The pretend keypress is the virtually unused F15 key although you can change it to Shift or another key if there’s a conflict with your applicationsĪ number of options can be edited from the command line or placed in a desktop shortcut. This is to simulate a keypress once every 59 seconds so Windows is fooled into thinking you’re typing on your computer. Although you can minimize the window to the tray, it is meant to stay on the screen as a reminder that your computer cannot currently enter sleep mode.Ĭaffeine works in a rather simple way to try and prevent your computer from going into standby, the screen from shutting off, or the screensaver kicking in. There are separate 32-bit and 64-bit versions available and you simply run the executable which opens the small window shown above. Do note Insomnia has not been designed to and will not prevent your screen from going to sleep. Insomnia actually tries to disable sleep mode while it’s open and then puts the setting back to what it was previously on close.

This simple little portable tool will prevent your computer from going into standby while it’s running. Here’s a selection of free tools that can help, they were all tested on Windows 10 64-bit. Some software has the ability to keep the display or computer on while running such as a video player or video encoder but not all software has this option.Ī simple solution so you don’t have to touch any power plans or sleep settings is to use a third party utility that temporarily prevents the computer or screen from going into standby. If you don’t revert the chosen power options back, you’re left with settings you might not want on a permanent basis. Or you can go to Settings in Windows 10 and simply change or disable the sleep timers for the current plan. You can of course go to the Power Options in Control Panel and create or edit a power plan that keeps the computer and display on. However, this is not always the case and sometimes you might not be at the computer but don’t want it to shut off the display or go into standby for a while. If you don’t move the mouse or touch the keyboard within a specific period of time, Windows thinks you’re away and will perform the selected action to conserve power.

It can do this by turning off the display when there is no activity for a given period and also do a similar thing to put the computer to sleep. By default, Windows uses a power plan to save try and save power.

Windows 7 display not turning off