A screen saver is a moving picture or pattern that appears on your computer screen when you haven't used the mouse or keyboard for a specified period of time. Screen savers were originally used to save older, monochromatic monitors from damage, but now they're mainly a way to personalize your computer or enhance its security by offering password protection. To learn more, see Use your Windows password for your screen saver password and Change your screen saver.

Watch this video to learn how to turn your screen saver on or off (1:00)

To turn a screen saver on or off

Open Screen Saver Settings by clicking the Start button and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type screen saver, and then click Turn screen saver on or off.
Do one of the following:
- To turn off a screen saver, in the Screen saver list, click (None), and then click OK.
- To turn on a screen saver, in the Screen saver list, click an option, and then click OK.

Note

You can set Windows to lock your computer after a period of inactivity even if you choose to turn off your screen saver. To do this, select the On resume, display logon screen check box, and then click OK. You can also determine how many minutes you want Windows to wait before displaying the logon screen.

Was this helpful?

Thank you.

Do you want to add anything else?

Thank you. Your feedback helps us to continually improve our content.