Screen Turns Off After Idle Despite Disabling Timeout (XFCE/Kali)

Kali Linux Forums Kali Linux Troubleshooting
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Hey folks,

I ran into an annoying issue on Kali Linux (using XFCE) where the screen would still turn off or blank after being idle, even though I had already disabled all the timeout and power settings through the GUI.

Turns out, the screen blanking was still being controlled by ‘xset’ (X11 screen saver settings), not just the XFCE Power Manager. Here’s the fix that finally worked for me:

:white_check_mark: Fix — Run These Commands:
xset s off # disable screensaver
xset s noblank # prevent screen from blanking
xset s 0 0 # set timeout and cycle to 0

:test_tube: After running those, verify with:
xset q

Make sure it shows:
timeout: 0 cycle: 0
DPMS is Disabled

:repeat_button: Make It Persistent:

Add the commands to your ~/.xsessionrc file:
echo -e ‘xset s off\nxset s noblank\nxset s 0 0’ >> ~/.xsessionrc

This made my screen stop turning off completely during idle. Hopefully this helps someone else dealing with the same weird behavior.

Let me know if you found a different workaround!

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2

if the ~/.xsessionrc file doesnt work, I recommend using this method instead:

Open Settings
Hit Super (Windows key) and search for “Session and Startup”. Open it.

Go to the “Application Autostart” tab

Click “Add”

Fill out the fields:

Name: Disable Screensaver

Description: xset to prevent screen blank/lock

Command: sh -c “sleep 5 && xset s off && xset s noblank && xset s 0 0”

Hit OK
It’ll now show up in the list of autostart apps.

Logout/Login or Reboot to test it.