In previous articles about working with power plans, we covered many important details. However, we did not show how to create your own custom power plan nor how to delete any of the existing plans. This tutorial will address this knowledge gap and show how these things can be done. Read on for details.

Open the Create Power Plan Window

Open the Power Options window, either by clicking on the "More power options" link, in the battery meter shown on the taskbar, or by typing power in the in the Start Menu search bar and choosing "Power Options". For more guidance on this, check our previous guide: .

Once in the Power Options window, click on the "Create a power plan" link.

Create Your Own Basic Power Plan

New power plans must be based on one of the default Windows plans: Power Saver, Balanced or High Performance. Therefore, the first step is to choose the power plan you want used as a basis for the new one.

Set a name for the new power plan, in the Plan name field.

Click on Next to edit the basic settings of the plan.

The default values for all the settings of the new plan are those from the base plan you have chosen. Check our tutorial on Customizing Basic Power Plan Settings for a better understanding of these settings.

When finished, click Create.

NOTE: Some of settings shown in the screenshots above, are available on mobile computers such as laptops, notebooks or tablets. For example, on a desktop computer you will have only two settings available for configuration: Put the computer to sleep and Turn off the display, in the window with basic settings. Also, there won’t be any column called On battery.

Now you have a brand new power plan that is set as active.

It is time to edit its more advanced settings.

Advanced Configuration of the New Power Plan

Editing your new power plan is done just like with the Windows default plans. Click on the "Change plan settings" link to open the "Edit plan settings" window.

To get to the advanced configuration items, click on "Change advanced power settings".

Then configure each item, as shown in our guide: How to Tweak the Advanced Settings of a Power Plan in Windows 7. Once done, save the changes to your new power plan, so that they get applied.

Delete Your Own Power Plan

Windows 7 allows you to delete only the power plans you have created. You cannot delete a default Windows plan.

First you have to select as active a different power plan than the one you want to delete, from the Power Options window.

Then, click on the "Change plan settings" link for the plan you want to delete. In the "Edit plan settings" window you have a link saying "Delete this plan". Click on it.

You are asked to confirm the deletion. Click OK.

The power plan is now deleted and unavailable for use.

Conclusion

If you are not satisfied with the default power plans, Windows 7 offers the possibility of creating your own power plan, with your specific configuration settings. If you have any questions about the procedure detailed above or in the articles we referenced, don’t hesitate to ask.
For more interesting tips on working with power plans, check the articles we recommend below.

Related articles:

How To Tweak Advanced Settings of a Power Plan in Windows 7
Customizing Basic Power Plan Settings
Understanding Power Plans & How to Switch Between Them
Make the Most Of Your Laptop With Windows Mobility Center