I want to turn off iMac display and let nothing wake it until I hit a key

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Level 1

2 points

I want to turn off iMac display and let nothing wake it until I hit a key

The new 27" iMac's in my bedroom, and if someone signs into an IM client, or a file copy finishes, or an iTunes track changes while I've put the display to sleep (using a hot corner or the keyboard shortcut), it brightens right up again.

All I want to do is have a permanent way to turn the screen off, and have NOTHING wake it up until I tell it to do so by clicking or pushing a key or something. This isn't an unnatural request, is it?

Can I do this with an iMac?

iMac 27, Mac OS X (10.6.6)

Posted on Jan 17, 2011 12:59 PM

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Answer 1

D0GG

Level 3

957 points

Jan 17, 2011 6:15 PM in response to theerrata

Go to the apple menu and select "sleep"

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Answer 2

theerrata Author

Level 1

2 points

Jan 18, 2011 1:15 AM in response to D0GG

I want to sleep the display, not the whole machine. If I have files copying, downloading, or iTunes music playing, I want the screen to remain off under absolutely all circumstances -- I don't want the machine to be allowed to turn it back on.

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Answer 3

Jan 18, 2011 6:37 AM in response to theerrata

here’s a keyboard shortcut that will help. To quickly turn off your display and blank your Mac screen hit the following keyboard combination: Ctrl + Shift + eject . The moment you hit this key combination your screen will go blank. To switch your display back on just move the mouse on hit some keys on your keyboard.

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Answer 4

theerrata Author

Level 1

2 points

Jan 18, 2011 6:57 AM in response to kreftovich

I did say in the post that I'd tried the shortcut, and hot corners. Neither of which keep the screen turned off when some other event happens onscreen. Any kind of popup is causing it, iChat, a new email, a Growl notification, a file transfer finishing (either in Finder, or in something like uTorrent).. it's crazy that there isn't a physical way to disable the screen entirely until I physically wake it.

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Answer 5

theerrata Author

Level 1

2 points

Jan 20, 2011 2:12 AM in response to theerrata

Sending this back to the top, really need an answer on this one!

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Answer 6

den.thed

Level 10

92,302 points

Jan 20, 2011 5:11 PM in response to theerrata

Nope, any activity (moving the mouse, connecting a USB device, etc.) wakes the display because the OS X thinks that you want to use the display.

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Answer 7

Jan 20, 2011 9:40 PM in response to theerrata

Holy crud! This is EXACTLY what I want to do as well. I have a Quickeys script that runs all the time and it "moves" the mouse for me and types too. I would love the screen to go out until I hit a certain key combo. For that matter, I can just power up the screen using another computer with back to my mac. Any thoughts? Anyone??

BTW, I've used "Shades," which almost does it, but still leaves the lamp on. I'd rather keep the screen off than just have a black image.

Message was edited by: Andy Milder

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Answer 8

theerrata Author

Level 1

2 points

Jan 21, 2011 1:08 AM in response to Andy Milder

It's an absolute joke that Apple don't give us the option to do this. They're against logical hardware buttons, we get that, but I want the screen off, and I don't trust the computer itself not to wake it up on whatever ridiculous excuse it finds.

Major annoyance.

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Answer 9

Wilding

Level 1

6 points

Jan 26, 2011 2:14 PM in response to theerrata

And I'd like to do the same thing as I often log into my iMac 27" from work via "gotomymac" and would like to not have whatever I am doing visible at the computer for anyone that happens to walk by...ugh!

Seems the only way to do this is have separate cpu and a monitor that can be switched off.

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Answer 10

Mar 12, 2011 11:31 PM in response to Wilding

I agree completely...in fact a Google search for this very ability led me here.
Apple, are you listening? Just let us turn off the iMac display for heaven's sake...think of the energy savings on this monster machine--you could almost cook an egg on it!

My next best solution is to turn down the display brightness as far as it will go. On my MacBook it will go all the way to off, but not the iMac...what gives?

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Answer 11

Mar 13, 2011 7:12 AM in response to Nevada_Princess

I would love to see this feature as well. I use VNC to control my iMac from my iPad. It is a waste off energy/money that the iMac monitor is running all the time. Please insert some sort of configuration or an API for developers to come up with a tool for that. Thanks!

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Answer 12

Mar 15, 2011 12:54 PM in response to theerrata

Hi,
I don't have such problems. Do you guys got that option on Expose?

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/5160/screenshot20110315at950.png

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Answer 13

DaleSpy

Level 1

35 points

Mar 15, 2011 1:08 PM in response to JulianStefanov

Ok, so I'm not at my iMac so I can't try this but maybe this will work.

In Energy Saver
1) Set Computer to "Never" sleep.
2) Set Display to "Sleep" in whatever minutes you want.
3) Uncheck "Wake for network access".

In theory, this should work.

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Answer 14

Mar 16, 2011 1:02 PM in response to DaleSpy

"Sleep" is not what we're looking for.
We simply want the display to go blank while the innards remain running (to act as a network server or print server, for example). I can turn off my MacBook screen by decreasing the brightness, but not the iMac, which is perplexing.

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Answer 15

Paul_31

Level 6

14,172 points

Mar 16, 2011 1:25 PM in response to Nevada_Princess

Does the suggestion two posts above from JulianStefanov not achieve what you want? Works for me.

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