How to use the POWERCFG command to manage power options

Troubleshooting when a PC, Laptop or Notebook do not hibernate, does not fit into suspension or the battery very quickly. Enable or disable hibernation. Know the sleep modes that admits a team and which devices does not support it. Check and analyze the energy efficiency of a team, its features and options in Windows.

Powercfg.exe is an application included in Windows that displays and allows you to configure power options for the team of your computer by using the command line.
Used from the CMD console by using the POWERCFG command.
Some of the tool options are available through a friendly interface that provides Powercfg.cpl,,1 (power options), an element of the control Panel, which we identify with the known icon of the battery and the cable.
Using POWERCFG we have access to all functions and additionally other advanced not available in control Panel.
It is very useful for portable like a Laptop or Notebook computers analyze the cause of the short duration of the battery.
On a PC, it allows us to solve various conflicts related to hibernation, suspension and identify devices that are the cause of these errors. 

How to run the command POWERCFG in Windows?

We can start the POWERCFG command with the necessary parameters in different ways:

✓ enter them directly in the CMD or command prompt console.
✓ Writing the order to a file batch or VBS script.
✓ Directly in the box (Windows 7), the tool run (Windows key + R), or directly on the screen (Windows 8).
For that priority order: CMD /K
For example: CMD /K POWERCFG/list shows the power plans available on the computer.

Below you'll find several code to copy and paste. 


Parameters and options of the POWERCFG command

The POWERCFG command can be used with several parameters or options, some of them only of interest to professionals or users with advanced knowledge.
Only then we relate parameters that can help solve common problems.
Read below practical examples with more details of its use.
POWERCFG/list lists all power plans available on the computer.
POWERCFG /Q displays the contents of a specified power plan. If none is indicated all the values of the current power scheme are displayed.
POWERCFG /A displays the suspension States available on the system.
POWERCFG /DEVICEQUERY displays devices that meet certain criteria.
POWERCFG-energy system scans to check the energy efficiency.
POWERCFG /REQUESTS lists requests for power applications and system drivers.
POWERCFG/h enables or disables the hibernation in the team.
POWERCFG /BATTERYREPORT generates a report of the use of the battery (only Windows 8).
To see all the possible options enter in the console: ' POWERCFG /?>%userprofile%/Desktop/uso-powercfg.txt "and press the Enter key, to create a text file on the desktop with the listing.

Practical examples of the use of POWERCFG

Know the available States of suspension

There are four States of suspension:
• S1 - light Suspension
• S2 - deep Suspension
• S3 - deeper Suspension
• S4 - hibernation
To know that supports the computer hardware used:
POWERCFG /A

Enable or disable hibernation

Not all computers are compatible or supported hibernation.
The Hibernate team created a file containing rodo who was in RAM before turn it off, allowing you to launch it faster, exactly at the same point.
On some computers after installing Windows disabled this feature.
Windows 8 is enabled by default if your computer supports it.
Some disabled hibernation since it can be the cause of certain conflicts in the boot or just to save space on the system drive.

To disable hibernation usa: POWERCFG - H OFF
To enable hibernation usa: POWERCFG - H ON
To specify a size specific usa: POWERCFG - H - Size 60

The size is expressed in percent never less than 50% of the size of the RAM.
Hibernation is required in Windows 8 to enable the suspension hybrid.

Analyze the energy efficiency of equipment

Try to learn about potential problems that are the cause of the short duration of the battery or excessive consumption of the equipment. 
This option must be used with the team is inactive and no programs or open documents, so that the result of the analysis is correct.
The test lasts 60 seconds, at that interval should be no action.
At the end creates an HTML file with the result of the analysis and the location of the file is displayed.
To start the test type: POWERCFG-energy and press the Enter key.

To open in the browser the created report file, paste in the box or on the screen of Windows 8: C:\Windows\system32\energy-report.html and press the Enter key.

Know the cause if the team doesn't go into sleep state

Sometimes suspend a computer (on a Laptop close lid) to preserve documents and programs open in the same State to start it.
Surprise then check that the team did not turn off.
To identify the cause that prevents it only uses: POWERCFG /REQUESTS
The command lists the energy requests made by applications and drivers. These prevent the computer to automatically turn off the screen or enters a low-power sleep mode.
As a result, the process (PROCESS) or a device driver (DRIVER) that prevents that team enters the State of suspension will be displayed.
If a process is an open program and the error will be sporadic.
If you are a driver, it's a driver that is incompatible with the equipment that we need to update since it will cause us conflict regularly.

Know that you have activated a team since the last State of suspension

If you need to know the cause why the team left the State of suspension used:
POWERCFG /LASTWAKE

Check the devices that support the States of suspension

In cases where some component of hardware or device has been added to the computer as a modem, keyboard, mouse, etc., and we want to see if it is compatible with one of the States of suspension, we can make the following test.
POWERCFG - DEVICEQUERY consultation
The query can be any of the following:
wake_from_S1_supported displays devices that can be activated from a light suspension State team.
wake_from_S2_supported lists the devices that can be activated from a profound state of suspension equipment
wake_from_S3_supported lists the devices that can activate the computer from a deeper sleep state
The same from any State wake_from_any
S1_supported shows the light suspension-compatible devices.
S2_supported shows the deep suspension-compatible devices.
S3_supported shows the deepest suspension-compatible devices.
S4_supported shows the devices that support hibernation.

Get a report of the usage and battery status

To make an analysis and generate a report about the State of a laptop battery usa:
POWERCFG /BATTERYREPORT
This parameter only is available in Windows 8.

There are several possibilities for this tool allows.
Some options require commands to be run as administrator.
For additional information in case of conflicts with the command line, read other pages on this site related to the use of CMD console.