tlp - apply laptop power saving settings
tlp command [parameters] [--
CONFIG_PARAM=value ... ]
tlp applies power saving settings manually and controls
battery care features.
- start
- Start tlp and apply the power profile for the actual power source.
Also use to apply a changed configuration or to leave manual mode.
- performance
- Apply the "performance" profile. Parameters ending in _AC are
used.
- balanced
- Apply the "balanced" profile. Parameters ending in _BAT are
used.
- power-saver
- Apply the "power-saver" profile. Parameters ending in _SAV are
used. If there is no _SAV parameter available for a feature, the _BAT
parameter will be used instead.
- ac
- Apply profile "performance" and enter manual mode. Manual mode
means that changes to the power source will be ignored until the next
reboot or tlp start is invoked to resume automatic mode.
- bat
- Apply profile "battery" and enter manual mode. Manual mode means
that changes to the power source will be ignored until the next reboot or
tlp start is invoked to resume automatic mode.
- setcharge
[start_threshold stop_threshold] [battery]
- Change battery charge thresholds temporarily. If your hardware supports
only a stop threshold, set the start value to 0. Configured charge
thresholds will be restored at the next boot or by using tlp
setcharge again but without the threshold arguments.
- fullcharge
[battery]
- Charge battery to full capacity. This is done by applying vendor presets
to the charge thresholds temporarily. Configured charge thresholds will be
restored at the next boot or by using tlp setcharge without the
threshold arguments.
- chargeonce
[battery]
- Charge battery to the stop charge threshold once. This is done by
temporarily lifting the start charge threshold. The configured start
charge threshold will be restored at the next boot or by using tlp
setcharge without the threshold arguments.
- discharge
[battery] [target_charge_level]
- Force a complete or partial discharge of the battery while on AC
power.
- recalibrate
[battery]
- Perform a battery recalibration while on AC power: completely discharge
the battery and recharge to 100%. The latter is done by temporarily
applying vendor presets to the thresholds. Configured thresholds will be
restored at the next boot or by using tlp setcharge.
- usb
- Enable autosuspend for all USB devices except those excluded by default or
via configuration.
- bayoff
- Turn off optical drive in UltraBay/MediaBay. The drive may be re-enabled
by pulling the eject lever or pushing the media eject button on newer
models.
- --
CONFIG_PARAM="value" ...
- Append configuration parameters to a command. These temporarily override
the system configuration during execution of that command only and are not
kept afterwards. Disclaimer: this feature exists for the sole purpose of
test automation during TLP's development. It is provided as is and there
is no support whatsoever.
Almost all tlp commands require root privileges. To change
the power profile without root, you may use tplctl.
Availability of the above battery care commands and the possible
charge threshold values always depend on laptop vendor or brand, Linux
kernel version and TLP version. Check for actual availability, threshold
ranges and battery names with tlp-stat -b. Follow the link in the
SEE ALSO section for details.
For laptops with two batteries, the secondary battery must be
specified as a command parameter in order to select it. In many cases the
main battery will be BAT0, the secondary battery BAT1. When in
doubt, the output of tlp-stat -b, which lists all batteries, can
help.
- performance
- Optimizes the system for maximum performance at the cost of higher power
consumption. Recommended for demanding workloads. TLP default when running
on AC power.
- balanced
- Provides a balance between performance and power consumption. Suitable for
general-purpose use. TLP default when running on battery power.
- power-saver
- Optimizes the system for maximum battery life at the cost of reduced
performance. Recommended for maximizing battery runtime.
/etc/tlp.conf
System-wide user configuration file, uncomment parameters
here to override default settings and customization files below.
/etc/tlp.d/*.conf
System-wide drop-in customization files, overriding
defaults below.
/usr/share/tlp/defaults.conf
Intrinsic default settings. DO NOT EDIT this file,
instead use one of the above alternatives.
/run/tlp/run.conf
Effective settings consolidated from all above files. DO
NOT CHANGE this file, it is for reference only and regenerated on every
invocation of TLP.
On success, 0 is returned, a non-zero failure code otherwise.
tlpctl(1), tlp-stat(8), bluetooth(1),
nfc(1), wifi(1), wwan(1).
- TLP documentation: <https://linrunner.de/tlp>
- Battery care specifics:
<https://linrunner.de/tlp/settings/bc-vendors.html>
Report bugs to:
<https://github.com/linrunner/TLP/issues>.
(c) 2025 Thomas Koch <linrunner at gmx.net>