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Device guide

Keep the screen on in Windows 11 and 10

Chrome and Edge 84 and later keep a Windows 11 or 10 screen on from a visible tab, and Windows does not idle-sleep while they do. You need no install and no admin rights. Minimise the window, lock the PC or close the lid, and Windows follows its own settings again.

Sources checked Saturday, 26 September 20263 min readBy Soubhik Biswas
Open AwakeTab

Set it up on your PC

Four steps. Where Windows 10 differs, the step says so. The screenshots are placeholders until real-device captures are recorded.

  1. Step 1: Open AwakeTab in Chrome or Edge and press Start

    Chrome or Edge › awaketab.com

    Pick a length or an "Until…" time, then press Start. Wait for the pill to say "Screen awake".

  2. Step 2: Keep the window visible

    No minimising while it runs

    The window does not need focus, so a small one on a second monitor works while you type on the first. Minimise it or switch tabs and the pill changes to "Paused — tab hidden".

  3. Step 3: Check it with powercfg

    Right-click Start › Terminal (Admin)

    Run powercfg /requests. On Windows 10, use Windows PowerShell (Admin). Your browser should be listed under DISPLAY. Hide the tab, run it again, and the entry is gone.

  4. Step 4: Optional: change the Windows timeout

    Settings › System › Power & battery

    Open Screen, sleep & hibernate timeouts (Screen and sleep on older builds) and pick longer times, or Never. On Windows 10 it is Settings › System › Power & sleep.

Which Windows setups keep the screen on

Support claims come from browser documentation and automated tests. Real-device results appear in the matrix once recorded. Sources checked 26 September 2026.

Chrome or Edge 84 or later, window visibleResult: SupportedWhat to know: Asks Windows for a display-required power request, so the PC does not idle-sleep either.
Visible window without focus, or on a second monitorResult: SupportedWhat to know: The lock holds while you work in another window.
Firefox 126 or later, window visibleResult: SupportedWhat to know: Refuses when the battery is at 5 % or less and not charging.
Energy saver onResult: SupportedWhat to know: It does not refuse the wake lock, but it may dim the screen. Windows 11 24H2 renamed Battery saver to Energy saver.
Window minimised or another tab in frontResult: PausesWhat to know: The lock is released until the tab is back.
PC lockedResult: PausesWhat to know: A locked PC hides the tab and turns the monitor off after 60 seconds.
AwakeTab browser extensionResult: SupportedWhat to know: AwakeTab for Chrome, also for Edge, keeps the screen on with the window minimised.

What turns the screen off anyway

If the screen still goes dark, one of these is usually the reason.

  • Locking the PCWindows uses a separate 60-second lock-screen timeout, and your normal screen setting does not change it.Windows 11 screen turns off after 1 minute
  • Closing the lidThe laptop follows Control Panel › Power Options › Choose what closing the lid does. No tab or extension changes that.
  • A work screen lock policyA sign-in policy can lock the screen on its own schedule. It is separate from display sleep.Lock screen versus display sleep
Try it hereTry itStart a session, switch tabs, then come back and watch the pill. Ends at … if you start now.Start a 1-hour session

Questions

Only the Settings path: System > Power & sleep instead of Power & battery. Chrome and Edge keep the display on the same way from a visible tab, and on Windows 10 Chrome also asks Windows to keep the system itself awake.

Soubhik Biswas · Builds AwakeTab. Sources checked Saturday, 26 September 2026. About AwakeTab