Personalization Add "Turn off display" Context Menu in Windows 11

p999 · Jul 18, 2024

Wake Up Problem:

Thank you. This works perfectly even on multiple monitors, as does freeware Monitor Off Utility and Turn Off the Monitor, and others I tried.

However, the problem with my new Win 11 computer (which was not a problem on my Win 10 computer) is that the multi monitors wake themselves up very quickly after being shut down on command.

Using Monitor Off Utility and Turn Off the Monitor apps, the multi monitors wake up immediately (no mouse movement involved). Your context menu command is unique in that it apparently keeps shutting down the waking up monitors only to have them wake up again, and finally your command times out and the monitors totally wake back up after about 20 seconds.

Also, the blue power lights on the monitors never shut off (and the mouse cursor moves around on some of the screens), so doesn't this meant the monitors never completely shut off?

Seems like the laptop screen and primary external monitor are the hardest to keep from waking up, compared to the 2 other externals, although the blue power lights stay on with all of them and all of them glow visible at night with the monitors being gray rather than black and obviously still on, and the primary external will show the Widows welcome screen all night after being woken right after they are shut down by your command.

Any suggestions how to disable this monitor wake up? I asked AI and was suggested to look in Event Viewer to see what is waking the monitors, or perhaps stopping them from completely turning off. But it did not give sufficient guidance that a non-tech like me could work through this.

Also suggested I disable the wake timers settings in Control Panel advanced power settings which I did to no avail.

Any help is much appreciated. Strange that the freeware worked fine without any intervention in Win 10 not Win 11, even though all the programs and devices are virtually the same.

Thank you.

Brink · Jul 18, 2024

p999 said:
Wake Up Problem:

Thank you. This works perfectly even on multiple monitors, as does freeware Monitor Off Utility and Turn Off the Monitor, and others I tried.

However, the problem with my new Win 11 computer (which was not a problem on my Win 10 computer) is that the multi monitors wake themselves up very quickly after being shut down on command.

Using Monitor Off Utility and Turn Off the Monitor apps, the multi monitors wake up immediately (no mouse movement involved). Your context menu command is unique in that it apparently keeps shutting down the waking up monitors only to have them wake up again, and finally your command times out and the monitors totally wake back up after about 20 seconds.

Also, the blue power lights on the monitors never shut off (and the mouse cursor moves around on some of the screens), so doesn't this meant the monitors never completely shut off?

Seems like the laptop screen and primary external monitor are the hardest to keep from waking up, compared to the 2 other externals, although the blue power lights stay on with all of them and all of them glow visible at night with the monitors being gray rather than black and obviously still on, and the primary external will show the Widows welcome screen all night after being woken right after they are shut down by your command.

Any suggestions how to disable this monitor wake up? I asked AI and was suggested to look in Event Viewer to see what is waking the monitors, or perhaps stopping them from completely turning off. But it did not give sufficient guidance that a non-tech like me could work through this.

Also suggested I disable the wake timers settings in Control Panel advanced power settings which I did to no avail.

Any help is much appreciated. Strange that the freeware worked fine without any intervention in Win 10 not Win 11, even though all the programs and devices are virtually the same.

Thank you.

Hello p999, and welcome.

This will only turn off the display by putting the display to sleep, it will not actually power off the monitors. It'll be normal to still see the power light on for the monitors.

Usually, it's any type of user activity that can cause the display to wake up.

As a test, how does the BAT file in the post below work for you?

Add "Turn off display" Context Menu in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to add a Turn off display desktop context menu that will let users Turn off display or Lock computer and Turn off display on demand in Windows 10 and Windows 11. By default, You can specify a screen timeout for how long the PC sits inactive without user activity...

www.elevenforum.com

p999 · Jul 18, 2024

Brink said:
Hello p999, and welcome.

This will only turn off the display by putting the display to sleep, it will not actually power off the monitors. It'll be normal to still see the power light on for the monitors.

Usually, it's any type of user activity that can cause the display to wake up.

As a test, how does the BAT file in the post below work for you?

Add "Turn off display" Context Menu in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to add a Turn off display desktop context menu that will let users Turn off display or Lock computer and Turn off display on demand in Windows 10 and Windows 11. By default, You can specify a screen timeout for how long the PC sits inactive without user activity...

www.elevenforum.com

Thanks for the welcome Brink. Your forum is really really great. My first time here, but used to benefit from and post to TenForum.

Sorry to say that I don't know how to run a BAT. I don't think I've done that since DOS, if then, and don't remember. Could you please give directions.

Do I run this BAT after I downloaded and ran the original file from the Original Poster?

Also, I guess that even if the 2 second delay in the BAT works, which hopefully it will, the monitors won't power off only go to sleep and continue with their soft glow all night? I don't want to shut down computer only shut down the multi monitors.

Again, strange since this was not the case with Win 10, where the freeware shut them down completely with no power lights.

Many thanks in advance.

Brink · Jul 18, 2024

p999 said:
Thanks for the welcome Brink. Your forum is really really great. My first time here, but used to benefit from and post to TenForum.

Sorry to say that I don't know how to run a BAT. I don't think I've done that since DOS, if then, and don't remember. Could you please give directions.

Do I run this BAT after I downloaded and ran the original file from the Original Poster?

Also, I guess that even if the 2 second delay in the BAT works, which hopefully it will, the monitors won't power off only go to sleep and continue with their soft glow all night? I don't want to shut down computer only shut down the multi monitors.

Again, strange since this was not the case with Win 10, where the freeware shut them down completely with no power lights.

Many thanks in advance.

No worries. You'll just need to copy the code into Notepad, save it with a ,bat extension, then run the .bat file.

zWulf · Sep 9, 2024

Is there anyway to add a keyboard shortcut to option 1 without having to make a shortcut on the desktop? Like Windows Key + F4 or something like that. Or just make Windows Key + L turn off monitors as well as lock it. Cheers on the reg file though! Very helpful thank you

hdmi · Sep 9, 2024

zWulf said:
Is there anyway to add a keyboard shortcut to option 1 without having to make a shortcut on the desktop? Like Windows Key + F4 or something like that. Or just make Windows Key + L turn off monitors as well as lock it. Cheers on the reg file though! Very helpful thank you

You can install PowerToys and use its Keyboard Manager feature to Remap shortcuts.

zWulf · Sep 9, 2024

hdmi said:
You can install PowerToys and use its Keyboard Manager feature to Remap shortcuts.

How would I use Remap Shortcuts for context menu? I'm confused.

hdmi · Sep 9, 2024

zWulf said:
How would I use Remap Shortcuts for context menu? I'm confused.

The Remap shortcuts feature also lets you Remap a shortcut to start an app. So, you can make the (App option of the) new shortcut point to powershell.exe and also specify the arguments that will be sent to powershell.exe (i.e. by using the Args option also in addition to the App option).

dacrone · Mar 18, 2025

Brink said:
Using this context menu will leave a command prompt window open that you will need to manually close when you resume.

fixed. this will not leave any consoles open:

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\Turn Off Display]
"Icon"="%SystemRoot%\\System32\\shell32.dll,25"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\Turn Off Display\Command]
@="cmd /c start /min \"\" powershell -WindowStyle Hidden Add-Type -MemberDefinition '[DllImport(\\\"user32.dll\\\")] public static extern int SendMessage(int hWnd, int hMsg, int wParam, int lParam);' -Name 'Win32SendMessage' -Namespace Win32Functions -PassThru; [Win32Functions.Win32SendMessage]::SendMessage(0xffff, 0x0112, 0xF170, 2)\""

Brink · Mar 18, 2025

dacrone said:

fixed. this will not leave any consoles open:

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\Turn Off Display]
"Icon"="%SystemRoot%\\System32\\shell32.dll,25"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\Turn Off Display\Command]
@="cmd /c start /min \"\" powershell -WindowStyle Hidden Add-Type -MemberDefinition '[DllImport(\\\"user32.dll\\\")] public static extern int SendMessage(int hWnd, int hMsg, int wParam, int lParam);' -Name 'Win32SendMessage' -Namespace Win32Functions -PassThru; [Win32Functions.Win32SendMessage]::SendMessage(0xffff, 0x0112, 0xF170, 2)\""

Thank you. Tutorial updated. :shawn:

dacrone · Mar 18, 2025

zWulf said:
Is there anyway to add a keyboard shortcut to option 1 without having to make a shortcut on the desktop? Like Windows Key + F4 or something like that. Or just make Windows Key + L turn off monitors as well as lock it. Cheers on the reg file though! Very helpful thank you

see attached .exe (its zipped). compiled from ahk script. Windows+L will lock pc and turn off displays when this is running (runs in the tray)

hdmi · Mar 19, 2025

Brink said:
Tutorial updated.

Specifying 0xffff as the first parameter of the SendMessage call causes the message to be sent to all top-level windows in the system. I found that doing so can have serious side effects that persist until the computer is restarted. So, I fixed that problem:

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\Turn Off Display]
"Icon"="%SystemRoot%\\System32\\shell32.dll,25"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\Turn Off Display\Command]
@="\"%SystemRoot%\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe\" -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command \"Add-Type -TypeDefinition 'using System; using System.Runtime.InteropServices; public static class User32 { [DllImport(\\\"user32.dll\\\", SetLastError = true)] public static extern int SendMessage(int hWnd, int hMsg, int wParam, int lParam); }' -ReferencedAssemblies System.Windows.Forms; Start-Sleep -Seconds 2; $null = [User32]::SendMessage((New-Object System.Windows.Forms.Form).Handle.ToInt32(), 0x0112, 0xF170, 2);\""

Brink · Mar 19, 2025

hdmi said:

Specifying 0xffff as the first parameter of the SendMessage call causes the message to be sent to all top-level windows in the system. I found that doing so can have serious side effects that persist until the computer is restarted. So, I fixed that problem:

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\Turn Off Display]
"Icon"="%SystemRoot%\\System32\\shell32.dll,25"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\Turn Off Display\Command]
@="\"%SystemRoot%\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe\" -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command \"Add-Type -TypeDefinition 'using System; using System.Runtime.InteropServices; public static class User32 { [DllImport(\\\"user32.dll\\\", SetLastError = true)] public static extern int SendMessage(int hWnd, int hMsg, int wParam, int lParam); }' -ReferencedAssemblies System.Windows.Forms; Start-Sleep -Seconds 2; $null = [User32]::SendMessage((New-Object System.Windows.Forms.Form).Handle.ToInt32(), 0x0112, 0xF170, 2);\""

Thank you. Tutorial updated. :shawn:

dacrone · Mar 19, 2025

hdmi said:

Specifying 0xffff as the first parameter of the SendMessage call causes the message to be sent to all top-level windows in the system. I found that doing so can have serious side effects that persist until the computer is restarted. So, I fixed that problem:

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\Turn Off Display]
"Icon"="%SystemRoot%\\System32\\shell32.dll,25"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\Turn Off Display\Command]
@="\"%SystemRoot%\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe\" -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command \"Add-Type -TypeDefinition 'using System; using System.Runtime.InteropServices; public static class User32 { [DllImport(\\\"user32.dll\\\", SetLastError = true)] public static extern int SendMessage(int hWnd, int hMsg, int wParam, int lParam); }' -ReferencedAssemblies System.Windows.Forms; Start-Sleep -Seconds 2; $null = [User32]::SendMessage((New-Object System.Windows.Forms.Form).Handle.ToInt32(), 0x0112, 0xF170, 2);\""

just tested on my desktop with dual monitors. didnt turn either one off. the powershell i posted turns them both off. Can we have a few others test these just so we know before we get tons of comments flooding this tutorial about it not working?

Brink · Mar 19, 2025

dacrone said:
just tested on my desktop with dual monitors. didnt turn either one off. the powershell i posted turns them both off. Can we have a few others test these just so we know before we get tons of comments flooding this tutorial about it not working?

I had to modify the command a bit below for it to work.

Code:

@="powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command \"Add-Type -TypeDefinition 'using System; using System.Runtime.InteropServices; public static class User32 { [DllImport(\\\"user32.dll\\\", SetLastError = true)] public static extern int SendMessage(int hWnd, int hMsg, int wParam, int lParam); }' -ReferencedAssemblies System.Windows.Forms; Start-Sleep -Seconds 2; $null = [User32]::SendMessage((New-Object System.Windows.Forms.Form).Handle.ToInt32(), 0x0112, 0xF170, 2);\""

hdmi · Mar 20, 2025

dacrone said:
just tested on my desktop with dual monitors. didnt turn either one off. the powershell i posted turns them both off. Can we have a few others test these just so we know before we get tons of comments flooding this tutorial about it not working?

Of course, running additional tests is the only way to go. Specifying the whole "%SystemRoot%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe" (instead of just powershell.exe) was done because someone in an old thread had reported that PowerShell 5.1 failed to run otherwise if PowerShell Core had been installed on the system. Start-Sleep -Seconds 2 was used to prevent the display from turning immediately back on automatically as a result of mouse movements [that commonly occur when the user lets go of the mouse after the user clicks on the Turn Off Display command].

hdmi · Mar 20, 2025

Brink said:

I had to modify the command a bit below for it to work.

Code:

@="powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command \"Add-Type -TypeDefinition 'using System; using System.Runtime.InteropServices; public static class User32 { [DllImport(\\\"user32.dll\\\", SetLastError = true)] public static extern int SendMessage(int hWnd, int hMsg, int wParam, int lParam); }' -ReferencedAssemblies System.Windows.Forms; Start-Sleep -Seconds 2; $null = [User32]::SendMessage((New-Object System.Windows.Forms.Form).Handle.ToInt32(), 0x0112, 0xF170, 2);\""

I see what I did wrong. It’s a regular string value (REG_SZ), not an Expandable String Value (REG_EXPAND_SZ). As a result, %SystemRoot% does not get expanded in the string. Changing it like this should work:

Code:

@="C:\\Windows\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command \"Add-Type -TypeDefinition 'using System; using System.Runtime.InteropServices; public static class User32 { [DllImport(\\\"user32.dll\\\", SetLastError = true)] public static extern int SendMessage(int hWnd, int hMsg, int wParam, int lParam); }' -ReferencedAssemblies System.Windows.Forms; Start-Sleep -Seconds 2; $null = [User32]::SendMessage((New-Object System.Windows.Forms.Form).Handle.ToInt32(), 0x0112, 0xF170, 2);\""

dacrone · Mar 20, 2025

Brink said:

I had to modify the command a bit below for it to work.

Code:

@="powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command \"Add-Type -TypeDefinition 'using System; using System.Runtime.InteropServices; public static class User32 { [DllImport(\\\"user32.dll\\\", SetLastError = true)] public static extern int SendMessage(int hWnd, int hMsg, int wParam, int lParam); }' -ReferencedAssemblies System.Windows.Forms; Start-Sleep -Seconds 2; $null = [User32]::SendMessage((New-Object System.Windows.Forms.Form).Handle.ToInt32(), 0x0112, 0xF170, 2);\""

fwiw, i tried that code and it wouldnt do anything on my system either. may just be something i have implemented on my system

^ started posting that hours ago but accidentally closed the tab and forgot to come back to it. not sure why @Brink code didnt work for my pc either. no errors, nothing. just doesnt do anything.

hdmi said:
I see what I did wrong. It’s a regular string value (REG_SZ), not an Expandable String Value (REG_EXPAND_SZ). As a result, %SystemRoot% does not get expanded in the string. Changing it like this should work:

notta for me. now im curious why it wont run on my pc. tomorrow i'll run it on a few other test PCs and see if it works for them

hdmi · Mar 20, 2025

dacrone said:
fwiw, i tried that code and it wouldnt do anything on my system either. may just be something i have implemented on my system

^ started posting that hours ago but accidentally closed the tab and forgot to come back to it. not sure why @Brink code didnt work for my pc either. no errors, nothing. just doesnt do anything.

notta for me. now im curious why it wont run on my pc. tomorrow i'll run it on a few other test PCs and see if it works for them

You haven't uninstalled/disabled .NET Framework, have you?

dacrone · Mar 20, 2025

hdmi said:
You haven't uninstalled/disabled .NET Framework, have you?

nope.

Personalization Add "Turn off display" Context Menu in Windows 11

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