What it is
Energy Saver is the successor to the older Battery Saver (available since Windows 11 version 24H2 and later). It reduces energy consumption by limiting background activity, lowering display brightness, disabling transparency effects, and pausing non-critical sync tasks – whether your device is on battery or plugged in
How to use it
Quick Settings: Click the battery (or network/volume) icon and toggle the leaf/“Energy Saver” icon
Settings app: Go to Settings → System → Power & battery (or Power on desktops), expand Energy Saver, then:
Turn on Always use Energy Saver
Or set it to activate below a certain battery percentage (e.g., 30%)
Choose whether to reduce screen brightness when active
Behind the scenes
Automatically dims your display by ~30%.
Pauses background tasks, disables visual effects, and halts non-essential updates or telemetry
Works on both laptops and desktops – helpful for reducing overall electricity usage.
Energy Saver overrides performance settings, so the Power Mode selector is greyed out while active.
Should you use it?
Yes, if you’re aiming to:
Extend battery life on laptops
Reduce energy consumption on desktops
Minimize background tasks, updates, and animations
Keep in mind:
Performance may be capped
You might need to manually disable it when you want full speed
Watch for occasional quirks post-activation