Fix: Screen Saver Settings Greyed out in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

Unable to change screen saver settings? All screen saver options are greyed out or disabled? This problem is caused by a group policy setting that got screen saver disabled. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 simple ways to fix this problem in Windows 10, 8 and 7.

Method 1: Fix Screen Saver Settings Greyed out Using Group Policy

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter.

2. In the left pane of Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to:
   User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization
3. In the right pane, locate the following two policies:
   • Enable screen saver
   • Password protect the screen saver

4. Double-click on each policy to modify, set both of them to Not Configured. Click Apply and then OK.

5. Reboot your computer and you should be able to change the screen saver settings.

Method 2: Fix Screen Saver Settings Greyed out Using Registry Hack

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type regedit and press Enter.

2. In the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate to the following key:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Control Panel\Desktop

3. Delete both ScreenSaveActive and ScreenSaverIsSecure in the right pane. Reboot your computer and the screen saver settings should be editable from now on.