How to disable screen blanking ?

[pi_lover]

Hi,
The screen goes dark after a period of inactivity ... How to stop this ?

[RaTTuS]

edit /boot/cmdline.txt *
and add
consoleblank=0
right after the rootwait
then reboot



*
if using NOOBS
then
Use the NOOBS recovery system [spam the [SHIFT] key during boot to activate it] and edit that /boot/cmdline.txt

[pi_lover]

Yes I am using Noobs.

What exactly should I add to that /boot/config.txt?

[B.Goode]

What exactly should I add to that /boot/config.txt?

Exactly nothing.

I think there was a minor typing error - maybe due to autocorrect - in the second part of the advice above.

It is cmdline.txt that you need to modify with the Configuration Editor on the NOOBS Recovery Console.

[pi_lover]

If I create a script with "xset s off" and run it will it work ?

[weeper]

You can install an application:

sudo apt-get install xscreensaver

After installation. Go to Menu => Preferences => Screensaver, then just disable it there

[klricks]

I believe the edit to cmdline mentioned above is only useful if the system is set to boot to command line only.

For boot to desktop then adding the 3 lines below to autostart works for me.

Edit with nano editor:

Code: Select all

nano /home/pi/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

Add these 3 lines at the end:

Code: Select all

@xset s noblank
@xset s off
@xset s -dpms

Save and exit CTRL x Y

xscreensaver also works but you have to install 40MB of fluf.

[pi_lover]

@klricks

Your solution worked. Thanks a lot.

[hippy]

Edit with nano editor:

Code: Select all

nano /home/pi/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

Add these 3 lines at the end:

Code: Select all

@xset s noblank
@xset s off
@xset s -dpms

Save and exit CTRL x Y

I could have sworn this also worked for me when I tried it earlier this year, but on a virgin Raspbian Desktop install ( image not NOOBS, no recommended software, updated to today, boot to GUI ), creating that file ( it didn't already exist ) with those contents just leaves me with a black screen after a reboot, albeit that the mouse cursor is there. Delete the file and reboot and everything is fine again.

Any ideas or suggestion on how to debug, find out what's wrong, or make it work ?

[klricks]

....
I could have sworn this also worked for me when I tried it earlier this year, but on a virgin Raspbian Desktop install ( image not NOOBS, no recommended software, updated to today, boot to GUI ), creating that file ( it didn't already exist ) with those contents just leaves me with a black screen after a reboot, albeit that the mouse cursor is there. Delete the file and reboot and everything is fine again.

Any ideas or suggestion on how to debug, find out what's wrong, or make it work ?

Due to changes to mentioned in the blog, Raspbian now uses the global autostart in this location:

Code: Select all

/etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

If you prefer to use the one at /home/pi/.config/.......... then it must contain these lines:

Code: Select all

@lxpanel --profile LXDE-pi
@pcmanfm --desktop --profile LXDE-pi
@point-rpi

If autostart exists at /home/pi/.config/.... then the one at /etc/xdg/....... is ignored.

To stop screen blanking you only need these 2 commands:

Code: Select all

@xset s off
@xset -dpms

[hippy]

Due to changes to mentioned in the blog, Raspbian now uses the global autostart in this location ...

Ah yes. Many thanks for that. I had completely forgotten about that change

If disabling screen blanking had been a raspi-config or clickable desktop preferences or appearance option I wouldn't have had to care about what needed altering or where settings were stored.

It would be nice if options like this could be made more easily accessible than having to manually edit configuration files but I'm not going to suggest percussive re-education of any developers.

[WhyNine]

I have an LCD screen on the Pi which is set as the main display on boot and displays the desktop. I want to use it as a displaybaord/kiosk so I have set up a service which runs a script file containing:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash
xset -display :0 s off
xset -display :0 s noblank
xset -display :0 -dpms
unclutter -display :0 &
# Normal website that does not need any exceptions
/usr/bin/chromium-browser --enable-gpu-compositing --remote-debugging-port=9222 --incognito --start-maximized --kiosk file:/home/pi/Pi-Plex/index.html

My web page displays correctly as full screen but the screen still blanks after 5-10 minutes. If I SSH to the Pi and type "xset -display:0 -dpms", the screen unblanks again.

What am I doing wrong?

I have also tried putting the xset commands in the /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart file but no joy.

It is very frustrating

[klricks]

Did you install xscreensaver? xset commands won't work if xscreensaver is installed.

[WhyNine]

Did you install xscreensaver? xset commands won't work if xscreensaver is installed.

No, xscreensaver is not installed.

[WhyNine]

Did you install xscreensaver? xset commands won't work if xscreensaver is installed.

No, xscreensaver is not installed.

If I type "xset -display :0 -dpms" in a terminal, the screen never goes blank.

[Roken]

Or, the traditional xorg way. Edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf and in the Monitor section, add

Code: Select all

Option	"DPMS" "off"

[klricks]

......

I have also tried putting the xset commands in the /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart file but no joy.

Do you have another autostart file anywhere in /home/pi/.config/........
If so the one in /etc/xdg/........ will be ignored.

Note this will show the current settings of the xset commands:

Code: Select all

xset q

[WhyNine]

Or, the traditional xorg way. Edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf and in the Monitor section, add

Code: Select all

Option	"DPMS" "off"

That seems to have done the trick. Many thanks for that tip.

[matteoraggi]

Raspbian stretch changed a lot from november 2018 are you sure that these informations are updated? Which instructions should I use to disable the blank screen with raspbian stretch of may 2019?

[WhyNine]

Raspbian stretch changed a lot from november 2018 are you sure that these informations are updated? Which instructions should I use to disable the blank screen with raspbian stretch of may 2019?

The "xorg.conf" file is actually in the /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d folder. I have a number of files in there and one of them already had a Device section so I added a Screen and Monitor section as well, with the suggested Option. However in the end that didn't fix it (it did after one reboot but not thereafter for some reason).

So my fix was to add a file in /etc/profile.d called screen.sh (the name doesn't matter) with:

Code: Select all

xset -display :0 s off
xset -display :0 s noblank
xset -display :0 -dpms
unclutter -display :0 &

It's a bit of a hack but works for me.

[david_1234]

I'm having the same problem
I have try this 2 options:

Code: Select all

/home/pi/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

@lxpanel --profile LXDE-pi
@pcmanfm --desktop --profile LXDE-pi
#@xscreensaver -no-splash
@xset s noblank
point-rpi
@chromium-browser --start-fullscreen --start-maximized /home/pi/angular-node/src/startPage.html

@lxterminal -e /usr/bin/python3 /home/pi/mu_code/MyProgram/Startup.py

Code: Select all

@lxpanel --profile LXDE-pi
@pcmanfm --desktop --profile LXDE-pi
#@xscreensaver -no-splash
@xset s noblank
@xset s off
@set s 0
@xset-dpms
point-rpi

@chromium-browser --start-fullscreen --start-maximized /home/pi/angular-node/src/startPage.html
@lxterminal -e /usr/bin/python3 /home/pi/mu_code/MyProgram/Startup.py

but after a few min the screen turn to black

why ?
what is wrong?

the screen didn't turn off for 2 months , but yesterday I did update&&upgrade
and then is start to make problems

is there any connection between?

I really need your help - this is a working disaply station

I'm ruuning

Code: Select all

 cat /etc/debian_version
9.9
pi@raspberrypi:~ $ cat /etc/os-release
PRETTY_NAME="Raspbian GNU/Linux 9 (stretch)"
NAME="Raspbian GNU/Linux"
VERSION_ID="9"
VERSION="9 (stretch)"
ID=raspbian
ID_LIKE=debian
HOME_URL="http://www.raspbian.org/"
SUPPORT_URL="http://www.raspbian.org/RaspbianForums"
BUG_REPORT_URL="http://www.raspbian.org/RaspbianBugs"

[warpdesign]

I am having the same problem: after some time the screen turns black instead of going in stand by mode. It means it's always on unless I power it off myself.

I looked at the solutions but none worked. I could not add the lines in /home/pi/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart because this file doesn't exist on my installation. Maybe that's because I installed xfce?

[klricks]

I am having the same problem: after some time the screen turns black instead of going in stand by mode. It means it's always on unless I power it off myself.

I looked at the solutions but none worked. I could not add the lines in /home/pi/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart because this file doesn't exist on my installation. Maybe that's because I installed xfce?

Rapsbian now uses a different autostart location:

Code: Select all

/etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

By default there is no standby mode. Only screen blanking which just turns the pixels black.
If you have a RPi3 or older then adding the following to /boot/config.txt will turn off HDMI when the screen blanks:

Code: Select all

hdmi_blanking=1

This will make the display use its own standby mode, but once the monitor turns itself off, you may need to turn the monitor back on using the physical power button or remote.
The above does not work on a RPi4.

[notna999]

Hey Hippy, same thing happened to me, how did you delete that file when screen is black?

Edit with nano editor:

Code: Select all

nano /home/pi/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

Add these 3 lines at the end:

Code: Select all

@xset s noblank
@xset s off
@xset s -dpms

Save and exit CTRL x Y

I could have sworn this also worked for me when I tried it earlier this year, but on a virgin Raspbian Desktop install ( image not NOOBS, no recommended software, updated to today, boot to GUI ), creating that file ( it didn't already exist ) with those contents just leaves me with a black screen after a reboot, albeit that the mouse cursor is there. Delete the file and reboot and everything is fine again.

Any ideas or suggestion on how to debug, find out what's wrong, or make it work ?

[klricks]

Hey Hippy, same thing happened to me, how did you delete that file when screen is black?
....

If you mean you are geetting the gray openbox screen on boot, then right click on the screen and choose terminal.

Note that screen blanking can now be disabled using the GUI config tool or sudo raspi-config.... No need to edit any files.