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

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.

I'm dealing with that exact same issue. Hoping to get some help too!

I have


# 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

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.

abactuon said:

# 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

Click to expand...

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 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.

starbuck said:

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

Click to expand...

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.

djbillyd said:

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.

Click to expand...

starbuck said:

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

Click to expand...

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...




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...

abactuon said:

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.

Click to expand...

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).

@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.

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:


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!

starbuck said:

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!

Click to expand...

It's Windows 11! We are in for a helluva ride my friends!!!