The Frustration of an Auto-Dimming Display
Ubuntu Linux features several built-in power-saving mechanisms to extend laptop battery life. One of the most noticeable is the automatic screen dimming feature. If you do not touch your keyboard or mouse for a short period, the operating system aggressively lowers the brightness of your monitor before eventually turning the screen off completely. If you are reading a long article, monitoring a terminal script, or referencing a static document on a second monitor, having the screen suddenly go dark is a constant annoyance.
How to Disable Automatic Screen Dimming
You can easily turn off this aggressive power-saving feature through the standard GNOME settings menu, ensuring your screen brightness remains constant.
1. Open the Activities overview by clicking the top-left corner of the screen or pressing the Super (Windows) key.
2. Type Settings into the search bar and press Enter.
3. In the left-hand sidebar of the Settings window, scroll down and select Power.
4. Look under the “Power Saving Options” section.
5. You will see a toggle switch labelled Dim Screen (or “Dim screen when inactive” on older versions).
6. Click this toggle switch to turn it Off.
Managing Blank Screen Timers
Disabling the “Dim Screen” toggle stops the monitor from fading to black during short periods of inactivity. However, it does not stop the screen from eventually turning off completely to save power. If you want the screen to remain on indefinitely, look directly below the Dim Screen toggle for the Screen Blank setting. Click the dropdown menu next to it and change the value from the default time (e.g., 5 minutes) to Never. Your monitor will now remain fully illuminated until you manually close your laptop lid or lock the screen.