No. They are two different settings, and they live in two different places:
- A power plan is a set of power settings. You pick it in Control Panel > Power Options. Each plan holds many detailed settings: how many minutes until the screen turns off, how many minutes until the PC sleeps, how hard the processor may work, and more. To change one of them, you open that plan's settings page and adjust it there.
- Power mode is a single choice out of three. You pick it in Settings > System > Power & battery. It only decides whether your PC should be a bit faster or save a bit more power. You just pick one option from a drop-down menu.
Power mode sits on top of the power plan. When you change Power mode, your power plan stays the same. Also, you can only change Power mode while you're using the Balanced plan.
- Turn off the screen after this many minutes of no use
- Put the PC to sleep after this many minutes of no use
- How hard the processor may work, at most
- Other advanced settings, such as hard disk and USB
On Windows 10, Power mode was a slider that appeared when you clicked the battery icon, which is why Microsoft's docs still call it the "power slider". On Windows 11 it's a drop-down menu. This post calls it Power mode throughout.
PowerDoze also has a feature called "power modes". Same name, but it isn't the same setting as Windows' Power mode. When this post means ours, it says "a PowerDoze power mode". The section "What does a PowerDoze power mode change?" explains what ours actually changes.
Power plan: many detailed settings, changed inside the plan
Power plans have been part of Windows for many years. Open Control Panel > Power Options and you'll see a list of them, and you can only pick one at a time. If you can't find Control Panel, type "Control Panel" into the search box on the taskbar.
Minutes until the screen turns off, minutes until the PC sleeps, and how hard the processor may work are all settings inside the power plan. Most of them have two values: one used when the PC is plugged in, one used on battery.
To change them, click Change plan settings next to the plan. The screen and sleep timers are right on that page. For the processor, hard disk, USB and so on, click Change advanced power settings at the bottom, then expand each item in the window that opens and adjust it.
Windows usually comes with three plans: Balanced, High performance and Power saver. For how to set the screen and sleep timers, see our sleep settings guide.
Power mode: just faster or more power-saving
Power mode is in Settings > System > Power & battery. On a desktop with no battery, that page is just called Power. Open Power mode and you'll see a drop-down menu with three choices:
- Best power efficiency: saves more power, and the PC may be a little slower.
- Balanced: uses the Balanced plan's own settings.
- Best performance: speed comes first, and it uses more power.
On a desktop there's usually one choice for the whole PC. On a laptop there may be one for plugged in and one for battery.
Power mode is not another power plan. Here's how Microsoft builds it: Best power efficiency and Best performance each have a small set of their own settings, laid over your current power plan. When you pick Balanced, the Balanced plan's own settings are used as they are. That small set only covers settings that affect speed, such as how the processor behaves and whether background apps are slowed down to save power. Settings like when the screen or hard disk turns off are outside Power mode's reach.
| Power plan | Power mode | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you change it | Control Panel > Power Options | Settings > System > Power & battery (just Power on a desktop) |
| What it covers | Many detailed settings: screen and sleep timers, processor, other advanced settings | Only a few settings that affect speed |
| How you change it | Click Change plan settings and adjust each item | Pick one option from a drop-down menu |
| When you can change it | Any time | Only on the Balanced plan, or a plan copied from Balanced |
If I change one, does the other change?
It depends which one you change.
- Change Power mode: the power plan stays the same. Power mode is a layer on top of the plan, not a different plan. So the plan's name and its screen and sleep timers stay as they were.
- Change the power plan: it depends which one you pick. Pick Balanced, or a plan copied from Balanced, and you can still change Power mode. Pick High performance, Power saver, or a plan your PC maker added, and Microsoft says Power mode doesn't appear.
There's one case Microsoft doesn't explain: what happens when the two ask for different values for the same setting. For example, you lower the processor limit in the power plan, but set Power mode to Best performance. Microsoft's public docs don't say which one wins, and we haven't tested it, so we won't guess.
Why does my PC only show the Balanced plan?
You didn't break anything. Microsoft's documentation is clear about this: PCs that support Modern Standby can only use the Balanced plan, or plans copied from Balanced.
Modern Standby is the kind of sleep many newer laptops use. The PC looks asleep, but part of it is still running (the formal name is "S0 Low Power Idle"). Why it can use battery while asleep is covered in our post on Modern Standby battery drain.
To check whether your PC is one of these:
- Type
cmdinto the search box on the taskbar and open Command Prompt. - Type
powercfg /aand press Enter. - Look under "The following sleep states are available on this system". If "Standby (S0 Low Power Idle)" is there, your PC uses Modern Standby. If it's listed under the sleep states that are not available, it doesn't.
On a PC like that, the way to make it a bit faster is Power mode (if your model offers it). You'll also find advice online to edit the registry (the place where Windows stores its system settings) to switch Modern Standby off and get the High performance plan back. We couldn't find that in Microsoft's documentation, and our post on Modern Standby battery drain covers what can go wrong. We'd hold off.
Power mode greyed out? Usually the power plan isn't Balanced
The most common reason you can't change Power mode is that your current power plan isn't Balanced. That's Microsoft's rule: you can only change Power mode while the Balanced plan, or a plan copied from Balanced, is selected. Pick High performance, Power saver, or a plan your PC maker added, and you can't change it. Whether it turns grey or disappears completely can differ between Windows versions. Microsoft's support page says the same thing: if you can't change the power mode, a custom power plan might be selected, and switching back to Balanced fixes it.
Windows may also show a short note near Power mode that tells you why you can't pick it. We found these notes in Windows 11's system files. Our copy of Windows is the Traditional Chinese version, so the wording below is our translation and may not match your screen word for word:
- Power mode is set automatically while the High performance plan is in use. You're on the High performance plan. Switch the power plan back to Balanced; the steps are below.
- Power mode is set automatically while the Ultimate Performance plan is in use. You're on the Ultimate Performance plan. Switch the power plan back to Balanced as well.
- Power mode can't be set while Energy saver is on. Some PCs say Battery saver instead. Either way, turn it off in Settings > System > Power & battery (just Power on a desktop).
To switch the power plan back to Balanced:
- Open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options. If you can't find Control Panel, type "Control Panel" into the search box on the taskbar.
- Select Balanced in the list of plans.
- Go back to Settings > System > Power & battery (just Power on a desktop) and check whether you can pick a Power mode now.
If the plan switches itself back again later, your PC maker's software, a work or school management setting, or another program may be changing it. This post shows how to find out which one. On a work or school PC where an administrator has set the power plan, you can't change it yourself; ask the administrator.
If you're on a desktop and still can't find Power mode after switching back to Balanced, see the common question "Does a desktop PC without a battery get the Power mode setting too?" If you use PowerDoze, switching to its built-in Performance mode can bring up the note about the High performance plan; the section "What does a PowerDoze power mode change?" explains why.
One more thing to keep apart: the High performance plan and the Best performance Power mode are not the same setting. High performance is a power plan. Best performance is a layer on top of the Balanced plan. The High performance plan uses more power, which Microsoft says itself. When to use High performance and when to switch back is covered in another post.
How do I check which plan I'm using with powercfg?
powercfg is a command built into Windows for power settings. Open Command Prompt (type cmd into the search box on the taskbar), type one of these, and press Enter:
powercfg /list: lists every power plan on the PC. The one marked with * is the plan you're using.powercfg /getactivescheme: shows only the plan you're using.powercfg /a: shows which kinds of sleep your PC supports. It also tells you whether it's a Modern Standby PC.
Each line in the list looks like this: Power Scheme GUID: 381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e (Balanced) *. powercfg says "power scheme" where Control Panel says "power plan". They're the same thing. The long string of letters and numbers (the GUID) is the plan's ID. To switch to a plan, type powercfg /setactive followed by that plan's ID. We ran powercfg /list on a Windows 11 PC ourselves: it listed only Balanced, High performance and Power saver. None of the three Power mode choices were in it.
Common questions
Does a desktop PC without a battery get the Power mode setting too?
Not always. Microsoft's guide for PC makers says that since Windows 10 version 1903, a PC with no battery only gets Power mode if the maker turns it on. Microsoft's public docs don't say how recent Windows 11 versions handle desktops. The Windows 11 desktop we tested does have Power mode. If yours doesn't, that doesn't mean you set something up wrong.
Is Game Mode the same thing as Power mode?
No. Microsoft says Game Mode is a separate feature. You can turn it on whichever Power mode you pick.
Does choosing Best performance make background apps use more power?
Microsoft's guide for PC makers says Windows normally keeps power throttling on. Power throttling slows down apps running in the background to save power. Only when Power mode is set to Best performance are all apps left at full speed, so background apps are no longer slowed down. Microsoft gives no figure for how much more power that uses, and that guide describes an older design, so details may differ on newer PCs.
What we can't be sure about
- Microsoft never writes "changing Power mode doesn't change your power plan" in so many words. That's our own conclusion from the way Microsoft describes the two separately. To check it yourself, run
powercfg /getactiveschemebefore and after you change Power mode, and see whether the plan name changes. - When a power plan and Power mode ask for different values for the same setting, the docs don't say which one wins, and we haven't tested it setting by setting.
- Microsoft's Power mode documentation is written for PC makers. Whether desktops get Power mode, and what recent Windows 11 versions look like, may already differ from what it says.
- The notes near Power mode come from text we found in Windows 11 (25H2) system files. We haven't checked every kind of PC to see when each one appears or where on the screen it shows up, and your screen may show no note at all, just a greyed-out menu.
If all you want is to make your PC a bit faster or save a bit more power now and then, Windows' Power mode is enough. You don't need us, or any software. If you just want to limit a few background apps that use a lot of power, the post on Task Manager's green leaf (Efficiency mode) is a better fit.
What does a PowerDoze power mode change?
Back to the shared name. A PowerDoze power mode is a set of settings we save for you: which power plan to use, the screen and sleep timers, the processor's minimum and maximum, and so on. When you switch PowerDoze power modes, what we change is Windows' power plan: we switch to the plan that mode uses, then write those values into it.
PowerDoze never touches Windows' Power mode. We don't change it for you, and we can't read which choice it's set to.
This leads to one side effect: PowerDoze's built-in Performance mode uses Windows' High performance plan. Under Microsoft's rule that Power mode can only be changed on the Balanced plan or a plan copied from it, Windows' Power mode usually can't be changed while it's active. Custom modes use a plan copied from Balanced. We haven't checked every kind of PC to see whether Windows' Power mode can be changed when a custom mode is in use.
If you'd like your PC to switch to the right PowerDoze power mode by time of day, or by the app you're using, have a look at switching by schedule, switching by app, or custom power modes.
Sources (Microsoft)
Customize the Windows performance power slider
Power Policy Settings (Win32 apps)
Powercfg command-line options
Modern Standby
Change the power mode for your Windows PC