How to Backup or Restore default Power Plans in Windows 11

Power plans are an essential part of any operating system, including Windows 11. These plans allow users to customize their power settings according to their needs, whether it be for energy efficiency or high performance. However, sometimes these plans can get accidentally deleted or changed, resulting in issues with the system's power management. In this article, we will discuss how to backup or restore default power plans in Windows 11, ensuring that your system runs smoothly with the desired power settings.

Windows 11/10 and Windows Server come with three default power plans: Balanced, Power Saver, and High Performance. These plans are designed to cater to different usage scenarios, such as balancing energy consumption and performance. However, users can customize these plans or create new ones using the PowerCFG command. This command-line tool allows users to view, create, and modify power plans on their systems.

To view the list of available power plans on your system, you can use the Command Prompt window. Simply open the Command Prompt and type in 'powercfg /l' without the quotes. This will display a list of all the power plans currently available on your system. This is especially useful if you have created custom power plans and want to check if they are still available.

If you have created a custom power plan on a technician's computer and want to export it to another computer, you can do so using the Control Panel. Open the Control Panel and navigate to the Power Options. Click on 'Create a power plan' and give your plan a name. Once created, you can export this plan by clicking on 'Change plan settings' and then 'Change advanced power settings.' In the new window, click on 'Export this plan' and save it to a desired location.

To deploy, import, or restore a power plan on a different computer, you can use the Command Prompt window. First, copy the exported power plan file to the new computer. Then, open the Command Prompt and type in 'powercfg /import [path\filename]' without the quotes. This will import the power plan to the new computer. To set this imported power plan as the active power plan, use the command 'powercfg /setactive [guidScheme-New]' without the quotes. This will ensure that the new power plan is applied to the system.

In case you want to restore the default power plans on your system, you can use the 'powercfg /restoredefaultschemes' command. This will reset all the power plans to their original settings, including the custom ones that you may have created. This is a handy tool in case you have accidentally deleted or modified the default power plans and want to restore them to their original state.

Lastly, if you want to rename a power option, you can use the 'powercfg /changename [guid] [new name] [scheme description]' command. This will allow you to change the name of the power plan, making it easier to identify and manage.