Cannot change Power Mode in Windows 11

In this post, we will show you what to do if you cannot change Power Mode in Windows 11/10. Power Mode is a mix of hardware and system settings that determines how a device uses the power to get the best system performance and battery life.

Windows offers three different Power Plans, and you may switch to the one that’s important to you: Best Power Efficiency, Best Performance, or Balanced (a balance of power efficiency and performance). Some systems also offer the Ultimate Performance Power Plan. However, if your system is stuck at a specific Power Mode and you cannot change it, read this post to learn how to fix it.

Cannot change Power Mode in Windows 11/10

Several factors may prevent you from changing the Power Mode in Windows.

For example, you cannot change the Power Mode in System Settings if you’ve selected High-Performance Plan or Ultimate Performance Power Plan as your active Power Plan in the classic Control Panel. This is because the High-Performance plan always forces the Best Performance mode to yield maximum performance. So you won’t be able to change the Power Mode unless you switch to the ‘Balanced’ plan in the Control Panel.

Another reason could be using a Custom Power Plan in the Control Panel. Microsoft states that as long as you’re using a custom plan, you cannot change Power Mode in Windows. And hence the issue occurs. Also, corrupt system files or a faulty power plan may keep you stuck in a specific Power Mode in Windows.

Nevertheless, you may use the following fixes if you’re facing difficulty in changing Power Mode or Plan on your Windows 11/10 PC:

1. Run the Power Troubleshooter.
2. Change the Power Plan.
3. Restore Power Plans to Default.
4. Run the System File Checker.
5. Check preinstalled Power Manager software
6. Update your Graphics driver
7. Disable BrightnessReset

Let us see these in detail.

1] Run the Power Troubleshooter

Start by running the Power Troubleshooter. Power Troubleshooter is a built-in troubleshooter that helps diagnose and fix Power Plan issues in Windows. You may find the troubleshooter in Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooter section. Click on Run next to the Power option to launch the troubleshooter. If an issue is detected, Power Troubleshooter will notify you and suggest possible fixes.

2] Change the Power Plan

If you’re using a custom plan built on high-performance settings, you may be unable to change the Power Mode. To fix this, try changing the Power Plan in the classic Control Panel and see if it works for you.

1. Click on the Start button icon and type ‘control panel’.
2. Click on the Control Panel app.
3. Click on the Hardware and Sound option.
4. Click on Power Options.
5. Select ‘Balanced‘ from the predefined plans.

You may also create a custom plan using ‘Balanced’ as the base power plan and try switching to it in Control Panel.

OR

You may use the Group Policy Editor to change Power Plan in Windows. Here’s how to do that:

1. Press Win+R to open the Run dialogue box.
2. Type gpedit.msc and press the Enter key.
3. In the Group Policy Editor, navigate to the following path: Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Power Management.
4. Double-click on ‘Select an active power plan’ under Settings.
5. Select Enabled in the settings window and then choose the recommended plan using the Active Power Plan dropdown.
6. Click on Apply, and then click on OK.

Notes:

1. Create a system restore point prior to making any changes to the Group Policy Editor.
2. If you can’t find the Group Policy Editor on your Windows PC, you may add it using this workaround.

3] Restore Power Plans to Default

Next, reset Power Plans to their default state using Command Prompt in Windows 11/10 and see if it helps:

1. Click on the Windows Search bar and type ‘command prompt’. Command Prompt app will appear as the best match.
2. Click on the Run as administrator option on the right side.
3. Click on Yes in the User Account Control prompt that appears.
4. Type the following code in the Command Prompt window:

   powercfg –restoredefaultschemes

5. Press the Enter key.

Now check whether you can change the Power Mode.

Note: The above command will completely reset and restore all default power plans in Windows. This will also delete any custom power plans in your account.

4] Run the System File Checker

If the above solutions won’t work, run the System File Checker. It will scan your PC to detect corrupt system files and fix them instantly.

Related: Power Plan keeps changing in Windows

5] Check preinstalled Power manager software

Check if your OEM has installed a Power manager software, Dell, HP, etc, often do that. That could be causing this to happen.

6] Update your device driver

Update your Graphics Drivers and see.

If nothing helps, revert Windows to an older state when you could change the Power Mode without any issues. We regularly advise our readers to create system restore points. A restore point is the best way to return the system to a working condition when something goes wrong.

7] Disable BrightnessReset

Open Task Scheduler using Start Search. In the left pane, you will see Task Scheduler Library. If you can see the Display option through the below steps then perform BrightnessReset.

Navigate to Microsoft > Windows > Display > Brightness.

In the right pane, if you see a scheduled task called BrightnessReset, double-click on it > Properties > Triggers tab > Edit.

Now disable it and see if it works for you.

I hope you find this useful.

Read: Troubleshoot Power Plans in Windows with PowerCFG Tool.

Why can’t I change Windows power settings?

If you can’t change Power Settings in Windows, you may be using High Performance Plan or Ultimate Performance Power Plan as your active power plan. These power plans are designed to maximize performance, so they won’t allow you to change your current power settings. Also if you’re using a custom power plan, you will probably experience this issue.

Read: Battery Slider is missing or greyed out in Windows laptop.

How do I fix power options in Windows 11?

To fix power options, switch to the Balanced Plan, which is the recommended power plan in Windows. Other fixes you can try include using the Power Troubleshooter, restoring power plans to defaults, running an SFC scan, and installing Windows updates.