Windows 11 Build 27686 has a few noteworthy improvements, such as 2TB support for FAT32 storage. It also improves Windows Sandbox and offers greater control over HDR settings, but there's an undocumented change - the ability to set power mode for different power states.
As shown in the screenshot below, Windows 11 will finally let you set different power modes for when your PC is plugged in and when it's running on battery.
Previously, you could only choose one power mode that applied to all states.
While Windows did automatically adjust some power settings depending on whether the device was plugged in or on battery, the specific "Power Mode" setting itself (like "Best Performance," "Balanced," or "Best Power Efficiency") didn't have separate options for these two states.
After the update, you can set Power Mode for both when your PC is plugged in when it’s on battery in Settings highlighted above.
When plugged in, you might want maximum performance because battery life isn't a concern. But when running on battery, you might prefer a power-saving mode to extend battery life.
With this update, you can automatically switch between these modes depending on whether your PC is plugged in or not.
Comments
ZeroYourHero - 2 months ago
Wow, finally a useful power management feature that's not related to the climate cult. You know, the one making the rich richer with phoney "green" investments. The wise are aware of the good old "solution in search of a problem".
newsposter - 2 months ago
The options have always been there via registry editing or any number of third-party utilities.
This 'new feature' is merely the restoration to Windows 11 of native GUI controls that themselves go decades back in multiple windows releases.
electrolite - 2 months ago
Windows 7 already had all the options for setting up power settings which came out in 2009. It took MS this long just to back port what already exists into the crappy UWP interface they have now. Pure utter crap.
Pkshadow - 2 months ago
Power Mode Best Performance / High Performance is a form of Overclocking locking the highest Clock Speed in non-stop.
With these days of CPU Stores sticking in any speed of Ram they want to like 6000MHz setting and saying the M/B will throttle it. Thus Ram is running at max compatible speed for the Chip regardless if XMP is on or off then add Power Mode High Performance is asking for problems and it is seen in the BSOD Forum.
Most Users have no idea what they turn on or off until educated in the forum.
Let's hope MS offers some info beside the turn off/on.