Once Prevent Screen Saver is installed or extracted, getting up and running takes only a few steps. This guide walks you through launching the app, activating screen saver protection, setting up a global hotkey, and optionally enabling automatic startup with Windows — everything you need for day-to-day use.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/proteo5/Prevent-Screen-Saver/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Protection States
Before diving in, it helps to understand the two states the app operates in:| State | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Active | SetThreadExecutionState is called continuously, telling Windows the system is in use. The screen saver cannot activate while this state is held. |
| Idle | Protection is off. Windows manages idle behavior normally — the screen saver and display timeout function as configured in your system settings. |
Getting Started
Launch the application
Run
PreventScreenSaver.exe — either from the Start Menu (installer) or directly from the extracted folder (portable). The app does not open a window on startup; it runs entirely in the background and places its icon in the Windows system tray in the bottom-right corner of the taskbar.If the icon is not immediately visible, click the ^ (Show hidden icons) arrow in the taskbar notification area to find it. You can drag it to the visible area to keep it accessible.
Activate protection
Left-click the tray icon once. The app transitions to the Active state and begins calling
SetThreadExecutionState to block the screen saver. The tray icon image changes to reflect the active state.Verify the Active state
Hover your mouse over the tray icon. The tooltip should read “Prevent Screen Saver - Active”, confirming that protection is enabled. You will also see a distinct icon compared to the Idle state, giving you an at-a-glance indicator without opening any menu.
(Optional) Configure a global hotkey
Right-click the tray icon to open the tray menu, then navigate to Hotkey and select a preset from the submenu. The default preset is Ctrl+Alt+P. Once a preset is selected, you can press that keyboard shortcut from any application — the foreground window does not matter — to toggle between Active and Idle without touching the tray icon.
(Optional) Enable Start with Windows
Right-click the tray icon and click Start with Windows in the tray menu. A checkmark appears next to the item when it is enabled. With this option on, Prevent Screen Saver launches automatically in the background every time Windows starts — you never have to remember to run it manually.
Deactivate protection when finished
When you no longer need the screen saver blocked, left-click the tray icon again to return to the Idle state. Alternatively, right-click the tray icon and choose Deactivate from the menu. The icon reverts to its Idle appearance and the tooltip changes back to reflect the inactive state. Windows immediately resumes its normal idle and screen saver behavior.
Exiting the Application
When you choose Exit from the tray menu, Prevent Screen Saver always stops protection first — deactivating
SetThreadExecutionState — before closing. This ensures Windows returns cleanly to its normal idle behavior and no execution state request is left orphaned after the process exits.- Right-click the tray icon.
- Click Exit.
Quick Reference
| Action | How To |
|---|---|
| Toggle Active / Idle | Left-click the tray icon, or press the configured hotkey |
| Activate | Tray menu → Activate |
| Deactivate | Tray menu → Deactivate, or left-click when Active |
| Change hotkey preset | Tray menu → Hotkey → select a preset |
| Toggle startup with Windows | Tray menu → Start with Windows |
| Open Help | Tray menu → Help |
| Exit | Tray menu → Exit |
Next Steps
Tray Controls
Explore every tray menu action in detail — Activate, Deactivate, Open, and more — and learn how the icon states map to app behavior.
Global Hotkeys
Review all available hotkey presets, learn how the global hook works, and understand how to change or disable the shortcut at any time.