How to: Get a white screen
June 28th, 2011 3 Comments
Firstly, why would you want to blank your computer screen?
Answer: If you take screenshots of windows with the Windows Aero theme (i.e. semi-transparent window chrome) then it’s a good idea to always use a plain white background to avoid the distraction of other text or bits of underlying windows showing through.
To quickly display a white screen:
-
Copy and paste the following into the address bar of your browser:
javascript:document.write(), document.close(); void 0; -
Press Enter.
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Press F11 to get rid of the browser chrome (and F11 again to get out of full-screen mode).
Bookmark it
For a quick blank screen at any time (without having to remember the Javascript), save it as a bookmark by either right-clicking the following link and choosing Bookmark This Link (in Firefox) or Add to Favorites (IE), or – if you’re using Chrome or Safari – display the Bookmarks Bar and drag the following link into it:
Alternative solution: Save a blank page
Alternatively, you can make a blank web page and save it to your desktop (or anywhere else) for quick access whenever you need a white background:
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Create a text file containing the following:
<html><body></body></html> -
Save this to your desktop (or wherever) with an HTML file name extension – e.g. WhiteScreen.html.
Now you can double-click the file to display a white web page. Again, press F11 for full-screen mode. You can bookmark the page if you prefer using this method rather than the Javascript method.
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July 14th, 2011 at 2:00 pm (#)
A slightly quicker way is to just use the standard about URI scheme to achieve this.
Enter about:blank in the address bar and you'll get a blank page. This is standard in Chrome, FF, IE, Safari and Opera. You can add this as a bookmark too.
July 14th, 2011 at 2:40 pm (#)
Woh, that\'s a good one! OK, forget both of the methods I described above - this is a much better way of doing it. Thanks Graham. Top top!!!
January 13th, 2012 at 6:16 pm (#)
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