Delete Power Plan in Windows 10  

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    Delete Power Plan in Windows 10

    Delete Power Plan in Windows 10

    How to Delete a Power Plan in Windows 10
    Published by Category: Performance & Maintenance
    17 Apr 2021
    Designer Media Ltd

    How to Delete a Power Plan in Windows 10


    A power plan is a collection of hardware and system settings that manages how computers use and conserve power. A power plan is also known as a power scheme. You can create custom power plans that are optimized for specific computers.

    By default, Windows 10 includes three built-in power plans: Balanced, Power Saver, and High Performance. You can customize these existing plans for your systems, create new plans that are based on the existing plans, or create a new power plan from scratch.

    If you created power plans that you no longer use or need, you can delete them.

    This tutorial will show you how to delete a power plan on your Windows 10 PC.

    While any user can delete a custom power plan, you must be signed in as an administrator to be able delete any of the built-in Balanced, Power Saver, or High Performance power plans.

    After you delete a plan, you can't restore it unless you had previously exported the power plan to be able import it back when you like.



    Contents

    • Option One: To Delete a Custom Power Plan in Power Options
    • Option Two: To Delete a Power Plan in Command Prompt






    OPTION ONE

    To Delete a Custom Power Plan in Power Options


    If you want to restore a power plan deleted using this option, you can use option 1 or 2 here.


    1 Do step 2, step 3, step 4, or step 5 below for how you would like to open Power Options.

    2 Click/tap on the Power icon in the notification area, click/tap on Power & sleep settings, click/tap on the Additional power settings link in Settings, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below)

    Delete Power Plan in Windows 10-power_icon-1.jpg

    3 Right click or press and hold on the Power icon in the notification area, click/tap on Power options, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below)

    Delete Power Plan in Windows 10-power_icon-2.jpg

    4 Open the Control Panel (icons view), click/tap on the Power Options icon, and go to step 6 below.

    5 Open the Win+X Quick Link menu, click/tap on Power Options, and go to step 6 below.

    6 If the custom power plan you want to delete is currently selected as your active plan, then you will need to select (dot) a different plan to be your active plan first. (see screenshot below)

    Delete Power Plan in Windows 10-delete_custom_power_plan-1.png

    7 Click/tap on the Change plan settings link to the right of the custom power plan you wanted to delete. (see screenshot below)

    Delete Power Plan in Windows 10-delete_custom_power_plan-2.png

    8 Click/tap on the Delete this plan link. (see screenshot below)

    Delete Power Plan in Windows 10-delete_custom_power_plan-3.png

    9 Click/tap on OK to confirm. (see screenshot below)

    Delete Power Plan in Windows 10-delete_custom_power_plan-4.png

    10 The custom power plan has now been deleted from the PC. (see screenshot below)

    Delete Power Plan in Windows 10-delete_custom_power_plan-5.png






    OPTION TWO

    To Delete a Power Plan in Command Prompt


    If you want to restore a power plan deleted using this option, you can use option 2 here.


    1 If you are deleting a custom power plan, then open a command prompt and go to step 3 below.

    2 If you are deleting a built-in Balanced, Power Saver, or High Performance power plan, then open an elevated command prompt and go to step 3 below.

    3 Copy and paste the powercfg /list command below into the command prompt, and press Enter. This will give you a list of all existing power plans on the PC along with their GUID. Make note of the GUID of the power plan (ex: "My Custom Plan 1") you want to delete. (see screenshot below)

    Delete Power Plan in Windows 10-delete_power_plan_command-1.png

    4 If the power plan you want to delete is currently set as your active plan, then you will need to set another power plan as your active plan first. (see screenshot below)

    An asterisk * to the right of the power plan in step 3 above will indicate your current active plan.

    Delete Power Plan in Windows 10-delete_power_plan_command-2.png

    5 Type the command below into the command prompt, and press Enter to delete the power plan.(see screenshot below)

    powercfg -delete GUID

    Substitute GUID in the command above with the actual GUID of the power plan in step 3 above you want to delete.

    For example:

    (Balanced)
    powercfg -delete 381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e

    (High performance)
    powercfg -delete 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c

    (Power saver)
    powercfg -delete a1841308-3541-4fab-bc81-f71556f20b4a

    (Ultimate Performance)
    powercfg -delete e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61

    Delete Power Plan in Windows 10-delete_power_plan_command-3.png

    6 When finished, you can close the command prompt if you like.


    That's it,
    Shawn






  1. Posts : 1,871
    W10 pro x64 20H2 Build 19042.610
       #1

    I've found this and your TUT on exporting/importing power plans really useful when doing a clean install. Setting up three separate plans is tedious (I find) and this all worked like a charm.

    I must remember next time to call the 'Balanced' plan something else such as 'Balanced Custom'. This was the reason I needed to delete the default Windows plan as I wanted my previously saved Balanced plan in its place. Having two 'Balanced' plans selectable didn't look quite right although the default plan did have a bracketed 'recommended' following it around.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 68,668
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #2

    I'm glad it was able to help Mooly.
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 86
    Windows 10
       #3

    @Brink is it safe to delete windows own power plans?
    Cuz every time i put my power scheme to ultimate performance its falls back to high performance after a while!

    Thx for this awesome guide! :)
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 68,668
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #4

    elajits said:
    @Brink is it safe to delete windows own power plans?
    Cuz every time i put my power scheme to ultimate performance its falls back to high performance after a while!

    Thx for this awesome guide! :)

    Hello elajits,

    You can safely delete the power plans, but you shouldn't need to.

    Do you have something like Intel Power Management installed from the OEM that could be changing your power plan?
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 86
    Windows 10
       #5

    Brink said:
    Hello elajits,

    You can safely delete the power plans, but you shouldn't need to.

    Do you have something like Intel Power Management installed from the OEM that could be changing your power plan?
    okay so i removed windows own power plans and i and leaved the ultimate performance! i hope it stays!
    No i don't have any Intel software installed
    Nothing more than the drivers and updates Windows 10 gave me when installing / reinstalling!
    so i have no clue of what the culprit of this issue can be!
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 18,044
    Win 10 Pro 64-bit v1909 - Build 18363 Custom ISO Install
       #6

    Good afternoon @Brink ,

    I have been performing some customisations and discovered something interesting.

    If you use . . .

    > OPTION TWO - To Delete a Power Plan in Command Prompt
    > Delete Power Plan in Windows 10

    . . . it appears that you can NOT add a Power Plan back [ it says that it does NOT exist ] with . . .

    > Option One: Restore Missing Default Power Plan by using Command
    > Restore Missing Default Power Plans in Windows 10

    In order to Restore the Power Plan, you will need to use . . .

    > Option Two: Restore Missing Default Power Plan by Importing POW file
    > Restore Missing Default Power Plans in Windows 10



    However, if you were to click the Change Plan Settings and select Delete Power Plan, you CAN re-instate it using . . .

    > Option One: Restore Missing Default Power Plan by using Command
    > Restore Missing Default Power Plans in Windows 10



    This took a while to understand and figure out what was happening, but I thought I would post my findings and solution in case it might help others in a similar situation.

    Thanks.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 68,668
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Thank you @Paul Black. Note added to help others for this.
      My Computers


  8. Posts : 18,044
    Win 10 Pro 64-bit v1909 - Build 18363 Custom ISO Install
       #8

    Brink said:
    Thank you @Paul Black. Note added to help others for this.
    You are VERY welcome, as always.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 190
    Windows 10, 22H2 10.0.19045
       #9

    There is a great post regarding power plans by Pete Brown, Principal Program Manager, Windows & Devices here:

    https://devblogs.microsoft.com/windo...on-windows-10/

    I was able to very quickly create the plan shortcuts as well as a simple batch file to show which plan is currently active (and installed the new MS Terminal app in the process). Slick!

    Delete Power Plan in Windows 10-image_103.png
      My Computer


 

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