How to turn off the iMac display

Introduction

Turning off your iMac display, at will and instantly, is much easier than most people suppose. It is nothing more than a keyboard shortcut! A friend of mine emailed this solution to me today. This is somewhat amazing considering all the lengths people go to to accomplish this (setting screen sleep to 1 minute in power settings, using a completely black screensaver, or even developing software!)

By: Garrett Valdivia

Length: 2:01

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Instructions

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Difficulty: Easy

Tips & Warnings:

Use this technique to let your iMac burn DVDs or download large files overnight without lighting up your room!
Make sure to perform the keystrokes exactly as described. If you press different buttons on accident you could turn off your computer, start your screensaver, or do something else that is likely undesired.

Step1

CONTROL + SHIFT + EJECT. That's it! These 3 buttons, press simultaneously (you can press them down 1 at a time, but they must all be down by the end of the command) will cause your "display" (not computer) to "sleep", which turns it off.

Step2

Simply shake the mouse or press any button to turn the screen back on.

Step3

If you want to set your iMac to actually "Sleep" (not just the screen), just activate it in the "Energy Saver" pane in the "preferences" area.