Stop the Screen from Sleeping During Video Playback

TL;DR

Check the active power plan's display and sleep timeouts, then verify the player requests a **DisplayRequired** power request. A browser needs its own playback setting or a system-wide override.

Before you start

Requirements

Windows 11
The player or browser in question
15 minutes

Step by step

Instructions

Read the current timeouts

The active scheme decides when the display turns off. A five-minute AC timeout explains a screen that goes dark in the middle of a film.

powercfg /getactivescheme
powercfg /query SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_VIDEO VIDEOIDLE
powercfg /query SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_SLEEP STANDBYIDLE
Get-CimInstance Win32_VideoController | Select-Object Name,CurrentRefreshRate

Check what the player is requesting

**powercfg /requests** lists the processes that currently block display or system sleep. A player that does not appear there is the reason the screen darkens.

powercfg /requests
powercfg /requestsoverride
Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.Name -match 'vlc|mpc|potplayer|chrome|msedge' } | Select-Object Name,Id

Test with a deliberate override

**/requestsoverride** forces the display to stay on for one process while it runs. It is a diagnostic and a workaround at the same time.

powercfg /requestsoverride PROCESS vlc.exe DISPLAY SYSTEM
powercfg /requests
powercfg /requestsoverride
:: close the player and the override disappears

Fix the browser case

A browser tab playing video should request display sleep prevention, but only when the tab is visible and unmuted. Muted background tabs do not, by design.

Start-Process ms-settings:display
Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\User\PowerSchemes' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object ActivePowerScheme
Start-Process ms-settings:powersleep

Use the built-in presentation override

**presentationsettings.exe** keeps the display on for a chosen duration. For a long video without a cooperative player, that is the simplest reliable answer.

Start-Process presentationsettings.exe
# Presentation mode > Presentation mode: On
# or set: powercfg /setacvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_VIDEO VIDEOIDLE 0
powercfg /setactive SCHEME_CURRENT
powercfg /query SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_VIDEO VIDEOIDLE

Restore the normal behaviour afterwards

A permanent zero timeout drains a laptop and can leave the screen on at night. Setting it back after the session is the discipline that makes the trick safe.

powercfg /requestsoverride PROCESS vlc.exe
powercfg /setacvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_VIDEO VIDEOIDLE 600
powercfg /setdcvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_VIDEO VIDEOIDLE 300
powercfg /setactive SCHEME_CURRENT
powercfg /query SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_VIDEO VIDEOIDLE

Troubleshooting

Common issues

powercfg /requests shows nothing during playback

The player does not request sleep prevention. Use the override or set the timeout to zero for the session.

The screen still turns off with the override

The override applies per process name and the player may use a helper. Check the actual process that owns the window.

It happens only on battery

The DC timeout is shorter. Set it for the DC values, not only for AC.

The screen dims before it turns off

Dimmed display timeout is a separate value under SUB_VIDEO. Setting only VIDEOIDLE leaves the dimming active.

FAQ

Frequently asked

Does this increase power use?

The display is the largest consumer. Keeping it on for a two-hour film costs battery, which is why the revert step matters.

Is there a permanent setting per app?

No supported one. The override and presentation mode are the two sanctioned approaches.

Why does a game not have this problem?

Fullscreen exclusive games hold a power request automatically. A windowed player must ask for one itself.

How to undo this

Clear the override with powercfg /requestsoverride PROCESS <name>, and restore VIDEOIDLE to its previous value with powercfg /setacvalueindex.

Changelog · 1 entry

2026-11-01
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