How to Turn Off the Display on a Mac (Shortcut)

Not interested in attracting mosquitoes? Keen to save battery and power? Find out here how to quickly turn off (black out) the display on a Mac at any time using the mouse or a keyboard shortcut without putting the Mac itself to sleep.

First, a Goddess Wrapped around the Dark Side

A goddess wrapping around the known earth’s dark side had an important function in Ancient Egypt: Nut swallowed the sun at night to end the day and, in the morning, gave birth to it so a new day could begin.

Now, how about having your Mac screen’s bright light swallowed at will and any time (without putting the whole computer to sleep)?

How to Turn Off the Display on a Mac

Using a Mac Keyboard Shortcut to Turn Off the Display

Hours later…
Ready to go to sleep now but your Mac apparently is not? How to find out why your Mac Is not going into sleep mode

Turn off and lock: How to Lock the Mac Screen with a Keyboard Shortcut
Have the screen turned off automatically? How to Extend or Shorten the Screen Timeout on a Mac

Use a Hot Mouse Corner

To set up a corner on the screen to turn off the display:

1. Select System Settings… (or System Preferences… from the Apple () menu.
2. Go to the Desktop & Dock category.
   macOS 12 Monterey and earlier: Open the Desktop & Screen Saver category and go to the Screen Saver tab.
3. Click Hot Corners….
4. Now pick a corner to turn off the screen and select Put Display to Sleep for that corner.
   Of mice and keys: You can require one or more keys to be pressed while the mouse cursor is in the corner for the display to be turned off; hold down the desired key or keys (Command, Control, Option, Shift and any combination) while selecting the Put Display to Sleep from the corner action’s menu.
   Cornered all around: You can make more than one corner turn off the Mac screen, too.
5. Click OK.
   

Now, to turn off the screen with a flick of the mouse cursor:

• Move the mouse cursor to any corner configured to turn off your Mac’s screen.
  Let it go: If your hot corner requires holding down a key, you can let go of the key before you release the mouse.

Use Terminal to Turn off the Display on a Mac

To immediately turn off the screen on any Mac running macOS from Terminal (or any tool that can run command line scripts and applications):

1. Open Terminal.
2. Type copy.
3. Press Enter.

How to Set Up a Custom Keyboard Shortcut for Turning Off a Mac Display

To create your own keyboard shortcut for putting the display (but not the Mac itself) to sleep—if your keyboard lacks an Eject key, for instance:

1. Open Automator.
2. Click New Document.
3. Select Quick Action.
4. Click Choose.
5. Select no input under Workflow receives at the top.
6. Click Library if you do not see the command library.
7. Drag and drop the Run Sheet Script action to the workflow.
   Find it fast: Search the library for shell to quickly find the action.
8. Type pmset displaysleepnow for the shell script.
   
9. Select File | Save from the menu.
10. Enter the desired name (say, “turn off screen”) for the new quick action’s name.
11. Click Save.
12. Now select  | System Settings… (or System Preferences…) from the menu.
13. Go to the Keyboard category.
14. Click Keyboard Shortcuts… (or open the Shortcuts tab).
15. Select Services.
16. Highlight the quick action just created (“turn off screen”) under General.
17. Click Add Shortcut.
18. Type the desired key combination for turning off the display.
    

Turn off the keyboard lighting, too? How to Turn the Keyboard Light Off on a Mac (or On)

How to Turn Off the Display on a Mac When Using an External Monitor

To turn off only the screen on your Mac laptop (MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, etc.) while working on an external display:

1. Connect the Mac laptop to a power source.
   Not just one source: This can be a power cord, of course, but also a display that powers the computer through USB-C.
2. Use an external mouse or trackpad and keyboard to operate the laptop.
   Over the air: The devices can connect via USB or Bluetooth.
3. Now connect the Mac laptop to an external monitor.
   Adapt: Depending on the ports on the display and laptop, you may have to use an adapter.
   During slumber: Connect the external monitor while the laptop is asleep if it fails to turn on.
4. Close the laptop’s lid for macOS clamshell mode.
5. Press a key (or click with the mouse) to wake the external display.

How to Turn Off the Screen on a MacBook Connected to an External Display

To turn down a Mac laptop’s screen without closing its lid (so you can still use its keyboard and trackpad, for instance) while you use it with an external display:

1. Connect the laptop to an external monitor.
2. Open System Settings.
3. Go to the Displays category.
4. Set up the external display to mirror the built-in display.
5. Select the built-in display.
6. Turn down the Brightness to its very minimum.
   Note: This will almost (but not entirely) turn off the screen if Automatically adjust brightness is disabled.
   Increase brightness: Use the laptop’s function keys to turn up the brightness if the external display disconnects and you sit in front of a black screen.
   

How to Turn Off (Black Out) the Display on a Mac: FAQ

How can I make sure my Mac does not go to sleep with the display off?

Of the countless ways to keep a Mac awake, one is particularly easy and typically at hand:

1. Open Music on Mac (or iTunes).
2. Pick a random song.
   What to choose: I’m partial to Telemann, Paul Desmond, and Silvius Weiss; and a few precious birds’ songs, of course.
3. Play it on repeat.
   Be safe: Do not play a radio station; iTunes may automatically stop playback after some 2 hours or when it runs out of things to play deemed interesting enough.
   Keyboard loop: You can set up a keyboard shortcut for looping one song.

Looking for a nonmusical solution? Find out how to prevent a Mac from sleeping.

With my MacBook’s lid closed, what’s an easy way to unlock the Mac?

If you use your Mac laptop with external monitors and cannot easily reach Touch ID because the lid is closed, you can easily unlock the Mac

• using an Apple Watch or
• an iPhone (using a third-party utility such as Near Lock).

(How to black out the display on a Mac tested with macOS Sonoma 14.3, Ventura 13.1, Monterey 12.3, Big Sur 11.0, and Catalina 10.15; updated March 2024)