powertop

Analyze and optimize power consumption

TLDR

Calibrate power measurements

$ sudo powertop --calibrate

Generate HTML report

$ sudo powertop --html=[report.html]

Auto-tune for optimal power

$ sudo powertop --auto-tune

Measure for specific duration

$ sudo powertop --time=[60]

SYNOPSIS

powertop [--calibrate] [--html file] [--auto-tune] [--time seconds]

powertop analyzes system power consumption and suggests optimizations. It identifies power-hungry processes, devices, and kernel settings, providing actionable recommendations.The interactive mode shows real-time power usage breakdown. Reports can identify specific software or hardware causing excessive power drain on laptops.

PARAMETERS

--calibrate

Calibrate power measurement (cycles display states)

--html _file_

Generate HTML report

--auto-tune

Apply all suggested power optimizations

--time _seconds_

Measurement duration (default: 20)

--csv _file_

Generate CSV report

--iteration _num_

Number of iterations

INSTALL

sudo apt install powertop

sudo dnf install powertop

sudo pacman -S powertop

sudo apk add powertop

sudo zypper install powertop

nix profile install nixpkgs#powertop

CAVEATS

Calibration requires uninterrupted run and may take several minutes. Auto-tune changes are not persistent across reboots. Some optimizations may affect performance or stability. Root required for most functions.

HISTORY

powertop was developed by Intel to help Linux users optimize battery life. It became a standard tool for laptop power management and is included in most distributions.