Screen savers were originally invented to prevent static images from permanently “burning” into older CRT monitors. While modern LCD and OLED displays found on MacBooks are significantly less susceptible to burn-in, macOS still includes a feature that automatically activates a gorgeous, sweeping landscape video or a classic geometric pattern if you leave your computer idle for a few minutes.
While aesthetically pleasing, an automatic screen saver can be incredibly disruptive. If you are reading a long article, closely monitoring a progress bar for a video render, or simply having a long conversation at your desk while referencing notes on the screen, your Mac will suddenly go dark and trigger the screen saver, forcing you to wiggle the mouse or type your password to get back to work.
You can completely disable the screen saver timer, ensuring your Mac’s display remains static and fully visible until you explicitly tell it to sleep.
How to Turn Off the macOS Screen Saver
You must disable the idle timer within the Lock Screen settings.
- Open the System Settings (or System Preferences) via the Apple Logo in the top-left menu bar.
- Scroll down the left sidebar and click on Lock Screen.
- In the right-hand pane, look for the very first dropdown menu labeled Start Screen Saver when inactive.
- Click the dropdown menu to reveal the timer options (e.g., 5 minutes, 20 minutes, 1 hour).
- Scroll all the way to the bottom of the list and select Never.
macOS will immediately disable the automated trigger. Your screen will now remain exactly as you left it, completely ignoring how long you have been idle, allowing you to passively monitor your computer without interruption.