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Device guide

Keep the screen on in Linux

Chrome and Edge 84 and later, and Firefox 126 and later, can keep a Linux screen on while the AwakeTab tab is visible. The browser asks your desktop not to blank the screen. Whether that holds depends on the desktop, which has to honour the GNOME SessionManager or freedesktop ScreenSaver inhibit. We have not yet recorded real-device results on Linux.

Sources checked Saturday, 26 September 2026 3 min read By Soubhik Biswas
  • Chrome and Edge 84 or later
  • Firefox 126 or later
  • Your desktop must honour the inhibit
  • Device results not yet recorded

Try it

Start a session, switch tabs, then come back and watch the pill.

Ready Suggested · ∞
Starts when you open this tab
00:00

until you stop

How AwakeTab knows

    Session complete

    Keeps awake for
    00:00
    until you stop
    Keeps awake for
    00:00
    until you stop no limit
    00:00
    until you stop
    Keeps awake for
    00:00
    until you stop

    Stopped to save battery

    Keeps this screen on while this tab stays visible.

    Ends Until you stop

    Type any time. A time that has already passed today means tomorrow.

    until you stop

    How long?

    until you stop

    Share this session

    Waits for a tap to start.Starts keeping the screen awake as it opens.

    Is AwakeTab doing its job?

    Your rating

    Time's up. Keep going?

    Settings

    How AwakeTab behaves. Every change saves as you make it.

    Timer Ask to extendJust stop · · Notifies youNo notification
    When time is up
    End sound Chosen in Customize, with the focus sounds.
    Clock Follow language12-hour24-hour · Seconds shownNo seconds · English
    Clock format
    Language English
    Focus Pomodoro lengths, breathing and your intention
    Device and privacy Battery stop onBattery stop off · Shortcuts onShortcuts off · Usage data onUsage data off
    15%
    AwakeTab stops the session at this level.Turn on the switch above to choose a level.
    Pro Your plan and the devices it covers. See what's in Pro Manage devices
    Reset to defaults

    Every setting here goes back to its default. Your notes, stats and Pro stay.

    What's new

    Version 2026.10.21 · d0ae7ca

    Customize

    Make it yours. Every change shows on the clock at once.

    Every face shows the same time and state. Swipe the clock or press C to switch faces.

    Classic

    Retro

    Modern

    Your stats

    This week
    Today
    Streak
    All time

    time awake per day

    Pro keeps 12 weeks of history. See what's in Pro

    One row per day: date, minutes, sessions.

    Keyboard shortcuts

    Shortcuts need a keyboard. Without one, the buttons on screen do the same things.

    Session

    Space
    Start or stop
    1 6
    Presets 15 min–4 h
    0
    Until I stop
    U
    Until a time
    Esc
    Close or stop

    Screen

    F
    Fullscreen
    C
    Next clock face (Shift+C goes back)
    D
    Cycle theme
    M
    Cycle ambient mode
    P
    Floating window

    Tools

    S
    Sounds
    N
    Notes
    T
    Focus timer
    B
    Breathing guide
    I
    What you're working on
    ?
    This overlay

    Press ? or Esc to close. Single-key shortcuts can be turned off in Settings.Single-key shortcuts can be turned off in Settings.

    AwakeTab Pro

    $12 a year

    • More themes, lamps and backgrounds
    • A sound mixer
    • More notes
    • A repeating Pomodoro
    • Message mode
    • 12 weeks of stats

    Keeping the screen awake stays free, with no ads on the awake screen.

    Enter licence key Get Pro

    Clock

    Start this session
    On this page
    1. Try it
    2. Set it up
    3. Which setups work
    4. What turns it off
    5. Honest limit
    6. Questions
    7. Related

    Set it up on Linux

    Two steps start a session. The next two tell you whether your desktop is listening, and what to try if it is not.

    1. Step 1: Open AwakeTab in Chrome, Edge or Firefox and press Start

      Browser › awaketab.com

      Pick a length, or leave it running until you stop it, then press Start. The pill says "Screen awake" once the browser has granted the lock.

    2. Step 2: Keep the window visible

      No minimising while it runs

      Minimise the window or switch tabs and the browser releases the lock. The pill changes to "Paused — tab hidden", and AwakeTab asks again when you come back.

    3. Step 3: Wait past your blank time once

      Leave the machine alone for longer than the blank delay

      The pill reports what the browser answered, not what the desktop did. So the first time, stay away for longer than your screen-blank delay. If the screen stays on, your desktop honours the request.

    4. Step 4: If it still blanks, try the other engine

      Chrome or Edge, then Firefox

      On Linux, Chrome and Edge ask over D-Bus, through GNOME SessionManager or the freedesktop PowerManagement and ScreenSaver services. Firefox is a separate engine with its own code, so it is worth one try.

    Which Linux setups keep the screen on

    These results come from Chromium’s and Firefox’s source and browser documentation, checked 26 September 2026. They depend on your desktop, and no Linux device run is recorded yet.

    SetupResultWhat to know
    Chrome or Edge 84 or later, desktop honours the inhibit Supported Chromium asks the desktop over D-Bus not to go idle.
    Firefox 126 or later, window visible Supported Refuses at 5 % battery or less while not charging.
    A desktop without GNOME SessionManager or freedesktop inhibit Not yet tested The browser may grant the lock while the desktop still blanks the screen.
    Window minimised or another tab in front Pauses The lock is released until the tab is back in front.
    Firefox before 126 Video fallback Tap once to start it. It needs this tab visible and uses a little more battery.

    What turns the screen off anyway

    If the screen still blanks, one of these is usually the reason.

    • A desktop that ignores the request The pill can say "Screen awake" while the desktop blanks anyway, because the browser cannot make it listen.
    • A hidden tab A minimised window or another tab in front lets the display go. Bring it back and AwakeTab asks again.
    • A low battery in Firefox At 5 % or less and not charging, Firefox refuses the lock. Keep the screen on in Firefox
    • A screen lock with its own schedule A managed machine can lock the screen on its own timer, separate from display sleep. Lock screen versus display sleep

    Questions

    Does it work on Wayland and X11?

    Those are display protocols, not desktops, so they are not what decides it. What matters is whether your desktop implements GNOME SessionManager or freedesktop ScreenSaver inhibit, because that is what the browser asks.

    The pill says Screen awake, but the screen still blanked. Why?

    The pill shows the browser's answer. The browser granted the lock, but your desktop did not keep the screen on. Try the other engine, or change your desktop's own blank delay for this session.

    Can AwakeTab stop by itself on low battery on a Linux laptop?

    In Chrome and Edge, yes: they share the battery level with pages, so you can pick a level in AwakeTab's settings. Firefox removed that API in version 52, so there it cannot.

    Have you tested this on a Linux machine?

    Not yet. The support rows come from browser documentation and source code. Real-device results will appear in the table once they are recorded.

    Soubhik Biswas

    Builds AwakeTab. Sources checked Saturday, 26 September 2026. About AwakeTab