How to Change Power Plan in Windows 11

Changing your power plan in Windows 11 helps you control how your computer uses electricity. You can choose to save battery life or boost your PC’s speed.

Why change your power plan?

Your computer uses different amounts of energy based on what you are doing. By picking the right plan, you can make your laptop battery last longer during travel or get more power for gaming and heavy tasks.

What happens when you change it?

When you switch plans, Windows automatically adjusts settings like screen brightness and how hard your processor works. Your computer will either run faster or consume less energy based on your choice.

Read our previous post showed you how to view the active power plan on your Windows 11 device to learn more.

Understanding your options

• Balanced: The standard setting that balances speed and energy use.
• Power saver: Lowers screen brightness and slows down the PC to keep your battery going longer.
• High Performance: Uses more power to give you the best speed and brightest screen.
• Ultimate Performance: A high-power mode for workstation users.

How to change your power plan

You can change these settings through the Control Panel. Note: Some advanced settings may require admin privileges to modify.

1. Click the Start button on your taskbar.
2. Type Control Panel into the search box.
3. Select the Control Panel app from the results.

4. Click on Hardware and Sound.
5. Select Power Options.

6. You will see a list of available plans. Click the bubble next to the plan you want to use. The active plan will have an asterisk (*) next to it.

If you prefer using the command line, you can view your plans by running this in a terminal with admin privileges:

powercfg /list

Related post: How to view your device’s active plan in Windows 11

Summary

Managing your power plan is a simple way to improve your Windows 11 experience. By using the Control Panel, you can quickly switch between saving battery or maximizing your computer’s performance to suit your current needs.