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3 Ways to Change Power Plan in Windows 11

Quick Tips
  • Switching between different power modes empowers you to optimize performance, extend battery life, or strike a balance in between.
  • You can adjust the power mode on Windows through the Settings app, Control Panel, or Command Prompt.
  • Control Panel gives you the option to create a custom power plan on your PC.

Method 1: Change the Power Plan Using the Settings App

By default, your PC is set to Balanced power mode, but you can change it to “Best performance” or “Best power efficiency” to prioritize performance or battery life, respectively. Here’s how:

Step 1: Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app and head to System > Power & battery.

Power and Battery Settings on Windows

Step 2: Use the drop-down menu next to Power mode to switch between three modes: Balanced, Best power efficiency, and Best performance.

Change Power Mode on Windows 11

Method 2: Change the Power Plan via the Control Panel

Using the Control Panel is an old-school way of making changes to your PC. Here’s how to use it to change the power plan in Windows 11.

Step 1: Click the search icon on the taskbar. Type control panel and press Enter.

Open Control Panel on Windows

Step 2: Use the drop-down menu at the top right corner to change the view type to Large icons and go to Power options.

Power Options Windows 11

Step 3: Select the radio button on the left of the power mode to activate it.

Change Power Mode via Control Panel

Method 3: Change the Power Plan With Command Prompt

You can also use the command prompt on Windows 11 to communicate with your PC and change its power plan settings. Read on to learn how.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + S to open the search menu, type cmd, and press Enter.

Open Command Prompt

Step 2: In the console, type the below command and press Enter to view a list of available power plans.

powercfg /list

Note: The GUID number next to the plan is its unique identifier code that you can use to switch between various modes. Note the GUID number of the plan you wish to use.

Power List on Command Prompt

Step 3: To change power mode, run the following command.

powercfg /setactive GUID

Replace GUID in the above command with the actual unique identifier code noted earlier.

Change Power Mode via Command Prompt on Windows

It’s important to note that once you’ve changed the power mode via the Control Panel or Command Prompt, you can’t change modes via the Settings app. To fix this, use the Control Panel or Command Prompt and switch to the Balanced mode first.

Can't Change Power Mode on Windows

Bonus: Create a Custom Power Plan on Windows 11

While Windows 11 already offers you three different power plans, you can also create a custom power plan that best suits your needs. Here’s how.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog, type control, and press Enter.

Step 2: Click Power options. From the left column, click on Create a power plan.

Create a Power Plan on Windows 11

Step 3: Select one of the three basic plans to start with. Then, enter a suitable plan name and hit Next.

Create Custom Power Plan on Windows

Step 4: Choose the preferred sleep and display settings for the plan and hit Create.

Create Power Plan Windows

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Last updated on 08 May, 2024

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