By default, Windows 11 uses a balanced power plan, which provides a good balance between power consumption and performance. However, when you need your computer to work without restrictions, you can enable the High-Performance power plan. This plan increases power consumption to maximize CPU speed, keep hard drives active longer, run fans at higher speeds for aggressive cooling, increase display brightness for better visibility, and boost WiFi power for better connectivity. Essentially, Windows optimizes your PC to run at its full potential.
The high-performance power plan is particularly useful for demanding tasks like gaming, video rendering, or running complex scripts that require all available resources. When needed, you can quickly switch to this plan to get the most out of your PC, albeit at the cost of higher power consumption.
In this quick tutorial, I’ll show you two methods to enable the high-performance power plan on Windows 11. Let’s get started.
Before You Begin
- High-performance power plan increases power consumption.
- On laptops, this power plan will decrease battery backup due to high power requirements and battery drain.
Enable High-Performance Plan Using Settings on Windows 11
- Press “Windows key + I” to open Settings.
- Go to the “System” tab.
- Click the “Power” option on the right page.
- Select “Best performance” from the “Power mode” dropdown.
- With that, you’ve enabled the high-performance power plan on Windows 11.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
As always, launch the Settings app. Use the “Windows key + I” shortcut or right-click the Start button and select the “Settings” option. Once it opens, go to the “System” tab and click the “Power” option on the right page.
This is the page where you can control your system power settings. Here, select “Best performance” from the “Power mode” dropdown menu.
As soon as you select the option, Windows 11 instantly changes the power plan to high performance. There is no need to manually save the change or restart your computer. With that, you are done.
Enable High-Performance Plan Using Control Panel on Windows 11
Alternatively, you can also change the power plan using the Control Panel. The good thing is that this method works in older versions such as Windows 10 and Windows 7. Here’s how to do it.
- Press the Start button on your keyboard.
- Search and open “Control Panel“.
- Select “Large icons” from the “View by” dropdown menu.
- Click the “Power Options” option.
- Expand the “Hide additional plans” section.
- Select the “High performance” option.
- With that, you’ve turned on the high-performance power plan on Windows 11.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
First, we need to open the Control Panel. To do that, open the Start menu by pressing the Start menu, enter “Control Panel” in the Start menu’s search bar, and click “Open“.
In the Control Panel, select “Large icons” from the “View by” dropdown menu on the top-right corner of the window. Next, click the “Power Options” option.
There is where you can manage the power plan settings on Windows. Here, expand the “Hide additional plans” section by clicking the “down arrow” icon.
Now, select the “High performance” option and you are done.
As soon as you select the option, Windows 11 activates the high-performance power plan so that you can use your computer/laptop to its fullest potential.
Wrapping Up — Turning ON High-Performance Power Plan on Windows 11
As you can see, you have two ways to turn ON the high-performance power plan on Windows 11. Whichever method you follow, the result is the same. Once enabled, your computer will run without restriction so that you can get the most out of it. Do keep in mind that this power plan not only increases the overall power consumption but in the case of laptops, reduces the battery backup time. As such, only use this power plan when you specifically need it, and then quickly switch to the “Balanced” or “Best power efficiency” power plan. Of course, if you really, you can create a custom power plan to meet your specific needs.
If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to help.
