Configure the rules before the timer

  1. On Triggers, choose at least one action, such as Keyboard presses → Lock Windows. Set unwanted actions to Do nothing.
  2. Open Auto-enable and check Enable after inactivity.
  3. Set After to your chosen interval from 1 to 999,999 minutes.
  4. Enable Pause while fullscreen or presenting if supported fullscreen or presentation activity should defer arming.
  5. Enable Pause while an app requires the display on if Windows display-required requests should also defer it. Save the settings.

Understand the two pauses

The fullscreen option follows states reported by Windows. The display-request option covers applications that explicitly ask Windows to keep the display awake. Examples can include video players, browsers playing video, slideshows and PowerToys Awake with Keep screen on selected. An application merely remaining open is not enough, and not every video or call reports the same signals.

These settings defer enabling without subtracting elapsed idle time. If the timeout is already past when a presentation ends, monitoring may arm immediately. They apply only to inactivity enabling, not an explicit tray Enable or screensaver-triggered enabling.

Try your actual media applications

Save a one-minute interval temporarily, exit the regular app and launch a whole-app dry run with Test monitoring.cmd. Compare an idle desktop, your normal fullscreen player and any app you expect to keep the display on. Review state changes and simulated responses in history, then restore your preferred interval.

Automatic arming has no five-second cancellation countdown. Once armed, selected input requests the configured action; the visible desktop is still unlocked until a lock response completes. Settings left open can close without saving unfinished edits when automatic enabling occurs.

For a Windows-controlled authentication boundary, use screensaver sign-in or Dynamic Lock with the locked profile.