How to Turn On the Ultimate Performance Power Plan in Windows 11
Getting your hands on the Ultimate Performance Power Plan in Windows 11 can feel like a treasure hunt. This plan is like pushing the gas pedal down to the floor—it really gives your system the juice it needs for heavy tasks like gaming or rendering. But, of course, it doesn’t come pre-packed, and finding it isn’t exactly straightforward. So, here’s the lowdown in a way that’s easy to follow, even for those who’ve had too much caffeine.
Finding the Control Panel
First up, you need to dig into the Control Panel—because for some reason, Microsoft thinks hiding it is a good idea. Just hit the Start button, type “Control Panel,” and choose the classic app when it pops up. Once you’re in, the layout can feel a bit like a maze, so switch from “Category” view to “Large icons” or “Small icons” to make things less of a headache—because honestly, who knows why it organizes things this way?
Head to Power Options
From there, look for “Power Options.” This section is where all the power plans hang out, from saving energy to going all out on performance. If you’re used to just hitting the battery icon on the taskbar, you might be surprised by how much is tucked away here. Sometimes it’s hiding under “System and Security,” but most of the time, it’ll be right in front of you.
Open Command Prompt as Admin
Now we’re getting to the fun part—and by fun, I mean slightly annoying. To enable the Ultimate Performance plan, you need to pull up the Command Prompt with admin rights—because Windows loves making things a tad difficult. Search for “cmd,” right-click it, and select “Run as administrator”. If a User Account Control prompt pops up, just hit yes. Not doing this means Windows is not gonna let you add any new power plans. Sigh.
Unlocking the Ultimate Performance Plan
In that shiny elevated Command Prompt window, type in this command:
powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61This little spell tells Windows to duplicate the top-notch power plan. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, but essentially, it’s grabbing that hidden high-performance scheme that’s often reserved for specific hardware. After smashing that Enter key, give it a couple seconds—your system might play coy and not respond right away. Sometimes a reboot does wonders, too.
Checking the Ultimate Performance Plan
When that command runs successfully, you can check if it’s there by navigating to Menu > Settings > System > Power & Battery > Additional power settings. Sometimes it just takes you to the classic Power Options window. If you don’t see the new plan, click on “Show additional plans”. You should spot “Ultimate Performance” lurking there. Click to activate it, or if you want to skip the mouse work, you can set it using this command:
powercfg -setactive e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61This way, you can jump straight into the ultimate performance profile without all that menu navigation. Super handy, right?
What’s the Deal with This Plan?
When this plan is cruising, you’ll notice your system starts to feel a lot snappier. If you’re into heavy-duty tasks like gaming or graphic design, it’s gonna help your computer respond like it’s on steroids—just with the downside of heavier power use. Since it disables those pesky power-saving features that usually aim to stretch battery life, it’s best to revert to a balanced plan when your laptop isn’t plugged in, or your battery will definitely have a few choice words for you later.
Handy Tips and Commands
- Check what power scheme is active with:
powercfg /getactivescheme- To see all the power schemes available, type:
powercfg /l- For deeper customization, poke around in the Power & Battery settings under Settings > System > Power & Battery and find Additional power settings under Related Settings.
- Wanna switch power plans fast? Just use Windows + X > select Power Options or hit Win + R and type
powercfg.cpl.
Just a quick heads-up: the Ultimate Performance Power Plan is really geared towards high-end workstations. If you’re on a standard laptop, you might not feel the difference, or the hit on battery life could be pretty noticeable.