How to Use the Windows Sleep Hotkey to Save Power Fast
If you leave your system unattended, your screen will eventually go to sleep. If you don’t return to it, the system will lock itself once the set amount of time has expired. If you want to turn the display off at will, you can set up the power button to do so. The power button may not be the most convenient way to go about it, especially if it’s hard to reach. Instead of a hard button, you can add a simple soft button and keyboard shortcut that will sleep the screen. Here’s how you can get it.
Sleep screen on Windows 10/11
In order to sleep the screen with a soft button or a keyboard shortcut, you can install a free, open-source app called ScreenSleep. Download it from GitHub and run it. (As of 2025, the project is still being updated and works on multi-monitor setups.)
The app runs in the system tray and adds a display/monitor icon to it. If you click it, a menu will open with an option to sleep the screen. Since this takes two clicks, the quicker way to use the app is with its keyboard shortcut.
The default keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+Shift+M but you can change it. Click the app’s icon in the system tray, and select Settings from the menu. The settings window only has one item that you can change i.e., the keyboard shortcut (and a small delay before sleep in newer builds). Click inside the box where the shortcut is, and type the new one you want to use.
ScreenSleep can be set to run at startup from the app’s own built-in settings.
The app works great with a single monitor, and with multiple monitors. It can sleep both an external and an internal display without any problems. The sleep applies only to the displays. It has nothing to do with the Windows Sleep (S3/S0) option — it’s an entirely different feature.
The Windows power options let you set when the display is put to sleep. You can change when the system puts the display to sleep and it works perfectly but it’s time-bound. You have to wait for a certain time — even if it’s just a minute — to expire in order for the display to go to sleep. This app gives you a method to sleep it at will.
Security tip: Sleeping the display does not lock the PC. For a quick lock, press Win+L. To require a password on wake, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and set Windows to require sign-in when the PC wakes.
Windows 11 note & alternatives (optional): If you’d rather not install anything, you can use a tiny utility or script and bind it to a hotkey:
- NirCmd “monitor off” — portable tool; create a shortcut to
nircmd.exe monitor async_offand assign a keyboard shortcut in the shortcut’s Properties. - PowerShell one-liner (advanced): send
WM_SYSCOMMAND/SC_MONITORPOWERto turn off the screen; map it to a hotkey with PowerToys Run or a shortcut. - Open-source alternatives: monoff (turns off/sleeps monitors, supports delay).
What’s New in This Update
- Expanded scope to Windows 10/11 and noted ScreenSleep’s current GitHub status and multi-monitor improvements.
- Added a security tip explaining that turning off the display doesn’t lock the PC (use Win+L / Require sign-in on wake).
- Included lightweight alternatives (NirCmd command & open-source monoff) and the idea to bind them to a hotkey.
- Clarified that display sleep is distinct from system sleep and why a manual trigger is useful.
Last updated: October 22, 2025
