How to Enable Ultimate Performance Power Plan in Windows 10 and 11—and Switch It Off

What the plan is​

Windows PCs ship with a few power plans that trade performance against battery life. Laptops default to Balanced, which suits most people. XDA Developers describes Ultimate Performance as the most performance-focused plan. It is hidden by default and aimed at high-end workstations rather than everyday laptops.

Pureinfotech reports that the scheme was originally limited to the Windows 10 Pro for Workstations edition. It can be enabled manually on any edition of Windows 10 and Windows 11 with the powercfg command. Device and OEM configuration can still affect what you see. Microsoft notes that available power modes vary by device.

The commands below only duplicate a built-in scheme and make it active. They are not an overclock. They don't touch CPU voltage or clock settings directly.

How to enable it​

You need an elevated Command Prompt, PowerShell or Windows Terminal. Right-click Start and choose Terminal (Admin), or search for cmd and choose Run as administrator.

Step 1: duplicate the hidden scheme

powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61

Microsoft documents that /duplicatescheme copies a scheme and displays the new scheme's GUID. If you don't specify a destination GUID, Windows creates a new one. That is why the next step uses a different GUID.

Atera notes that duplicatescheme generates a new random GUID every time it runs. The GUID you see on your PC will not match anyone else's.

Step 2: activate the new copy

Copy the GUID the first command printed and run:

powercfg /setactive <your-new-GUID>

Replace the placeholder with the GUID from step 1. Microsoft documents /setactive as the command that makes a scheme active on the system.

Some guides tell you to run setactive with the original e9a42b02… GUID. Don't assume that works. Use the GUID from your own copy.

Step 3: confirm it worked

• Run powercfg /getactivescheme to see which plan is active. Microsoft documents this option.
• Run powercfg /list to list all schemes. Your new copy should appear.
• Or open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options. You can also press Win + R, type powercfg.cpl and press Enter. If the plan isn't visible, expand "Show additional plans."

When the duplication works, memstechtips says you get a line starting with Power Scheme GUID, with "(Ultimate Performance)" at the end.

If the command fails​

• "Invalid Parameters": The usual cause is that the dash before duplicatescheme got changed into a longer dash when copied from a website or word processor. Type the command by hand and paste only the GUID.
• "The power scheme, subgroup or setting specified does not exist": This means the GUID is wrong, often a missing or extra character. If you're running /setactive or /delete, use your own copy's GUID from powercfg /list, not the template GUID.
• Plan not showing in Control Panel: Run powercfg /list. If it's listed, activate it with its GUID. If not, run the duplicate command again.

What you can and can't expect​

XDA's author says gaming loads, video editing and rendering feel smoother on this plan. The article offers no benchmarks, so treat that as one user's experience. The gains will vary by hardware, workload and title.

Some guides describe the plan's specifics as a 100% minimum processor state, disabled PCIe link-state power management, disabled USB selective suspend and reduced core parking. Neat Net Tricks lists these as settings changes. That is a third-party description. I could not confirm it in Microsoft's documentation, so inspect your own copy with powercfg /query if the details matter to you.

Microsoft's server documentation gives useful background on the concept. For its High Performance plan, it says processors are locked at the highest performance state, including turbo frequencies, and that thermal output may be significant. It also says the plan raises performance at the cost of high energy consumption. That page covers Windows Server, so don't read it as a specification of Ultimate Performance on your PC. It does show why these plans exist and what they cost.

Microsoft's PC performance guidance for Windows 11 says that choosing Best performance increases power consumption. On laptops, it says the setting drains the battery faster and may make the device run warmer. Microsoft advises using it only when you need maximum performance and power availability isn't a limitation.

The costs​

• Battery life: XDA's author reports his laptop dropping from about 2–2.5 hours on Balanced to 40–45 minutes on Ultimate Performance. That is one machine's result, not a general figure. The direction matches Microsoft's warning.
• Heat: Expect a warmer device, especially on thin laptops. XDA suggests a cooling pad may help.
• Settings behavior: XDA says Windows greys out the Power mode option in Settings while the plan is active. Microsoft's guidance says a custom power plan may prevent you from changing the Power mode control in Settings. Microsoft's remedy is to select Balanced in Control Panel > System and Security > Power Options.
• Persistence: XDA says the plan may vanish from Control Panel after you switch back to Balanced, so you'd rerun the commands. Microsoft doesn't document this behavior. If it happens, check powercfg /list and repeat the steps.
• Safety: XDA's author sees no major short-term harm and considers damage unlikely because computers have other safeguards. His long-term advice is to use Balanced or Best Performance for everyday work.

Reversing it​

1. Open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options and pick Balanced. Or run powercfg /setactive <GUID of your Balanced plan>, with the GUID from powercfg /list.
2. Optionally delete the copy with powercfg /delete <your Ultimate Performance GUID>. Microsoft documents /delete as removing a scheme by GUID. Never delete the plan you're currently using.

Who should try it​

It makes sense on a desktop or a plugged-in workstation that handles long renders, compiles, or latency-sensitive work. It makes little sense on a laptop that spends its day on battery.

A sensible approach is to try it for a specific job, compare the results with Balanced, then switch back. Microsoft's built-in Best performance power mode is a lower-effort alternative. Check it first under Settings > System > Power & battery.

Modern CPUs already scale frequency in milliseconds, so don't expect a transformation. The plan removes some power-management delays, and you pay for that in heat and battery. Whether it helps depends on your own PC and workload.