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No Sleep

No longer actively maintained

This script may still work, but updates are not planned. You can check out PowerToys Awake as an alternative.

Keep your computer awake by programmatically pressing the Scroll Lock key every X seconds.

Features⚓︎

  • Runs in Windows system tray with a context menu
  • Start / Stop / Exit options directly from tray icon
  • Displays elapsed time on left-click balloon tip
  • Minimal CPU and memory usage
  • Powershell .ps1 script, no external dependencies
  • Automatically toggles Scroll Lock key every X seconds to prevent sleep

Installation⚓︎

  1. Save the script1 as NoSleep.ps1.
  2. Ensure PowerShell execution policy allows running scripts:
Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
  1. Double-click NoSleep.ps1 or run from PowerShell:
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Path\To\NoSleep.ps1"

Usage⚓︎

  • The tray icon appears after the script runs.
  • Right-click the tray icon to access context menu: Start / Stop / Exit.
  • Left-click to show balloon tip with elapsed time.
  • The script will automatically toggle Scroll Lock every 2 minutes (default).
  • Stop or exit from the context menu to terminate the script safely.

How It Works⚓︎

  • Uses .NET Windows Forms for system tray and icon.
  • Uses WScript.Shell to send {SCROLLLOCK} key presses.
  • Runs a background job to periodically toggle Scroll Lock.
  • Handles Start / Stop / Exit actions through tray menu events.
  • Uses a Stopwatch to track elapsed time for balloon tip notifications.
  • Attempts to hide PowerShell console to run silently in the background.

Notes⚓︎

  • Make sure Scroll Lock key is not used by other applications while running.
  • Script uses [System.GC]::Collect() for minimal memory footprint.
  • Tested on Windows 10 and 11.

  1. Repository link AutomationScripts ↩