How to use powercfg to control power settings on Windows 10
Yes, you can control various power settings with Command Prompt, and in this guide, we’ll show you the steps to use the powercfg tool to complete many power tasks on Windows 10.
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OnWindows 10, powercfg is a handy command-line tool that has been around for many years, and it allows you to manage many aspects of power plans (also known as power schemes).
For instance, you can create, edit, and delete power plans. You can enable, customize, or disable some power features, including hibernation and power button. You can use it to troubleshoot energy and battery performance. And you can even use the command-line tool to determine which devices are waking the computer during sleep or hibernation and disable them as necessary, and much more.
In this Windows 10 guide, we will walk you through the steps to use the powercfg command-line tool to manage the power settings on your computer.
How to export or import power plans with powercfg
On Windows 10, you can use Command Prompt to export and import power plans to the same or different computer.
Export power plan
To export a power plan using command-line, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the plan will be exported into the “.pow” file you specified in the command.
Import power plan
To import a power plan on Windows 10 with Command Prompt, use these steps:
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After you complete the steps, the power scheme will be imported to the device.
How to enable or disable hibernation with powercfg
On Windows 10, hibernation is a feature designed to save power by saving the contents loaded in memory onto the hard drive, allowing the computer to shut down without losing your current session. The next time you turn on the device, you can resume where you left off.
If you need to configure hibernation, the powercfg command-tool lets you enable, manage and disable the feature with a few simple commands.
Enable hibernation
To enable hibernation, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, hibernation will enable according to your configuration.
Disable hibernation
To disable hibernation on Windows 10, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the option to hibernate will no longer be available on Windows 10.
How to create power plan with powercfg
You can also create power plans with custom configurations. However, there is not an option to create a new plan. Instead, you have to duplicate an existing plan and modify it to your requirements.
To create a power plan on Windows 10 with the powercfg tool, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the power scheme will be created and available on your computer.
How to modify power plan with powercfg
If you need to customize an existing power plan, the powercfg tool includes a few ways to change the available settings.
Change plan settings
To change the Windows 10 power plan settings with commands, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the changes will apply immediately to the currently active power plan.
Change power button settings
In addition to customizing the plan settings, you can also change other power options, such as the power button’s default action.
To change the power button action with powercfg, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the next time you press the power button, the action will reflect the configuration you specified in the command.
Delete plan settings
After you complete the steps, you need to repeatstep No. 4to remove additional settings.
How to delete power plan with powercfg
To delete a power plan on Windows 10 with the powercfg command tool, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the power scheme will no longer be available on Windows 10.
How to change power plan with powercfg
To set another power plan as the new default on Windows 10, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, Windows 10 will start using the new power plan configuration.
How to report action woke device powercfg
To see what woke the system during the last sleep state on Windows 10, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, if a device woke up the system, it will be listed in the output.
How to determine wake timers with powercfg
To find out the devices that can wake the system, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, you will better understand the devices, apps, and drivers that can actively wake the system from sleep or hibernation.
How to generate battery report with powercfg
If you have a laptop and notice performance issues with the battery, you can create a report with the power command-line tool to determine information (such as brand, capacity, cycle count, recent usage, battery life estimates, etc.) to help you decide whether or not it is time to replace the battery.
To create a battery report with Command Prompt, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, you can review the battery report in your default web browser. You can learn more about thebattery report on Windows 10 in this guide.
How to generate energy report with powercfg
You can also create an energy report that collects power behavior for a certain amount of time, which you can then analyze to determine the root of energy and battery problems.
To generate a energy report on Windows 10, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, you can review the report to understand the energy and battery efficiency to investigate and resolve power problems on Windows 10.
How to view available sleep states with powercfg
To view the supported sleep states available on your computer, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, you will get a list of the sleep states that are supported and those features that are not supported.
How to enable or disable devices that can wake the system with powercfg
On Windows 10, some devices (such as network adapters) can wake the system from sleep or hibernation to perform a specific task. If you must control this feature, the powercfg command includes options to automatically enable or disable the device’s ability to start the system automatically.
Usually, these options will come in handy to stop the computer from waking up during the night for no apparent reason. Or when you must configure the device to be started remotely using wake-on-LAN (WOL), for example.
Enable device wake feature
To allow a device to wake the system during sleep or hibernation, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the device will be able to wake the computer while it is in sleep or hibernation mode.
Disable device wake feature
To prevent a device from waking the system from sleep or hibernation, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the device will longer be able to wake the system from any power state mode.
We are focusing this guide on the most useful options, but the command-line tool includes some additional features, which you can list using the
command.
Mauro Huculak has been a Windows How-To Expert contributor for WindowsCentral.com for nearly a decade and has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides. He also has an IT background and has achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and CompTIA. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years.
