Want to change your Mac screen timeout so that it can stay for a longer time? The MacBook comes with a very small default timeout duration of 2 minutes, and it doesn’t work if you are working on some important stuff like downloading games or files, and many more.
But thankfully, you can now change the screen timeout on your Mac to solve this problem.
I know, you must be thinking about how to do that, that is why I am here to explain you. It will be going to an easy process that you can quickly perform. So, if you are the one who wants to extend the screen timeout of the Mac, then I got you.
In this guide, I will explain to you how to change or extend the screen timeout on Mac.
Why does my Mac Screen Timeout?
The MacBooks are designed the way that their screen timeouts after a short period of time when you don’t use your Mac. They try to protect the battery so it will possibly last longer. And when you wake your Mac up from a lock screen timeout, then they ask you to enter the password again for security.
Apart from this reason, there are other reasons too which might the issue your Mac screen might be timeout that mentioned below:
1. Enabling of a Hot Corner:
The other reason why your lock screen keeps automatically enabled can be because of a Hot Corner. The hot Corner feature allows you to quickly start actions when you move the pointer to a corner.
For example, you might have started the screen-saver by moving the pointer to the corner of the screen. You might have enabled the Hot Corner that activates the screensaver. To check if that’s the case or not, then follow the steps given below:
- Go to the Apple menu and click System Preferences.
- Click Desktop and Screensaver.
- Choose Hot Corners from the Screen Saver menu.
- Click on the list that appears at the corner of the screen and check if the Put Display to Sleep option is turned on.
- If it is, then it is probably the reason why your MacBook goes to screen timeout automatically.
- Just select the “-” if any of your Hot Corner has the option Put Display to Sleep enabled.
2. Incorrect Configuration of the Energy Saver Feature:
Incorrect configuration of the energy saver feature is yet another possible reason that your Mac automatically timeouts. To check it, follow the steps below:
- Click System Preferences from the Apple menu.
- Choose Energy Saver.
- Check out the available controls and see if they are properly configured or not.
How to Change Screen Timeout on Mac:
Now that you understand the possible reasons why the screen timeout on your Mac. I will show you how you can change it, extend it, or even you can turn it off if you want to. Follow the given below steps so you can solve the problem as soon as possible.
1. Go to the Apple menu and click System Preferences.
2. Select the Desktop & Screen Saver option and then click the Screen Saver tab.
3. Click the drop-down box and select one of the pre-defined time intervals.
4. Make sure to tick the checkbox next to ‘Show screen saver after’ is checked to enable the screen saver.
How to Change Screen Timeout on macOS Monterey:
Follow the given below steps to change the screen timeout on macOS Monterey:
1. Make sure your Mac is on macOS Big Sur or Monterey.
2. On your Mac, click the Apple logo at the top-left corner and open System Preferences.
3. In System Preferences, go to Battery.
4. Click on Battery in the left sidebar.
5. To adjust screen timeout, drag the Turn display off after slider to your preferred duration.
6. From now on, your Mac screen will be going to turn off after the time you set.
How to Turn off the Screen Timeout Feature on Mac?
Don’t want to use the screen timeout feature at all? Then you can also turn off the timeout feature easily on the Mac. The screen timeout will be going to stay off until you turn it on again. Here is how you can turn off the screen timeout feature on Mac:
- Open the Apple menu and then select System Preferences.
- Next, go to Energy Saver.
- Click on the lock appearing on the bottom left corner of the screen to continue.
- Enter your username and password.
- Drag the slider labeled Turn display off after to never.
- Tick the check box next to Prevent the computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off.
- Untick the checkbox appearing next to Put hard disks to sleep when possible.
How to Recover the Default Screen Timeout Settings on Mac:
What if I don’t like the changes I made in the screen timeout settings, can I change it back to default? Yes, if you are not liking the changes you have made, you can restore your Mac to the default screen timeout settings. To do that follow the given below steps:
- Go to System Preferences from the Apple menu.
- Click on the Energy Saver icon.
- There will be a lock icon on the bottom left of the screen. Click on it.
- Enter your username and password to continue.
- Click the Restore Defaults option on the window and that’s it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.1 Why does my Mac turn off so quickly?
The MacBook no matter which model you use comes with power settings, in which the screen will timeout after a few minutes. If you don’t touch or use the Mac, then after a few minutes the screen will be going to be on sleep. But, if you don’t like this feature and want to change it, then you can do that by following the steps I provided in this article.
Q.2 Why does the Mac go to sleep?
The macOS is set for maximum power efficiency by default. The macOS tries to protect energy as much as possible so the battery life will last longer than normal. And long battery life means less electricity bill, right? So, that’s why the Mac goes to sleep after some time when you don’t use or touch it.
The bottom line:
Have you learned how to change or extend the screen timeout on your Mac? The screen timeout on the Mac comes by default, but there are many other reasons too that may result in your Mac screen timeout.
To make you less stressed, I have already explained why you are facing a screen timeout and how to solve it. The process of changing or turning off the screen timeout is straightforward.
So, don’t get too stressed out and try to fix it like the following steps I have provided. I hope, you understand how to solve the issue of screen timeout. And if you did then do share this article with ones who are also facing problems.