How to Set up a Custom Keyboard Shortcut for Turning Off a Mac’s Screen
Free On Screen Keyboard Download
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:
Open Automator.
Click New Document.
Select Quick Action.
Click Choose.
Select no input under Workflow receives at the top.
Click Library if you do not see the command library.
Drag and drop the Run Sheet Script action to the workflow. Tip: Search the library for shell to quickly find the action.
Type pmset displaysleepnow for the shell script.
Select File Save from the menu.
Enter the desired name (say, “turn off screen”) for the new quick action’s name.
Click Save.
Now select System Preferences… from the menu.
Go to the Keyboard category.
Open the Shortcuts tab.
Select Services.
Highlight the quick action just created (“turn off screen”) under General.
Click Add Shortcut.
Type the desired key combination for turning off the display.
How to Turn Off the Screen on a Mac Notebook That Uses an External Display
To turn off only the screen on your Mac laptop (MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, etc.) while working on an external display:
Connect the Mac laptop to a power source. Tip: This can be a power cord, of course, but also a display that powers the computer through USB-C.
Use an external mouse or trackpad and keyboard to operate the laptop. Note: The devices can connect via USB or Bluetooth.
Now connect the Mac laptop to an external monitor. Note: Depending on the ports on the display and laptop, you may have to use an adapter. Tip: Connect the external monitor while the laptop is asleep if it fails to turn on.
Close the laptop’s lid for macOS clamshell mode.
Press a key (or click with the mouse) to wake the external display.
Mac On Screen Keyboard Shortcut
How to Turn Off the Screen on a Mac Laptop Connected to an External Display While Using the Built-In Keyboard and Trackpad
To turn down a Mac laptop’s screen without closing its lid while you use it with an external display:
Connect the laptop to an external monitor.
Open System Preferences. Tip: Select System Preferences… from the menu.
Go to the Displays category.
Now go to the Arrangement tab.
Turn on Mirror Displays. Tip: Switch to the Displays tab and pick the external display under Optimize for if the monitor resolution seems off.
Go to the Display tab.
Turn down the Brightness to its very minimum. Note: This will almost (but not quite) turn off the screen and Automatically adjust brightness is disabled. Tip: 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 the Screen 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:
Microsoft On Screen Keyboard Download
Open Music on Mac (or iTunes).
Pick a random song. Tip: I’m partial to Telemann, Paul Desmond, and Silvius Weiss; and a few precious birds’ songs, of course.
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. Tip: 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.
Mac Os On Screen Keyboard
(How to turn off the screen on a Mac tested with macOS Big Sur 11.0 and macOS Catalina 10.15; updated November 2020)