps below to achieve this.

  1. Go to your desktop screen/home screen. This is important because the next step only works on the home screen.

  2. Press the keyboard combination keys Alt + F4.

  3. Choose “sleep” and your PC screen will turn off immediately.

4. Use the Start Menu

All it takes is two quick clicks to put your Windows computer into Sleep mode. As long as you have a username/password set up, no one can access your screen until you get back.

Open the Start menu and click the Power icon. Click Sleep to immediately turn off your screen without turning off your computer. You don’t even have to save your work before you do it.

5. Using a BAT Script

A BAT script is an executable file for Windows. You can run it from the command prompt tool. You can use the script to turn your screen off in Windows, and it is safe too.

Follow these steps to use the BAT script:

  1. Download the BAT file and place it on your desktop.

  2. Right-click and select “Run as Administrator.” This will shut off your PC screen immediately.

6. Use DisplayOff Tool

The DisplayOff tool is a free utility program designed to help you switch off your Windows PC screen. It is easy to use and doesn’t have any Graphical User Interface. It is run the same way as a BAT file.

How to use the DisplayOff tool:

  • Download the toolRun as administrator.Your Windows PC screen will go off immediately.

7. Use Dark Tool to Turn Off Windows PC Screen

Dark is a small tool that you can install to help you quickly turn your screen off in Windows. It requires installation. After installation, it places an icon as a shortcut in your Windows taskbar.

  1. Download and install Dark Tool.

  2. Start the Dark tool. It will create an icon on your taskbar.

  3. Click the icon to turn off your screen.

8. Use Blacktop Tool to Turn Off Your Screen in Windows

The Blacktop tool is like the Windows BAT file, except that it allows you to use a keyboard shortcut to run it instead of clicking on it. The shortcut is Ctrl + Alt + B.

You can download this tool on Softpedia.

Wrapping Up

Turning off your Windows PC screen should not be a tedious task. The above steps should be more than enough to help you achieve that. When you next need to shut off your PC screen more quickly, remember that you have many options.

Crystal Crowder has spent over 15 years working in the tech industry, first as an IT technician and then as a writer. She works to help teach others how to get the most from their devices, systems, and apps. She stays on top of the latest trends and is always finding solutions to common tech problems.

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