Xset dpms force off does not turn off the screen. What command should I use?

General Help
1

I searched the forums for a command to turn off my screen and the number one response was to use (found in the following link):
xset dpms force off
Found here: "Command Shortcut to turn off screen XFCE"

I can verify this command works on debian trixie but not zorin os. I only want a command to turn off the screen, I don't want to turn the computer off.
On Zorin, when I type the command, Terminal outputs:

server does not have extension for dpms option
xset: unknown option force

Thank you for your attention to the matter :slight_smile:

2

Switch from Wayland to Xorg then it works.
Logout and at login click on your username then a cog wheal appears at the bottom right corner. There you can switch between Xorg and Wayland session.

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3

Appreciate the quick response.
That is really more steps than it should require. I'm looking for a simple one line command to turn of the screen in Wayland.

I'm fine with the command being long, I plan to copy paste the command into Terminal when needed

4

You once make that setting and then it will be kept.

5

Hi and welcome.

You may still face issues. Zorin 18 is based on Ubuntu 24.04.

Brave A.I. gives possible solutions to both Wayland and X11 (xorg):

" On Ubuntu 24.04 , the command xset dpms force off often fails or is ignored because the system defaults to Wayland , where the compositor controls screen power management rather than the X11-specific xset utility.

If You Are Using X11

If you have switched to the Xorg session, xset dpms force off should work directly in the terminal. If the screen turns on immediately, add a delay to allow event processing:

sleep 1 && xset dpms force off

If You Are Using Wayland (Default)

On Wayland , you must use D-Bus commands to interact with the screen saver and idle monitor. The most reliable method is:

dbus-send --session --dest=org.gnome.ScreenSaver --type=method_call /org/gnome/ScreenSaver org.gnome.ScreenSaver.SetActive boolean:true

To turn the screen back on, set the value to boolean:false .

Alternative for Wayland (GNOME/Mutter)

Some users report success using the Mutter Display Config interface via busctl :

  1. Turn Off :
busctl --user set-property org.gnome.Mutter.DisplayConfig /org/gnome/Mutter/DisplayConfig org.gnome.Mutter.DisplayConfig PowerSaveMode i 1
  1. Turn On :
busctl --user set-property org.gnome.Mutter.DisplayConfig /org/gnome/Mutter/DisplayConfig org.gnome.Mutter.DisplayConfig PowerSaveMode i 0

Troubleshooting

  • Immediate Wake-up : If the screen wakes instantly, ensure no background processes are generating input events. You can also try installing libxcb-dpms0 to ensure X11 compatibility libraries are present, though this primarily aids X11 sessions.
  • Scripting : For automated idle-based screen off, use dbus-send to check idle time via org.gnome.Mutter.IdleMonitor and trigger the D-Bus screen saver command accordingly.

AI-generated answer. Please verify critical facts."

6

Welcome to the Forum!

Only to have asked: Does Your Monitor not have a Switch where You can turn it off?

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7

Do we know if it is a Desktop? It could be a Notebook! :wink:

8

In Wayland you can use

xdg-screensaver activate

I'm not sure if the light is off then, but the screen goes blank.
When you move the mouse it turns on again.

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9

That is the Reason why I asked.

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10

It's my understanding

Yes, but there are instances where a command would fit my workflow better. I've also used remote access such as ssh where I don't have physical access to the button

11

Hey I appreciate it, I just tried the command you listed and it works!

dbus-send --session --dest=org.gnome.ScreenSaver --type=method_call /org/gnome/ScreenSaver org.gnome.ScreenSaver.SetActive boolean:true

Although the screen still technically stays on as there an active hdmi signal of some sort. It doesn't quite turn it off like xset dpms force off

edit: nvm, i think I moved the mouse, the command does indeed seem to work as well as xset dpms force off. The following command also seems to work well:

xdg-screensaver activate
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12

This works as well and it's simpler than

`dbus-send --session --dest=org.gnome.ScreenSaver --type=method_call /org/gnome/ScreenSaver org.gnome.ScreenSaver.SetActive boolean:true`

Awesome, thanks for the response, I'll probably use this command going forward

xdg-screensaver activate
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