How-To

How to Fix No Power Options Available on Windows 11

By Brian Burgess

Published July 20, 2023

You’ll need to fix the no power options available error if the options disappear on your Windows PC. Here’s how.

If you’re using a Windows 11 computer, you need to become familiar with its power options. However, you might see a message saying no power options are available. You’ll likely see it when clicking the Power button on the Start menu.

The entire message reads, “There are currently no power options available.” When this frustrating issue crops up, you won’t have Shutdown or Restart, Sleep, or Hibernate options available.

If you aren’t seeing any power options on Windows 11, we’ll show you the troubleshooting steps to take in this guide.

What Causes the “There Are Currently No Power Options Available” Error?

You may see this error when you press the Windows key to launch the Start menu and click the Power button. This error can be due to insufficient account permissions, a corrupt power plan, or other OS-related issues. There may also be missing power options when you right-click the Start button.

You’ll also experience this error on a Standard user account. So, if you have a Standard account, you’ll need to gain Admin access or find someone with it.

Reset the Current Power Plan to Default

If you have made custom power plan settings, something could be misconfigured. You can easily reset the default Power plan from Control Panel or using PowerShell.

Check Group Policy Settings

If you are running Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions, you can check Group Policy settings to ensure it’s appropriately configured.

To verify Group Policy settings on Windows 11:

1. Press Windows key + R to launch the Run dialog box.
2. Type gpedit.msc and click OK or press Enter.
3. Navigate to the following location:

   User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar

4. In the right panel, find the Remove and prevent access to the Shut Down, Restart, Sleep, and Hibernate commands policy.
5. If enabled, double-click the policy, and set it to Disabled. If it’s set to Not Configured, you can leave it alone.

Scan System Files for Errors

If there are missing or corrupt system files, it can cause a power error. And to fix no power options available, you can run SFC and DISM scans to fix any missing or corrupt Windows system files automatically.

Once the scans are complete, restart Windows 11 and see if power options are back and the error no longer appears.

Verify Local Security Policy Editor

Misconfiguration of the security policy which handles access to power options could cause them to be missing. You can use Local Security Policy Editor to fix no power options available.

To fix Local Security policy rules:

1. Press the Windows key to launch the Start menu.
2. Type CPL and select Control Panel from the top result.
3. Click the User Accounts option from the menu.
4. Select the Configure advanced user profile properties option from the left column.
5. On the User Profiles window, note the full name of the profile.
6. Press Windows key + R to launch the Run dialog box.
7. Type secpol.msc and click OK or press Enter.
8. When Local Security Policy opens, navigate to the following location:

   Local Policies > User Rights Assignment

9. Double-click the Shut down the system policy in the right pane.
10. Select Backup Operators and click the Add User or Group button.
11. Type in the full name of your profile you noted earlier from the User Profiles window.
12. Click OK.
13. Restart your PC and check if the power options have returned.

Update Windows 11

If you are still receiving the now power options error, a simple fix you can do is update Windows 11. Updates include features, security, and bug fixes, and one could be waiting for you to download and fix the error.

Open Settings > Windows Update, click the Check for updates button, and install any available updates. Note a restart may be required to complete the installation. Once the update is complete, check if the error still exists.

Roll Back Updates

While updates are essential, on the other hand, they can cause issues with Window’s operation. So, if you notice the error after a specific update, you can uninstall cumulative updates.

Open Settings > Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates. Click the Uninstall option next to the most recent or two problematic updates. After that, ensure you pause Windows updates for a few weeks until there are known working ones.

Use System Restore

If you notice the power options went missing at a specific point in time, you can use the System Restore feature to recover your PC to a known working state. Before restoring your PC to an operational state, back up any essential files in case something goes wrong during the process.

Your PC will restart during the restore process.

Getting Power Options Back

If power options go missing on your Windows 11 computer, you can return them using the above options. Note that you may need to restore Windows 11 to factory settings as a last resort. Before doing that, however, make sure you create a complete system backup so you can restore your system from the backup.

There are other power options to be aware of on your Windows system. For example, you might want to create a custom power plan that balances system performance and battery power.

If you want to configure your power settings further, you can check your PC’s supported power features on Windows 11. You might also be interested in learning more about energy recommendations on your Windows system.