Configure when energy saver (previously named efficiency mode) should become active

What it does

This policy setting lets you configure when energy saver becomes active. By default, energy saver is set to 'BalancedSavings'. On devices with no battery, energy saver is disabled by default and does not become active. Please note that Windows Energy Saver settings can influence when energy saver becomes active on all devices. Individual sites may be blocked from participating in energy saver by configuring the policy 'SleepingTabsBlockedForUrls' (Block sleeping tabs on specific sites). Set this policy to 'AlwaysActive' and energy saver is always active. Set this policy to 'NeverActive' and energy saver never becomes active. Set this policy to 'ActiveWhenUnplugged' and energy saver becomes active when the device is unplugged. Set this policy to 'ActiveWhenUnpluggedBatteryLow' and energy saver becomes active when the device is unplugged and the battery is low. Set this policy to 'BalancedSavings' and when the device is unplugged, energy saver takes moderate steps to save battery. When the device is unplugged and the battery is low, energy saver takes extra steps to save battery. Set this policy to 'MaximumSavings' and when the device is unplugged or unplugged and the battery is low, energy saver takes extra steps to save battery. If the device does not have a battery, energy saver never becomes active in any mode other than 'AlwaysActive' unless the setting or 'EfficiencyModeEnabled' (Efficiency mode enabled) policy is enabled. This policy has no effect if the 'EfficiencyModeEnabled' policy is disabled. Learn more about energy saver: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2173921 Learn more about energy saver: https://learn.microsoft.com/windows-hardware/design/component-guidelines/energy-saver Policy options mapping: * AlwaysActive (0) = Energy saver is always active * NeverActive (1) = Energy saver is never active * ActiveWhenUnplugged (2) = Energy saver is active when the device is unplugged * ActiveWhenUnpluggedBatteryLow (3) = Energy saver is active when the device is unplugged and the battery is low * BalancedSavings (4) = When the device is unplugged, energy saver takes moderate steps to save battery. When the device is unplugged and the battery is low, energy saver takes extra steps to save battery. * MaximumSavings (5) = When the device is unplugged or unplugged and the battery is low, energy saver takes extra steps to save battery. Use the preceding information when configuring this policy.

What it writes

Hive

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE or HKEY_CURRENT_USER

Registry key

Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\Recommended

Options

Configure and deploy

Choose a state and the option values; the output below is generated from the template for exactly that.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\Recommended]
"EfficiencyMode"=dword:00000000

$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'

function Set-RegistryValue {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $PropertyType,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Value
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        New-Item -Path $Path -Force | Out-Null
    }

    New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -PropertyType $PropertyType -Value $Value -Force | Out-Null
}

function Remove-RegistryValue {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
    )

    if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path) {
        Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    }
}

function Clear-RegistryKeyValues {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        return
    }

    foreach ($propertyName in (Get-Item -LiteralPath $Path).Property) {
        Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $propertyName -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    }
}

# Policy: Configure when energy saver (previously named efficiency mode) should become active
# Name: EfficiencyMode_recommended
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: msedge.admx

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\Recommended' -Name 'EfficiencyMode' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 0

./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_msedge/EfficiencyMode_recommended

$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
$reasons = [System.Collections.Generic.List[string]]::new()

function Test-RegistryValueExists {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        return $false
    }

    return $null -ne (Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)
}

function Test-RegistryValueEquals {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Kind,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Expected
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        return $false
    }

    $valueObject = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($null -eq $valueObject) {
        return $false
    }

    $actual = $valueObject.$Name
    switch ($Kind) {
        'String' { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
        'ExpandString' { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
        'DWord' { return [uint32]$actual -eq [uint32]$Expected }
        'QWord' { return [uint64]$actual -eq [uint64]$Expected }
        'MultiString' {
            $actualArray = @($actual)
            $expectedArray = @($Expected)
            if ($actualArray.Count -ne $expectedArray.Count) { return $false }
            for ($index = 0; $index -lt $actualArray.Count; $index++) {
                if ([string]$actualArray[$index] -cne [string]$expectedArray[$index]) { return $false }
            }
            return $true
        }
        'Binary' {
            $actualArray = [byte[]]$actual
            $expectedArray = [byte[]]$Expected
            if ($actualArray.Length -ne $expectedArray.Length) { return $false }
            for ($index = 0; $index -lt $actualArray.Length; $index++) {
                if ($actualArray[$index] -ne $expectedArray[$index]) { return $false }
            }
            return $true
        }
        default { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
    }
}

# Policy: Configure when energy saver (previously named efficiency mode) should become active
# Name: EfficiencyMode_recommended
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: msedge.admx

$isMatch = Test-RegistryValueEquals -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\Recommended' -Name 'EfficiencyMode' -Kind 'DWord' -Expected 0
if (-not $isMatch) {
    $reasons.Add('Value mismatch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\Recommended\EfficiencyMode') | Out-Null
}

if ($reasons.Count -eq 0) {
    Write-Output 'Compliant'
    exit 0
}

$reasons | ForEach-Object { Write-Output $_ }
exit 1

$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'

function Set-RegistryValue {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $PropertyType,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Value
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        New-Item -Path $Path -Force | Out-Null
    }

    New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -PropertyType $PropertyType -Value $Value -Force | Out-Null
}

function Remove-RegistryValue {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
    )

    if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path) {
        Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    }
}

function Clear-RegistryKeyValues {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        return
    }

    foreach ($propertyName in (Get-Item -LiteralPath $Path).Property) {
        Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $propertyName -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    }
}

# Policy: Configure when energy saver (previously named efficiency mode) should become active
# Name: EfficiencyMode_recommended
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: msedge.admx

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\Recommended' -Name 'EfficiencyMode' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 0

History 37 retained releases

1. 153.0.4234.3211 Sep 2026
   • Description … disabled. Learn more about energy saver: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2173921 Learn more about energy saver: https://learn.microsoft.com/[removed: en-us/]windows-hardware/design/component-guidelines/energy-saver Policy options mapping: * AlwaysActive (0) = Energy saver is always active …
     Whole description, marked

     This policy setting lets you configure when energy saver becomes active. By default, energy saver is set to 'BalancedSavings'. On devices with no battery, energy saver is disabled by default and does not become active. Please note that Windows Energy Saver settings can influence when energy saver becomes active on all devices. Individual sites may be blocked from participating in energy saver by configuring the policy 'SleepingTabsBlockedForUrls' (Block sleeping tabs on specific sites). Set this policy to 'AlwaysActive' and energy saver is always active. Set this policy to 'NeverActive' and energy saver never becomes active. Set this policy to 'ActiveWhenUnplugged' and energy saver becomes active when the device is unplugged. Set this policy to 'ActiveWhenUnpluggedBatteryLow' and energy saver becomes active when the device is unplugged and the battery is low. Set this policy to 'BalancedSavings' and when the device is unplugged, energy saver takes moderate steps to save battery. When the device is unplugged and the battery is low, energy saver takes extra steps to save battery. Set this policy to 'MaximumSavings' and when the device is unplugged or unplugged and the battery is low, energy saver takes extra steps to save battery. If the device does not have a battery, energy saver never becomes active in any mode other than 'AlwaysActive' unless the setting or 'EfficiencyModeEnabled' (Efficiency mode enabled) policy is enabled. This policy has no effect if the 'EfficiencyModeEnabled' policy is disabled. Learn more about energy saver: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2173921 Learn more about energy saver: https://learn.microsoft.com/[removed: en-us/]windows-hardware/design/component-guidelines/energy-saver Policy options mapping: * AlwaysActive (0) = Energy saver is always active * NeverActive (1) = Energy saver is never active * ActiveWhenUnplugged (2) = Energy saver is active when the device is unplugged * ActiveWhenUnpluggedBatteryLow (3) = Energy saver is active when the device is unplugged and the battery is low * BalancedSavings (4) = When the device is unplugged, energy saver takes moderate steps to save battery. When the device is unplugged and the battery is low, energy saver takes extra steps to save battery. * MaximumSavings (5) = When the device is unplugged or unplugged and the battery is low, energy saver takes extra steps to save battery. Use the preceding information when configuring this policy.

2. 150.0.4078.8016 Jul 2026
   • Already present in the first release ChangeIntel keeps.

35 later releases left it unchanged.

Template

Internal name

EfficiencyMode_recommended

Namespace

Microsoft.Policies.Edge

Template file

msedge.admx

Release

Microsoft Edge 155.0.4283.62 · file set 0a733b0040dbbf02…

<policy class="Both" displayName="$(string.EfficiencyMode)" explainText="$(string.EfficiencyMode_Explain)" key="Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\Recommended" name="EfficiencyMode_recommended" presentation="$(presentation.EfficiencyMode)" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:Performance_recommended" />
      <supportedOn ref="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:SUPPORTED_WIN7_V96" />
      <elements>
        <enum id="EfficiencyMode" valueName="EfficiencyMode">
          <item displayName="$(string.EfficiencyMode_AlwaysActive)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="0" />
            </value>
          </item>
          <item displayName="$(string.EfficiencyMode_NeverActive)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="1" />
            </value>
          </item>
          <item displayName="$(string.EfficiencyMode_ActiveWhenUnplugged)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="2" />
            </value>
          </item>
          <item displayName="$(string.EfficiencyMode_ActiveWhenUnpluggedBatteryLow)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="3" />
            </value>
          </item>
          <item displayName="$(string.EfficiencyMode_BalancedSavings)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="4" />
            </value>
          </item>
          <item displayName="$(string.EfficiencyMode_MaximumSavings)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="5" />
            </value>
          </item>
        </enum>
      </elements>
    </policy>

<presentation id="EfficiencyMode" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions"><dropdownList refId="EfficiencyMode">Configure when energy saver (previously named efficiency mode) should become active</dropdownList></presentation>

Microsoft.Policies.Edge:category:Performance_recommended
<category displayName="$(string.Performance_group)" name="Performance_recommended" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:microsoft_edge_recommended" />
    </category>
Microsoft.Policies.Edge:category:microsoft_edge_recommended
<category displayName="$(string.microsoft_edge_recommended)" name="microsoft_edge_recommended" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
Microsoft.Policies.Edge:definition:SUPPORTED_WIN7_V96
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_WIN7_V96)" name="SUPPORTED_WIN7_V96" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
Microsoft.Policies.Edge:category:Performance_recommended
<category displayName="$(string.Performance_group)" name="Performance_recommended" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:microsoft_edge_recommended" />
    </category>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:Performance_group">Performance</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.Edge:category:microsoft_edge_recommended
<category displayName="$(string.microsoft_edge_recommended)" name="microsoft_edge_recommended" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:microsoft_edge_recommended">Microsoft Edge - Default Settings (users can override)</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.Edge:definition:SUPPORTED_WIN7_V96
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_WIN7_V96)" name="SUPPORTED_WIN7_V96" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:SUPPORTED_WIN7_V96">Microsoft Edge version 96, Windows 7 or later</string></strings>