System Reset and Restore Power Plan Settings to Default in Windows 11


  • Staff
Power_plan_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to reset and restore specific or all power plan settings to default for all users in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

A power plan is a collection of hardware and system settings that manages how your computer uses power. Power plans can help you save energy, maximize system performance, or achieve a balance between the two. A power plan is also known as a power scheme.

Changes made to a power plan settings will affect all users that use the same power plan as their default active power scheme.

Windows 10 and 11 includes the following power plans by default:
  • Balanced = Offers full performance when you need it and saves power when you don't. This is the best power plan for most people. Allows you to change your Power Mode.
  • Power saver = Saves power by reducing PC performance and screen brightness. If you're using a laptop, this plan can help you get the most from a single battery charge.
  • High performance = Maximizes screen brightness and might increase PC performance. This plan uses a lot more energy, so your laptop battery won't last as long between charges.
  • Ultimate Performance = Only available in the Windows 10/11 Pro for Workstations edition by default. Provides ultimate performance on higher end PCs. It builds on the current High-Performance policy, and goes a step further to eliminate micro-latencies associated with fine grained power management techniques. As the power scheme is geared towards reducing micro-latencies it may directly impact hardware; and consume more power than the default balanced plan. The Ultimate Performance power policy is currently not available on battery powered systems.
  • Custom = These are custom power plans created by a user on the PC and/or included by your PC manufacturer (OEM).

Contents

  • Option One: Reset Specific Power Plan Settings to Default
  • Option Two: Restore All Power Plans and Reset All Power Plans Settings to Default




Option One

Reset Specific Power Plan Settings to Default


1 Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the Power Options icon.

2 Click/tap on the Change plan settings link to the right of the power plan (ex: "Balanced") you want to change settings for. (see screenshot below)

This will usually be for your active power plan.


Reset_power_plan_settings_to_default-1.png

3 Click/tap on the Change advanced power settings link. (see screenshot below)

Reset_power_plan_settings_to_default-2.png

4 Click/tap on the Restore plan defaults button. (see screenshot below)

Reset_power_plan_settings_to_default-3.png

5 Click/tap on Yes to confirm. (see screenshot below)

Reset_power_plan_settings_to_default-4.png

6 Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

Reset_power_plan_settings_to_default-5.png

7 You can now close the Control Panel if you like.





Option Two

Restore All Power Plans and Reset All Power Plans Settings to Default


This option will delete all custom power plans, restore all default power plans, and reset the settings for all built-in power plans to default. This will not include built-in OEM power plans.

This option will also fix the Your power plan information isn't available error below (if have) for any of the built-in default power plans.

Your_power_plan_information_isn't_available.png


1 Open Windows Terminal, and select either Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt.

2 Copy and paste the command below into Windows Terminal, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)

powercfg -restoredefaultschemes

3 When finished, you can close Windows Terminal if you like.

powercfg_restoredefaultschemes.png



That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

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Last edited:
Hi Shawn
Can you please confirm the following?

"powercfg -restoredefaultschemes" is NOT deleting all custom power plans. My test below:

C:\Users\setoa>powercfg -restoredefaultschemes

C:\Users\setoa>powercfg -LIST

Existing Power Schemes (* Active)
-----------------------------------
Power Scheme GUID: 381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e (Balanced)
Power Scheme GUID: 4ab6b538-1021-4c57-9b12-d5d7e0956297 (Custom Balanced)
Power Scheme GUID: 62b37e83-1028-45ad-9436-dab0bfff267a (Custom Awake)
Power Scheme GUID: 8759706d-706b-4c22-b2ec-f91e1ef6ed38 (HP Optimized (recommended)) *
Power Scheme GUID: 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c (High performance)
Power Scheme GUID: a1841308-3541-4fab-bc81-f71556f20b4a (Power saver)

I think in Windows 10 the custom plans did get deleted but now I am not sure. Could it have changed W10 to W11?

Thanks,
Seto
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink U59
    Other Info
    Build 22621.1194
Hello Seto @meinprotaras, :alien:

I just checked on my system, and it still removed custom power plans for me. It will not remove a custom OEM power plan like your "HP Optimized" plan.

restoredefaultschemes.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
I just checked on my system, and it still removed custom power plans for me. It will not remove a custom OEM power plan like your "HP Optimized" plan.

Thank you Shawn,

I still have the problem. After some more research, the culprit is HP: in adding their "HP Optimized" plan they have "broken" the restoredefaultschemes functionality. For now, I am deleting all custom plans myself instead of relying on restoredefaultschemes.

Other HP system owners may want to take a note of this.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink U59
    Other Info
    Build 22621.1194
See if running the Microsoft Windows power troubleshooter makes any difference:

Administrative command prompt:

msdt.exe -id PowerDiagnostic
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4800MQ CPU @ 2.70GHz
    Motherboard
    Product : 190A Version : KBC Version 94.56
    Memory
    16 GB Total: Manufacturer : Samsung MemoryType : DDR3 FormFactor : SODIMM Capacity : 8GB Speed : 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Quadro K3100M; Intel(R) HD Graphics 4600
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition Audio CODEC; PNP Device ID HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_111D&DEV_76E0
    Hard Drives
    Model Hitachi HTS727575A9E364
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Mobile Workstation
Hello Seto @meinprotaras, :alien:

I just checked on my system, and it still removed custom power plans for me. It will not remove a custom OEM power plan like your "HP Optimized" plan.
HP's probably discovered you can make a power plan "permanent" by removing SYSTEM's Full Control rights to the power scheme.

1. Run regedit
2. Find your GUID under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\User\PowerSchemes
3. Right click menu -> Permissions
4. Click on Advanced
5. Click on Disable Inheritance. Choose convert to Explicit permissions.
6. Click on SYSTEM. Uncheck Full Control.

Voila! This GUID resists removal by "powercfg -restoredefaultschemes".
I don't have a HP system, but assume you reverse the settings for #4 & #5 to remove its protection.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
See if running the Microsoft Windows power troubleshooter makes any difference:

Thank you for the suggestion. Running the troubleshooter did not find anything wrong (other than my display sleep time being longer than the default).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink U59
    Other Info
    Build 22621.1194
HP has a section to "modify this document".
It may be useful for feedback.

 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4800MQ CPU @ 2.70GHz
    Motherboard
    Product : 190A Version : KBC Version 94.56
    Memory
    16 GB Total: Manufacturer : Samsung MemoryType : DDR3 FormFactor : SODIMM Capacity : 8GB Speed : 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Quadro K3100M; Intel(R) HD Graphics 4600
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition Audio CODEC; PNP Device ID HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_111D&DEV_76E0
    Hard Drives
    Model Hitachi HTS727575A9E364
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Mobile Workstation
HP's probably discovered you can make a power plan "permanent" by removing SYSTEM's Full Control rights to the power scheme.

1. Run regedit
2. Find your GUID under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\User\PowerSchemes
3. Right click menu -> Permissions
4. Click on Advanced
5. Click on Disable Inheritance. Choose convert to Explicit permissions.
6. Click on SYSTEM. Uncheck Full Control.

Voila! This GUID resists removal by "powercfg -restoredefaultschemes".
I don't have a HP system, but assume you reverse the settings for #4 & #5 to remove its protection.

I think you are saying that if I remove SYSTEM's Full Control rights on my 2 custom power plans, "powercfg -restoredefaultschemes" will NOT remove my custom plans. Put another way: in the permissions of the "permanent" plans (Ex. the Windows default power plans) SYSTEM does not have Full Control and that's why they resist removal by "powercfg -restoredefaultschemes".

Of course in my original post I was complaining that "powercfg -restoredefaultschemes" is NOT removing my custom plans. So with your suggestion I should have SYSTEM have Full Control so that they get removed. But, in the permissions of my custom plans, SYSTEM has Full Control.

My bottom-line question (1) to you - did you mean to say the opposite of what you said: remove SYSTEM's Full Control to be removable by "powercfg -restoredefaultschemes"?

Since I have your attention, may I please ask you the following as well - sorry, I know it's long!
See the picture below:
1686638434979.jpeg

So:
  • I start with 2 custom plans
  • I delete the 2 custom plans - they are gone in the next "powercfg /L"
  • I execute: "powercfg -restoredefaultschemes"
  • The 2 custom plans are back in the next "powercfg /L" !!!

Doesn't this imply that the 2 custom plans are being treated as permanent/default plans?

I then searched the whole Registry for the GUID of one of the custom plans:
Custom Balanced, GUID=4ab6b538-1021-4c57-9b12-d5d7e0956297

This GUID appeared under 4 keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Power\User\Default\PowerSchemes
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Power\User\PowerSchemes
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\User\Default\PowerSchemes
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\User\PowerSchemes

I am not an expert on the Registry but why is a custom plan listed under the 2 default keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Power\User\Default\PowerSchemes
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\User\Default\PowerSchemes

If my assumption that my custom plans are being treated as permanent/default plans. how could I have caused that when I used only command prompt to create those plans in the first place?

In any case, my bottom-line question (2) to you: can you tell me if I can SAFELY delete the 2 custom plans under the 2 default keys above?
Or even delete the 2 custom plans under all 4 keys above and start from scratch?

I really appreciate your time on this.
Seto
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink U59
    Other Info
    Build 22621.1194
HP has a section to "modify this document".
It may be useful for feedback.

I had seen that article, but it only covers normal Windows power plans stuff - nothing unique to HP.
Thanks for trying to help.
In any case, see my post above replying to garlin.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink U59
    Other Info
    Build 22621.1194
I then searched the whole Registry for the GUID of one of the custom plans:
Custom Balanced, GUID=4ab6b538-1021-4c57-9b12-d5d7e0956297

This GUID appeared under 4 keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Power\User\Default\PowerSchemes
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Power\User\PowerSchemes
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\User\Default\PowerSchemes
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\User\PowerSchemes

I am not an expert on the Registry but why is a custom plan listed under the 2 default keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Power\User\Default\PowerSchemes
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\User\Default\PowerSchemes

If my assumption that my custom plans are being treated as permanent/default plans. how could I have caused that when I used only command prompt to create those plans in the first place?

In any case, my bottom-line question (2) to you: can you tell me if I can SAFELY delete the 2 custom plans under the 2 default keys above?
Or even delete the 2 custom plans under all 4 keys above and start from scratch?
I'm not sure why your custom plan would appear under \User\Default, unless HP's done something weird with one of their tools or pre-configured this from their factory install. \User\Default is normally the Default User, the reference account from where all new user accounts inherit their default settings from.

Bottom line: if you don't want this any more then remove it from both ControlSets. There are two Control Sets, because if you had to change settings that required a reboot to implement -- Windows switches between the two parallel trees. After cleaning up, it shouldn't return the next time you restore defaults.

Again, since I don't have a HP factory configured system -- I'm kinda guessing what they've done. But it's not normal on a clean install.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7

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