If your Windows 11 laptop dims when you glance at a second screen, or turns its screen off when you lean back, presence sensing is one possible cause. Check the presence controls in Settings > System > Power & battery, alongside your normal screen timeout. StayGreen from Automata Labs holds a Windows power request during a timed or foreground-app session. Microsoft documents power-request exceptions for Lock on leave and Adaptive Dimming, but that is not a guarantee for every manufacturer’s implementation or managed-device policy.
Keep the screen on while you read or present, then let presence sensing take over again.
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What is presence sensing in Windows 11?
Some Windows 11 PCs have a presence sensor built in, usually near the webcam. Microsoft’s support article “Managing Presence Sensing settings in Windows 11” says that if your PC has one, you can have the screen turn off automatically when you leave and have the device wake when you approach. Microsoft’s hardware documentation on Microsoft Learn describes three experiences built on that sensor:
| Feature | What it does | Typical setting name |
|---|---|---|
| Lock on leave | Turns the screen off when you walk away, then the PC locks after the timeout | Automatically turn off my screen when I leave |
| Wake on approach | Wakes the PC as you come back | Automatically wake up my device when I approach |
| Adaptive Dimming | Dims the display when you are in front of it but looking away | A toggle to dim the screen when you look away |
Microsoft’s Learn page on Adaptive Dimming says it is supported on Windows 11, version 22H2 and later, and that user engagement is generally judged by the angle of your face to the sensor. That is why looking at a second monitor, a notebook or a phone can trigger it.
If the settings are missing, the PC may lack a supported sensor, use a manufacturer’s separate utility, or have options hidden by policy. Check normal timeouts as well; missing settings do not establish the cause. Our guide to Windows 11 screen, sleep and hibernate timeouts covers those timers.
Where are the presence sensing settings?
Microsoft’s support article gives this path:
- Open Settings > System > Power & battery.
- Select Screen and sleep. On newer builds the section may be labelled with timeouts in the name.
- Turn Automatically turn off my screen when I leave and Automatically wake up my device when I approach on or off.
- Select More options to change the distance at which you count as gone, how long to wait before the screen turns off, whether it applies while an external display is connected, and whether the PC wakes on approach while Battery Saver is on.
Microsoft notes that your PC may not show every option, depending on what the manufacturer enabled and, on work devices, what your organization allows. App access to the sensor is controlled separately in Settings > Privacy & security > Presence Sensing.
Why does my screen dim when I look at my second monitor?
That is Adaptive Dimming. Microsoft’s Learn page describes it as dimming the display when you are sitting in front of the device but not attentive to it, with a 5-second default before it acts. If your laptop sits to one side of a larger external monitor, you spend most of your time looking away from the laptop’s sensor, so it dims.
Microsoft’s page also describes a toggle that controls whether the feature works while an external monitor is connected, which is on by default. If your settings page shows that toggle, turning it off is the cleanest fix for a docked laptop. If your device does not show it, turn Adaptive Dimming off while docked, or pause it with a power request as described below.
Does presence sensing override my screen timeout?
Microsoft’s Lock on leave page answers this directly: when presence sensing is on, the more aggressive setting wins. Its examples:
- Screen timeout of 1 minute and lock on leave of 2 minutes: the screen turns off after 1 minute, whether you are present or not.
- Screen timeout of Never and lock on leave of 2 minutes: the screen turns off after 2 minutes.
The same page says plainly that user presence does not prevent the screen turning off or sleep from idle timeouts. Sitting in front of the PC does not keep it awake. Only input or a power request does that. If your screen turns off after a minute at the lock screen, that is a different timer, covered in why the lock screen turns off after one minute.
Hold the display on for a set time, or only while your reading or slides app is in front.
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How do I stop presence sensing turning off my screen without turning it off for good?
Lock on leave is a useful security feature, so many people want it on most of the time and off only while reading a long document, following a recipe or presenting. Microsoft’s Learn pages for both Lock on leave and Adaptive Dimming describe the same exception: in any scenario that takes a power request from the OS, such as video playback or an ongoing call, the lock or dimming is not executed. Microsoft says this exception works at the kernel level and is not a user setting.
StayGreen asks Windows for exactly that kind of power request, so you can use it as a pause button:
- Start a timed session. One click for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour or 2 hours, or type any duration up to 7 days. The session ends by itself.
- Or add a per-app rule. Name the reader, slides or monitoring app, and StayGreen holds the display only while that app is in the foreground.
- Choose display and system. That mode keeps the screen lit. System-only mode lets the screen turn off.
- Lock when you leave. StayGreen releases its power request the moment you lock the PC, so pressing Windows key + L still works as normal.
StayGreen also steps aside on battery or when Battery Saver switches on, and when you close the lid with no external monitor attached. Its tray icon is green only while Windows has granted the request. To see what is holding a request on your PC at any moment, run powercfg /requests, explained in what keeps Windows awake.
We have not tested every manufacturer’s sensor. The behavior above is how Microsoft documents Windows presence sensing, and manufacturers can customize parts of it. If your device ignores power requests for presence lock, use the settings page instead.
Which option should I pick?
| Situation | Best choice |
|---|---|
| You never want the screen to react to presence | Turn the presence toggles off in Screen and sleep |
| Laptop docked beside a big monitor keeps dimming | Turn off the external-monitor toggle if shown, or turn Adaptive Dimming off |
| You want lock on leave, except while reading or presenting | Keep it on and use a StayGreen timed session or per-app rule |
| You want the PC to stay awake for a long download, screen can go off | StayGreen system-only mode |
Frequently asked questions
Why does my screen turn off even though I am sitting in front of it?
Either the normal screen timeout is shorter than the presence setting, and the shorter one wins, or the sensor does not see you, for example because the laptop is off to one side. Check both timeouts and the sensor distance setting.
Does StayGreen use the presence sensor?
No. It asks Windows for a power request and releases it when the session ends, the app leaves the foreground, or you lock the PC. It makes no network connections.
Will StayGreen keep me Available in Teams?
No. Keeping the display on does not guarantee an Available status in Teams or Slack. Their presence rules are separate from a Windows display-power request.
Can my workplace control these settings?
Yes. Microsoft says organizations can control which presence options appear on managed devices.
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Timed and per-app keep-awake that lets go when you lock, close the lid or unplug.
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Microsoft, Windows, Microsoft Teams and Windows 11 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Slack is a trademark of Slack Technologies. StayGreen is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft or Slack.
Last updated 28 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.