Websites that keep your computer awake

Sometimes you can't install anything: it's a work laptop, a borrowed machine or a locked-down PC. That's the situation keep-awake websites are for. Here are the ones people actually use, how they work without a download, the limits that the big friendly button doesn't tell you about, and what they can and can't do for your Slack status.

The free websites people actually use

Three sites come up again and again, and they all do the same basic job: you open the page, press one button, and your screen stays on while the tab is open. The descriptions below come from each site's own listing, and we haven't benchmarked them against each other.

How a keep-awake website works

Websites can't move your cursor or press keys. What they can do is ask the browser to hold a screen wake lock, the same mechanism a video call or a recipe site uses to stop your display from dimming. It's built into current versions of Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox, which is why no download is needed.

The video fallback

Some sites (and the "video to keep computer awake" results you may have seen) fall back to a different trick when the wake lock isn't available: they play a tiny looping video in the background. Browsers and operating systems treat an actively playing video as a reason to keep the display on, so the screen stays awake for as long as it plays. That's all the "video" is: a placeholder that happens to count as media playback, not something you need to watch.

The limits nobody puts on the button

• The tab has to stay open and visible. If you minimise the browser or the tab is fully hidden, the browser can release the wake lock and the timer starts running again.
• Closing the lid still sleeps the laptop. A browser wake lock can't override your laptop's lid-close action, and a strict company power policy can override it too.
• It protects the screen, not your session. If your employer locks the screen after a fixed idle time, a wake lock may not prevent that, because no keyboard or mouse input is being created.
• It's the wrong tool for long unattended jobs. A tab can be closed, crash or be killed by the browser's memory saver. For a big download or an overnight render, use an OS-level option instead.

Website, app or script: which one?

The website route wins in one situation: a computer where you can't install anything. Everywhere else, a proper OS-level tool is more reliable. Our full guide to keeping a computer awake covers the built-in power settings, PowerToys Awake and Mac options in detail.

Does a keep-awake website keep Slack green?

No, and this trips up many people searching for exactly this. A wake lock keeps the screen on, but it doesn't create any keyboard or mouse input, and on desktop Slack marks you away after roughly 10 minutes without input regardless of how brightly your screen is shining. It is a common mix-up: one well-known Reddit thread pitches a keep-awake website under the banner of keeping your Slack dot green, but a lit screen and an active status are different things. We wrote up the mechanics in do online mouse jigglers work for Slack?, and the short version is that anything running in a browser tab on your own machine shares its weaknesses: it stops when the tab closes or the laptop sleeps.

If the actual goal is a green dot while you're at lunch, in a meeting or on a flight, keeping Slack active from the cloud is the version that doesn't depend on your laptop, a tab or a script at all.

FAQ

How can I keep my computer awake without installing anything?
Open a keep-awake website such as nosleep.page, keep-screen-on.com or keep-awake.com in your browser and start it. The page asks your browser for a screen wake lock, so the display stays on while the tab remains open and visible. Nothing is installed, but it stops working if you close or fully hide the tab.

Do keep-awake websites work when the laptop lid is closed?
No. A browser wake lock cannot override your laptop lid-close action, and a company power policy can override it as well. If you need the machine to keep running with the lid shut, you need an operating system setting for that, not a website.

What is the "video to keep computer awake" trick?
It is a fallback some keep-awake sites use when the browser wake lock is not available. They play a tiny looping video in the background, and browsers treat playing media as a reason to keep the display on. The video does not need to be watched.

Can a keep-awake website keep my Slack status green?
No. It keeps the screen on but creates no keyboard or mouse input, and Slack decides if you are active from input. On desktop you can still be marked away after roughly 10 minutes, even with the screen wide awake.

Are keep-awake websites safe?
The ones above only use standard browser features and do not need you to install or sign in to anything, which limits what they can do. As with any site, stick to the well-known ones and be wary of any version that asks you to download a file or grant extra permissions.