Creating a Custom Power Management Plan

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 11, 2019)

Most modern computers allow Windows to control both the computer itself (including the hard drive) and the display monitor. These components can be set to automatically "turn off" after varying amounts of inactivity. If the pre-defined power management plans in Windows don't meet your needs, you can create your own custom plan. Follow these steps:

  1. Display the Control Panel.
  2. At the left side of the screen click the Hardware and Sound heading. Windows displays the Hardware and Sound screen.
  3. Under the category of Power Options, click the Change Power-Saving Settings option. Windows displays the Power Options screen. (See Figure 1.)

    4. Figure 1. The Power Options screen.

  4. At the left side of the screen click Create a Power Plan. Windows displays the Create a Power Plan screen. (See Figure 2.)

    5. Figure 2. The Create a Power Plan screen.

  5. Pick one of the existing power management plans (Balanced, Power Saver, or High Performance) as the starting point for your new power plan.
  6. Specify a name for your power plan.
  7. Click Next. Windows displays the Edit Plan Settings screen. (See Figure 3.)

    8. Figure 3. The Edit Plan Settings screen.

  8. Use the controls on the screen to specify when Windows should turn off the display and put the computer to sleep. (Remember that the times represent periods of activity, so 10 minutes means that the device is turned off when you stop using the computer for 10 minutes.)
  9. Click Create.

 This tip (10717) applies to Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Repeating Table Rows with Manual Page Breaks

Need to make sure part of a table is on one page and part on another? The way to do so is not to use manual page breaks, ...

Discover More

Recognizing a Header Row when Sorting

When you sort data in a worksheet, there are a couple ways you can do it. Using the simple way can result in ...

Discover More

Finding and Replacing Text in Comments

Excel allows you to add comments to individual cells in your workbook. Unfortunately, Excel doesn't provide a way to ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Windows 11 Processor Requirements

Windows 11 has different processor requirements than Windows 10. How do you know if your processor will work with Windows 11?

Discover More

Quickly Reset Your Graphics Driver

Resetting your graphics driver can help when your computer is facing issues. Execute a quick rest of your computer's ...

Discover More

Deleting a Power Management Plan

Windows allows you to create custom power management plans. When you no longer need a plan you previously defined, you ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is one more than 9?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

Newest Tips
Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.