For laptop users, power management and battery optimization are crucial. Ubuntu 26.04 includes the built-in power-profiles-daemon power management tool, and you can further optimize battery life by installing TLP and other utilities. This article covers various power management options and practical tips in detail.

Power Profiles

Ubuntu 26.04 includes power-profiles-daemon, which provides three preset power modes for flexible switching between performance and battery life.

Three Power Modes

Switching Power Modes

Graphical Interface

1. Click the system status area in the upper-right corner of the top bar
2. Find the power mode button in the quick settings panel
3. Click to switch between modes

You can also switch power modes in “Settings > Power”.

Command Line

# View current power mode
powerprofilesctl get
 
# List all available modes
powerprofilesctl list
 
# Switch to power saver mode
powerprofilesctl set power-saver
 
# Switch to balanced mode
powerprofilesctl set balanced
 
# Switch to performance mode
powerprofilesctl set performance

Automated Mode Switching

You can automatically switch modes based on power state. For example, use a udev rule to auto-switch when AC power is connected/disconnected:

Create the file /etc/udev/rules.d/99-power-profile.rules:

# Switch to balanced mode when AC power is connected
ACTION=="change", SUBSYSTEM=="power_supply", ATTR{type}=="Mains", ATTR{online}=="1", RUN+="/usr/bin/powerprofilesctl set balanced"

# Switch to power saver mode when AC power is disconnected
ACTION=="change", SUBSYSTEM=="power_supply", ATTR{type}=="Mains", ATTR{online}=="0", RUN+="/usr/bin/powerprofilesctl set power-saver"

TLP — Advanced Power Management

TLP is the most popular power optimization tool for Linux, offering finer-grained power management options than the system defaults.

Installing TLP

sudo apt install tlp tlp-rdw
 
# For ThinkPad users, install additional battery management tools
sudo apt install tp-smapi-dkms acpi-call-dkms

Enabling TLP

sudo systemctl enable tlp
sudo systemctl start tlp

Note: TLP and power-profiles-daemon may conflict. After installing TLP, it is recommended to disable power-profiles-daemon:

sudo systemctl mask power-profiles-daemon

Viewing TLP Status

# View TLP running status
sudo tlp-stat -s
 
# View battery information
sudo tlp-stat -b
 
# View full system power status
sudo tlp-stat
 
# View CPU frequency and scheduler info
sudo tlp-stat -p
 
# View disk settings
sudo tlp-stat -d

TLP Configuration

TLP’s configuration file is located at /etc/tlp.conf. Common optimization settings:

sudo nano /etc/tlp.conf

# CPU scaling governor policy
# Use powersave on battery, performance on AC
CPU_SCALING_GOVERNOR_ON_AC=performance
CPU_SCALING_GOVERNOR_ON_BAT=powersave
 
# CPU energy performance preference
CPU_ENERGY_PERF_POLICY_ON_AC=balance_performance
CPU_ENERGY_PERF_POLICY_ON_BAT=power
 
# CPU Boost frequency
CPU_BOOST_ON_AC=1
CPU_BOOST_ON_BAT=0
 
# WiFi power saving mode
WIFI_PWR_ON_AC=off
WIFI_PWR_ON_BAT=on
 
# USB auto-suspend
USB_AUTOSUSPEND=1
 
# Disk APM (Advanced Power Management)
DISK_APM_LEVEL_ON_AC="254 254"
DISK_APM_LEVEL_ON_BAT="128 128"
 
# PCI Express power management
PCIE_ASPM_ON_AC=default
PCIE_ASPM_ON_BAT=powersupersave
 
# Sound card power saving (seconds, 0 to disable)
SOUND_POWER_SAVE_ON_AC=0
SOUND_POWER_SAVE_ON_BAT=1

Reload the configuration after editing:

sudo tlp start

ThinkPad Battery Charge Thresholds

For ThinkPad laptops, TLP supports setting battery charge thresholds to extend battery lifespan:

# Start charging threshold (begin charging when below this level)
START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=75
 
# Stop charging threshold (stop charging when reaching this level)
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=80

This means the battery will stay between 75%-80%, effectively extending its cycle life.

Battery Health Monitoring

Viewing Battery Information

# View battery details with upower
upower -i /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
 
# Key information includes:
# - energy-full-design: Design capacity
# - energy-full: Current maximum capacity
# - capacity: Battery health percentage
# - charge-cycles: Charge cycle count (if supported)

Battery Health Assessment

# Calculate battery wear
# The capacity field shows the ratio of current max capacity to design capacity
# For example, capacity: 85% means the battery has lost about 15% of its capacity

Monitoring Real-Time Battery Status

# Monitor real-time battery discharge rate
watch -n 1 "cat /sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/power_now"
 
# Or use powertop for detailed analysis
sudo apt install powertop
sudo powertop

PowerTOP Power Analysis

PowerTOP is a power analysis tool developed by Intel that can identify high-power-consuming components and provide optimization suggestions.

Installation and Usage

sudo apt install powertop
 
# Run PowerTOP
sudo powertop

The PowerTOP interface contains multiple tabs:

• Overview: Shows wake-up frequency of each component
• Idle stats: CPU idle state statistics
• Frequency stats: CPU frequency distribution
• Device stats: Device power statistics
• Tunables: List of optimizable items (Good/Bad status)

Auto-Optimization

# Apply all PowerTOP recommended optimizations at once
sudo powertop --auto-tune
 
# Generate an HTML report
sudo powertop --html=power-report.html

To automatically apply optimizations at every boot, create a systemd service:

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/powertop.service << 'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=PowerTOP Auto Tune
 
[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/sbin/powertop --auto-tune
 
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF
 
sudo systemctl enable powertop

Practical Battery Life Tips

Screen Brightness

The screen is one of the biggest power consumers on a laptop. Reducing brightness can significantly extend battery life:

• Use brightness shortcut keys on your keyboard
• Enable “Automatic Brightness” in “Settings > Power” (if your laptop has an ambient light sensor)
• Enabling “Night Light” mode not only protects your eyes but also provides a slight power saving

Disabling Unused Hardware

# Disable Bluetooth (if not in use)
rfkill block bluetooth
 
# Enable Bluetooth
rfkill unblock bluetooth
 
# View wireless device status
rfkill list

You can also quickly toggle WiFi and Bluetooth from the quick settings panel.

Managing Background Processes

# View high-power-consuming processes
top -o %CPU
 
# Or use htop
sudo apt install htop
htop

Closing unnecessary background applications and browser tabs can noticeably reduce power consumption.

Choosing the Right GPU

If your laptop has dual GPUs (Intel + NVIDIA), switching to the integrated GPU when the discrete GPU is not needed can significantly reduce power consumption:

# View currently active GPU
switcherooctl list
 
# Run applications on the integrated GPU (default)
# Run specific applications on the discrete GPU
switcherooctl launch app-name

There may also be a GPU switching option in “Settings > Power”.

Reducing Animation Effects

Enabling “Reduce animation” in “Settings > Accessibility” can slightly reduce GPU load, providing a small battery life benefit.

Suspend and Hibernate Settings

Configure in “Settings > Power”:

• Auto-suspend timeout: Set the auto-suspend delay when on battery
• Lid close action: Choose what happens when the laptop lid is closed (suspend/hibernate/do nothing)
• Power button action: Choose what happens when the power button is pressed

Battery Life Expectations

Approximate battery life reference for different usage scenarios (based on a 60Wh battery):

Actual battery life depends on hardware configuration, screen brightness, running applications, and many other factors.

Summary

Ubuntu 26.04 provides flexible power management options. For most users, the built-in power-profiles-daemon already meets basic needs. Users seeking maximum battery life can install TLP and PowerTOP for deeper optimization. Good power habits — such as reducing brightness, turning off unused hardware, and setting appropriate charge thresholds — can extend both per-charge battery life and overall battery health.