Windows 11 Brings New Energy Saver Mode for Laptops and Desktop PCs

Another day, another Microsoft Insider build. However, in addition to all the bug fixes, there is also a new feature called ‘Energy saver‘mode has made its appearance. Energy Saver Mode comes with the latest Windows 11 Insider Build (26002) in the Canary Channel. The new feature should come to Windows 11’s stable channel that everyone uses via a easy to update at a later time.

Does this replace the previous ‘Battery saver‘mode? Microsoft is actually touting this as a way to improve it. By means of restrictive reducing system performance by a small amount (Microsoft specified this as “trading off some system performance”), your PC’s power consumption will decrease significantly with the new feature.

New Energy Saver feature introduced in Windows 11 Insider build 26002 — Image courtesy: Microsoft

The new mode isn’t limited to just Windows 11 laptops either. Desktop computers will also be able to use it to reduce the energy consumption of their device. The ‘Energy saver‘ feature can be accessed by going to System > Energy > Energy saving or via the quick settings panel next to the system tray.

Energy saving Windows 11 — Windows 11 Insider Build Introduces Energy Saver Feature and Wi-Fi Refresh Button | Image courtesy: Microsoft

The new user interface in the quick settings panel also shows ‘Energy saver‘ instead of the previous function. Microsoft has not specified where the previous Battery saver mode goes. Maybe it will be replaced with a power plan setting instead.

So the new feature should significantly reduce unnecessary power consumption commonly found on high-end desktop systems. For example the Core i5-14600K consumes ~30 W of power in idle state (max. 181 W in turbo mode). But after enabling the ‘Balanced‘power preset, the power consumption remains in the range of 10-20 W.