Applies To
Windows 11

How you configure various settings on your Windows 11 device influences power consumption, battery life, and the carbon emissions that occur from electricity generation. Energy recommendations collects settings that have an outsized impact on power consumption in one place, making it easy to reduce your power consumption and improve battery life.

You will see different items on the Energy recommendations settings page depending on the type of Windows device you have, whether it is plugged into the wall for power, or running on battery.

Here's how you can access Energy recommendations on Windows settings:

  • Select Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Energy recommendations.

Note: Some recommendations are not present in certain devices due to hardware and sensor differences.

Here are some tips on how to make the most of the settings within Energy recommendations. Select any headline, and it will open to display more information:  

  1. Select Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Energy recommendations.

  2. Apply the setting Set the power mode for best energy efficiency.

This will set the system power mode to Recommended settings to maintain the best balance between energy efficiency and performance.

  1. Select Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Energy recommendations.

  2. Apply the setting Set the screen brightness for best energy efficiency.

This allows you modify the properties of the Display tab (such as brightness) that influence energy consumption.

Note: The screen brightness setting is not yet enabled for external displays.

  1. Select Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Energy recommendations.

  2. Apply the setting Put my device to sleep after 3 (or 10) minutes.

Devices with longer sleep time use more power than those with less sleep time. This recommendation allows you to set your device to sleep after three (or ten, depending on the system) minutes to maximize power savings.

  1. Select Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Energy recommendations.

  2. Apply the setting Turn off my screen after 3 (or 10) minutes.

This sets the screen timeout to three (or ten, depending on the system) minutes on your device in order to reduce energy use.

  1. Select Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Energy recommendations.

  2. Apply the setting Save power by screen contrast and brightness for the content shown.

This setting automatically adjusts the screen brightness and contrast based on content that’s displayed on your built-in screen, giving you ideal brightness and contrast levels while saving power and enjoying longer battery life. If these sudden brightness changes are distracting, or if you work in photo and video apps where color accuracy is important to you, you can turn this off any time.

Note: This is currently not available for devices without batteries.

  1. Select Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Energy recommendations.

  2. Apply the setting Change brightness automatically when lighting around me changes.

Adaptive brightness, which is set automatically in response to the ambient light sensor, provides users with a more responsive and energy efficient display experience, allowing brightness to adapt automatically to the user's environment.

Note: This is currently not available for external monitors.

  1. Select Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Energy recommendations.

  2. Apply the setting Automatically put my device to sleep when I leave.

This will set your device to go to sleep as soon as it detects you are no longer near the device, helping you to prolong battery life and save energy by not running the device when you are not there to use it.

Note: This is only available on devices with a presence sensor.

  1. Select Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Energy recommendations.

  2. Apply the setting Automatically dim my screen when I look away.

This will set your device to dim the screen when you are not directly looking at it, saving energy by not illuminating a screen you are not using at that moment.

Note: This is only available on devices with a presence sensor.

  1. Select Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Energy recommendations.

  2. Apply the setting Turn off my screen saver​​​​​​​.

You can conserve energy by deactivating the screen saver on your device.

  1. Select Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Energy recommendations.

  2. Apply the setting Stop USB devices when my screen is off to help save battery​​​​​​​​​​​​​​.

USB devices consume significant energy. This setting mitigates this issue by blocking access to USB devices when the screen is off.

Note: This is currently not available for devices without batteries.

Related topics

Power efficient settings in Windows 11

Battery saving tips for Windows

Change the power mode for your Windows PC

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