Turn Off Monitor for Windows – PTOM

Polenta Turn Off Monitor — free command-line utility

Description

PTOM is a free Windows utility to turn off the monitor from the command line. Use it to turn off the display, switch off the screen, blank the screen, or put the monitor in standby without shutting down the PC. Run PTOM.exe in cmd, PowerShell, or a batch file, or double-click it: after a one-second delay the display powers off. Move the mouse or press a key to wake it.

It is a small, portable alternative to sending SC_MONITORPOWER yourself, or to tools such as nircmd monitor off. The computer keeps running—only the screen goes dark—so you can save energy on a laptop or desktop, hide the screen for privacy, or turn the monitor off while a script continues. Windows 10 and Windows 11 are supported.

Platform: Windows 10/11 (x64)
License: Freeware
Version: 1.0

Turn off the monitor, display, or screen

People search for many ways to say the same thing: turn off monitor, turn off display, switch off monitor, switch off screen, turn off screen Windows, monitor off command, display off from cmd, power off monitor, sleep monitor, monitor standby, or black screen while the PC stays on. PTOM covers that job in one executable. It is not a screensaver and it does not lock the workstation: it asks Windows to power off the display, the same family of power-management command used by the OS itself.

Features

• Turn the monitor off
  Sends a Windows system command so the monitor, display, or screen goes dark. Useful when you step away, start a presentation, or want a black screen without putting the computer to sleep.
• One-second delay
  The display turns off one second after you launch PTOM, so the Enter key or double-click does not immediately wake it. Use -d 5s (or 1m, 500ms) for a longer wait before the screen blanks.
• Automatic wake
  Moving the mouse or pressing a key turns the monitor back on. Use --on if you need to turn the display on from a script.
• Power saving and privacy
  Save energy by turning the screen off during a break. Instantly hide what is on the display without waiting for Windows power-timeout or a screensaver.
• Scripts and automation (-q / -s)
  Call PTOM from a batch file, scheduled task, or PowerShell script. -q, --quiet keeps the copyright banner and hides status text. -s, --silent prints nothing. Combine with PDelay if you already delay elsewhere.
• Portable command-line tool
  Single PTOM.exe, no extra runtime. Double-click from Explorer works; you do not have to open cmd.exe first.
• Quick links (-oh / -ws / -don)
  Open this product page, the Polenta Connection website, or the donate page.

Usage

Examples

How it works

PTOM uses the Windows API (WM_SYSCOMMAND / SC_MONITORPOWER) to turn the monitor off—the same path Windows uses for display power saving (DPMS-style off). The PC, audio, and programs keep running. This is the usual approach behind “cmd turn off monitor”, “batch file turn off monitor”, and “PowerShell turn off display” snippets, wrapped in a small freeware executable.

PTOM replaces the earlier PSOM (Polenta Switch Off Monitor) utility with the same purpose and a clearer English name: Polenta Turn Off Monitor.