Opening Windows' Screen Saver Settings from Screensavers

Windows hides its screensaver settings rather well. In Windows 10 and 11 the old Screen Saver Settings dialog is still there, but you have to find it through the lock screen pages of Settings, and many people never do. Screensavers by Zaweba saves you the hunt. File then Windows screensaver settings opens Windows' own dialog straight from the app.

It's a small shortcut, and it ties the app to the part of Windows that actually decides when a screensaver runs.

What the app decides and what Windows decides

Screensavers by Zaweba looks after the screensavers themselves. You choose them in the manager, tune their settings with the live preview, build them with Use this screensaver or Install several, and choose how they use several monitors. The frame cap and battery saver live in Install and options.

Windows looks after when a screensaver starts and what happens when it ends. In its Screen Saver Settings dialog you set the wait, the number of minutes the PC is idle before the screensaver starts, and whether the sign-in screen appears when you come back. The app doesn't change those for you, and it never sees your password. Windows handles the password on resume.

When the dialog opens on its own

You won't always need the menu item. Use this screensaver and Install several both open Windows' Screen Saver Settings for you after they build, because Windows only lists screensavers in its System32 folder plus the one currently chosen. The app installs into your profile so it doesn't need administrator rights, and opening the dialog at that moment means you can pick the new screensaver there and then, along with the wait and password option.

When to use the shortcut

Use File then Windows screensaver settings whenever you want to change the Windows side without building anything. A few common cases: you want the screensaver to start sooner or later, perhaps a shorter wait on a laptop and a longer one on a desktop you read from. You want to turn the password on resume on or off, for example on a PC in a shared space. Or you simply want to check which screensaver Windows is set to use.

Because the settings for each screensaver are read when it starts, you never need a rebuild after changing them, so this dialog is usually the only other place you'll visit.

Choosing a sensible wait

There's no single right wait, but a few thoughts help. Too short, and the screensaver starts while you're reading or thinking, which soon becomes annoying. Too long, and it rarely gets to run, which defeats the point of something like Big clock on an OLED screen. Many people find somewhere between a few minutes and a quarter of an hour suits them, depending on how they work.

If you use the password option, remember it applies whenever the screensaver ends, so a short wait plus a password means signing in often. On a home PC that only you use, you may prefer it off. At work, policy may decide for you.

Little things to know

The dialog's own preview button runs Windows' preview, which is separate from the manager's Preview full screen. Both show your screensaver, but the manager's version is the one tied to the settings you're tuning. And if you pick another screensaver in Windows' list by mistake, go back to the manager and press Use this screensaver again; the dialog opens and you can pick the right one.