powerprofilesctl

List available power profiles

$ powerprofilesctl list

$ powerprofilesctl set [profile_name]

powerprofilesctl [OPTIONS] [COMMAND]

--help
    Show help options and exit.

--version
    Show program version and exit.

list
    List available power profiles.

get
    Get the active power profile.

set PROFILE
    Set the active power profile to PROFILE. PROFILE must be one of the listed available profiles.

reset
    Reset the active power profile to the default. This clears any user-selected override.

status
    Show the status of the power profiles daemon.

The powerprofilesctl command is a utility for managing power profiles on Linux systems using the Power Profiles daemon (power-profiles-daemon). It allows users to view, select, and customize power profiles to optimize for performance, battery life, or a balance between the two. This tool is primarily used in desktop environments like GNOME, but can also be used from the command line. It provides a standardized way to control power management settings, ensuring consistent behavior across different distributions and hardware.

Power profiles are configurations that dictate how the system behaves under different power constraints. Selecting a power profile adjusts settings such as CPU frequency scaling, screen brightness, and thermal management. The tool interacts with the power-profiles-daemon backend to apply the changes system-wide. Users can use it to check current profile, list all profiles and set preferred profile. The command can also be used to check the profile's state and power source.

The powerprofilesctl command requires the power-profiles-daemon to be installed and running. The available profiles and their behavior depend on the specific hardware and configuration. Setting profiles may require appropriate permissions.

Typical power profiles include 'power-saver', 'balanced', and 'performance'. The specific profiles and their effects may vary depending on the hardware and system configuration.

The powerprofilesctl command and the power-profiles-daemon were developed as part of an effort to standardize power management on Linux desktop environments. The goal was to provide a consistent and reliable way to control system power settings across different distributions and hardware configurations. It is more recent and is specifically designed to manage power profiles beyond simple AC/battery states. It integrates deeply with desktop environments like GNOME.

systemctl(1), upower(8)