Hey everyone! I'm dealing with a company policy where the screens timeout after just 10 minutes, which is a bit of a hassle since we need to monitor cameras and other applications. I usually have YouTube running, which keeps my screen active. I'm wondering if there's a way to configure PowerShell—or perhaps modify an existing program—so that it can prevent the screen from timing out. I found a GitHub project, aclock, that opens a PowerShell window running an analog clock, but it doesn't seem to help with the timeout issue. Is there a setting I can adjust in PowerShell to keep the screen awake without altering the source code? Or could I tweak the source to achieve this? I'm not really knowledgeable in programming, so any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks!
5 Answers
You might want to reach out to your IT team about this. They can often find solutions for legitimate business needs, and may have workarounds to help with your screen timeout issue.
I wrote a simple VBS script that sends an 'F13' key press every minute to keep my display on. It works for most apps but be cautious if you're using terminal applications because sometimes it can generate unexpected characters.
If you're open to alternatives, a physical mouse jiggler might be your best bet. They're pretty inexpensive and easy to set up, no software needed—just plug it in and let it do its thing!
I've been using a program called Caffeine from Zhorn for years to keep my screen from timing out. It simulates a keypress in the background every minute or so, which works like a charm. You can adjust it to press a key less frequently if needed—just keep sticky keys turned off in your settings.
While I'm not sure about PowerShell stopping the timeout, you could try using the PowerToys Awake tool. It keeps your machine awake without needing extensive programming knowledge. It’s pretty straightforward to set up!
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll definitely talk to them.