Understand the timer
Prevent screen timeout: change it or beat it
A screen timeout is the idle countdown that darkens your display. You can make it longer, turn it off — or, when the setting is out of reach, hold the screen open from a browser tab.
What a screen timeout actually is
The timeout counts seconds since the last tap, click or keypress. Hit zero, and the display turns off. Two neighbors are often confused with it: system sleep (the whole device suspends, usually on a separate, longer timer) and the lock screen (which may appear immediately when the screen turns off, or on its own schedule). This page is about the display timeout specifically.
Where to change the timeout
| Device | Setting path | Longest option |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 | Settings → System → Power & battery → Screen and sleep | Never |
| macOS | System Settings → Lock Screen → Turn display off on… | Never (on adapter) |
| iPhone / iPad | Settings → Display & Brightness → Auto-Lock | Never |
| Android | Settings → Display → Screen timeout | Often 30 min max |
Each platform has quirks worth knowing — Android rarely offers “Never”, iOS Low Power Mode forces 30 seconds, macOS splits battery and adapter behavior. The step-by-step versions: Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android.
Android's hidden 'never' option
Developer options on most Android phones include Stay awake — the screen never times out while charging. See the Android guide to turn it on.
When you can't change the setting
On many work and school devices the timeout is set by IT and the field is greyed out. Other times you're on a borrowed machine, or you only need a longer timeout for the next hour. That's what this tool is for — it asks the browser to hold the screen open, with nothing installed and no settings touched:
0:00
Ready when you are
Keep this tab visible — browsers pause wake locks on hidden or minimized tabs.
Why the workaround still respects some limits
- The browser only holds the screen while this tab stays visible — so you stay in control, and no tab can silently keep your screen on forever.
- Battery saver and critical battery can still force the display off.
- If your organization enforces an automatic lock (not just a screen-off), that's a security control — follow policy rather than defeating it.