Running an overnight download or a long video render while the Mac’s display blazes at full brightness is wasteful — and putting the Mac fully to sleep would stop the task. The middle ground exists: you can switch the display off while macOS keeps running. The Mac stays awake, apps keep working, drives stay mounted — only the screen goes dark. Here is how.
Step 1: Use the keyboard shortcut for your Mac type
On a desktop Mac with an Eject key, press Control + Shift + Eject. The display turns off immediately while the Mac itself keeps running: apps stay in memory, file copies continue, and external drives stay mounted.
On a MacBook, press Control + Shift + Power (the power button) instead. Same result — dark screen, awake machine. Apple’s support documentation lists these and other macOS keyboard shortcuts.
Step 2: Wake the display with any key
When you are ready to see the screen again, press any key or click the mouse. The display wakes instantly, right where you left it.
Step 3: Set a Hot Corner for one-flick access
If you do this often, a Hot Corner is even faster than the shortcut. Open System Settings → Desktop & Dock → Hot Corners and assign one corner of the screen to Put Display to Sleep. Flick the pointer into that corner whenever you want the screen dark.
Step 4: Keep overnight tasks running
This is the trick’s real point: unlike full sleep, a dark display does not pause anything. Big downloads, video renders, and backups keep running all night with the screen off. Check the Energy Saver / Battery settings in System Settings too, so the Mac does not fall asleep on its own while your task runs. For related cross-device tips, see how to set up an automatic hotspot connection from your iPhone on Mac and how to sync messages between iPhone and Mac.
Step 5: Know why this beats the monitor’s power button
On a multi-display setup, switching the monitor off at its power button can make macOS rearrange your windows and workspaces as if the display disappeared. Putting the display to sleep from the Mac side avoids that — everything stays where it was. MacRumors has covered this behavior across recent macOS releases.
If it still doesn’t work
If the keyboard shortcut does nothing, make sure you are using the right combination for your Mac type — the Eject key only exists on older desktop keyboards, while current MacBooks use the power button. If a Hot Corner misfires, reopen System Settings → Desktop & Dock → Hot Corners and re-assign it. And if the Mac itself falls asleep during long tasks anyway, lengthen the sleep timer in Energy Saver / Battery settings.
Frequently asked questions
Does this put my Mac to sleep?
No — that is the whole point. Only the display turns off. The Mac keeps running normally, exactly as if you were still watching the screen.
Will my downloads keep going with the screen off?
Yes. Downloads, renders, file copies, and backups continue uninterrupted, because the system never sleeps.
Conclusion
A dark screen and a working Mac are not mutually exclusive. One keyboard shortcut — Control + Shift + Eject on a desktop, Control + Shift + Power on a MacBook — gives you both, and a Hot Corner turns it into a single mouse flick.
