Black Screen

Winforms/WPF Applications

GitHub

Visual Studio Code

Black Screen is an app for people who spend long hours working on the computer.

It allows you to

1. Rest your eyes 2. Make periodic breaks 3. Work in intervals 4. Reset your attention

Black Screen in action on multiple monitors

Black Screen with shown context menu

Download

Windows App Store

The app will get new updates automatically.

Standalone Installer

Click the button below to download a standalone .exe installer. No automatic updates.

It’s FREE!

Downloaded more than 7000 times

System requirements: Windows 10/11.

Rest your eyes

Pressing a key combination will turn your screen black. Press it again to return to the normal screen. It’s much quicker than turning your display off and on.

Rest your eyes with Black Screen

Make periodic breaks

You can set it up to make your screen black every number of minutes.

I set it up to make my screen black for 5 – 7 minutes after every 30 minutes of work. It forces me to take periodic breaks, not to sit at the computer for too long.

Work in intervals

With Black Screen, you will be more disciplined, focused, and productive.

I set it up to make my screen black for 5 – 7 minutes after every 30 minutes of work.

Working in 30-minute intervals helps me stay focused and better plan my time.

I decrease the interval duration to 20 minutes when I am tired.

Reset your attention

It’s hard to stay focused during computer work.

You often want to reset your attention – divert attention for a few seconds.

With Black Screen you can quickly reset attention without getting stuck.

Press one key on the black screen to see an awesome random photo for a few seconds:

Reset your attention with Black Screen

Press it several times to keep yourself amazed with the stunning slideshow.

Then, remove the black screen to continue working with your attention refreshed:

Refresh your attention with Black Screen

Download

Windows 10/11 App Store

The app will get new updates automatically.

Standalone Installer

Click the button below to download a standalone .exe installer. No automatic updates.

It’s FREE!

Downloaded more than 7000 times

System requirements: Windows 10/11.

Latest News & Releases

2024-06-26: Fixed issues on multiple screens with different resolutions.

2024-06-11: Now you can assign just one key to show/hide the black screen.

2024-04-25: UI design improvements. Assign your own keyboard shortcuts.

2023-09-30: Removed the secret smile in the upper right corner of the black screen. Improved application stability.

2022-06-22: Removed the use of extra key combinations. Now only keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+Alt+F10 and Ctrl+Atl+0 are available.

2022-06-19: Added a checkbox “Show black screen with photos.”

2021-11-27: Added an explanation how to use the function keys (F1 to F12) without pressing Fn.

2021-04-26: A Microsoft Store application added.

2020-04-08: Popup menu scaling depending on the screen resolution.

2020-02-26: Bugs fixed, work with keyboard improved.

2019-07-23: Fixed too much load on CPU when Flickr is unavailable.

To Users: How to Use the Function Keys (F1 to F12) Without Pressing Fn

Many laptops/keyboards allow using function keys (F1 to F12) only by pressing the Fn key. It’s inconvenient because Black Screen’s main key shortcut is Ctrl + Alt + F10.

To use function keys without pressing Fn, google “How to Use the Function Keys Without Pressing Fn on [your laptop/keyboard model].”

For example, “How to Use the Function Keys Without Pressing Fn on Acer Aspire 3”. Most likely, the first link in the search results will be the answer you need.

In short, sometimes it is enough to press the Fn Lock button.

For some laptops, it can be a bit more difficult. You will have to go to BIOS and change one setting there. Do not freak out! It’s easier than you think.

Anyway, if you have problems with that, feel free to email me your laptop/keyboard model. I’ll google it for you 🙂