220-1102 Question 208
Single answerSystem PreferencesA user on a macOS laptop says the screen turns off after just a few minutes, even while they are reading long documents without touching the keyboard or trackpad. The laptop is connected to AC power at their desk, and they want the display to stay on longer when plugged in without changing other system behavior. Which System Preferences/System Settings change should a technician make first?
- A
Open Displays and increase the resolution so the screen refreshes less often
- B
Open Battery (or Energy Saver on older macOS versions) and adjust the setting for turning the display off when connected to the power adapter
- C
Open Keyboard and increase the key repeat delay so macOS knows the user is still active
- D
Open Desktop & Screen Saver and select a static wallpaper instead of a dynamic one
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The best first step is to adjust the macOS power management setting that controls when the display sleeps while the Mac is connected to AC power. In current macOS versions, this is typically found in System Settings under Battery, with separate behavior for battery and power adapter usage; in older versions, similar controls are in Energy Saver within System Preferences. This is a practical support task because users often need different display timeout behavior when docked or plugged in at a desk. Apple documentation for Battery/Energy Saver settings and display sleep behavior supports using these settings to control how long the display remains on during inactivity.
- A. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Display resolution affects how content is shown on the screen, not when the display powers off. A technician might choose this if they confuse display quality settings with power management settings.
- B. Correct.
Correct. In macOS, display sleep and related power behavior are managed in Battery or, on older versions, Energy Saver. When the system is plugged in, the technician should adjust the power adapter/AC power settings so the display turns off after a longer period. This directly addresses the user's complaint without making unrelated changes.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Keyboard key repeat controls how quickly a key repeats when held down. It does not affect idle detection or display sleep timing. This is a plausible distractor because it is a user-input setting, but it is unrelated to power management.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Wallpaper and screen saver preferences do not control the display sleep timer. A screen saver may appear before sleep in some configurations, but changing the wallpaper type does not prevent the display from turning off.