How Does It Work?

how-to- Although many programs can turn the monitor off by interacting with the hardware, Microsoft made it rather difficult to do all this from the command line. To counteract this issue, you’ll need to download and install an application called “NirCmd”, which simply acts as a shell on top of the current command line that Microsoft provides in Windows 7. The shortcut we talk about here will send a command to the executable, opening it with instructions to turn the monitor off one second after you double-click the shortcut. I’ll tell you what to write, so you don’t have to figure out the commands by yourself. The true power of Windows has yet to be harnessed, and nobody can stop you from doing it! Let’s walk you through the process, shall we?

First Things First

NirCmd isn’t a normal application. You’d best just make shortcuts that call the application and tell it what to do, since it’s not exactly a run-of-the-mill executable. Don’t worry about malware. I download and install every application I talk about here. You can rest assured that it’s not a shady piece of software. Download the application here. You’ll get a ZIP file. Open it and open “nircmd.exe” inside it. You’ll get this window:

Click “Copy to Windows Directory”. Confirm everything that comes up and just close the ZIP file. We’re done here! Now, onto the good stuff.

The Shortcut

Go to your desktop. Here’s where you’ll make the shortcut. You can move it anywhere you want after you’re done. If you don’t know how to make one, right-click an empty space on your desktop, hover your mouse over “New”, and click “Shortcut.” You’ll get this window:

On the textbox, type this: Change the “1000” to “0” if you would like to eliminate the one-second delay. That was added just for elegance. Click “Next” and name your shortcut whatever you want. Click “Finish” when you’re done. Now, double-click the shortcut you just made. I assure you that your monitor will turn off if you did everything correctly.

Want a New Icon?

Surely, the default EXE icon isn’t as elegant as a custom icon. So, right-click the shortcut, click “Properties” and click the “Change icon” button near the bottom of the “Properties” window. Knock yourself out! If you have any further questions, leave them below in the comments section. We’re here to help!