How-To

How to Reset to a Default Power Plan on Windows 11

By Brian Burgess

Published July 7, 2023

Power plans allow you to control your PC’s power usage, but you might want to reset to a default power plan after making some changes. Here’s how.

If you do make several adjustments to your power or display settings, or you decide to create a custom power plan on your laptop, there might come a time when you want to reset to the default power plan on Windows 11.

Much of your PC’s functionality depends on its power usage. You can set the power plan for optimal performance, power efficiency to get through the day on a charge, or somewhere in between with various custom settings.

A custom plan lets you configure power usage to suit your needs. However, you might want to start over or fix a screen saver by resetting the default power plans on your Windows 11 PC. Here’s how.

How to Reset to a Default Power Plan on Windows 11

Power plans allow you to control how your PC consumes energy by configuring hardware and system settings. For example, you can adjust your sleep mode and screen brightness settings to get your laptop through the day. The plan you use is based on what you need from system performance optimization, power use, and maintaining battery life.

Sometimes, after adjusting a power plan’s settings several times, you might want to start from zero. Resetting the power plan allows you to do just that, and the process is straightforward on Windows 11.

To reset to a default power plan on Windows 11:

1. Press the Windows key to launch the Start menu.
2. Type control panel and select the top search result.
3. Click the View by dropdown menu and select the Large icons option from the menu.
4. Select Power Options from the available items from the Control Panel screen.
5. Find the plan you want to restore and select the Change plan settings option next to it.
6. Click the Restore default settings for this plan option.
7. Click the Yes button when the verification message appears.
8. Alternatively, click the Change advanced power settings button.
9. Click the Restore plan defaults button when the Advanced settings window appears.
10. Select the Yes button when the verification message appears.
11. Click Apply and OK to verify changes.

How to Reset Your Current Power Plan to Default Using Windows PowerShell

You can also use the Windows Terminal to adjust your power plan settings and return them to your default settings.

For clarity, that means you can use the new Windows Terminal app or use Windows PowerShell directly. You can also use the older command prompt.

To reset the current power plan using PowerShell:

1. Launch PowerShell as Administrator.
2. When the terminal launches, enter the following command and press Enter:

   powercfg -restoredefaultschemes

   

3. Once the command runs, the current power plan will be reset to the default settings.

Managing Your Display Settings on Windows 11

If you have made several changes to a power plan’s settings over time, sometimes you need to start from scratch. You can reset a default power plan on Windows 11 using the above steps and start from scratch.

There are other power options you can adjust on Windows 11. For example, you can manage when your PC goes into Sleep mode. If you prefer to use hibernation mode, learn about configuring hibernation time on Windows 11.

If you want to apply energy savings on your PC that are also good for the environment, check out how to apply energy recommendations on Windows 11. And if you need to know more about your PC’s power settings, you can check your supported power features on Windows 11.