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Configuration Manager can apply peak-hour and non-peak-hour power plans to Windows device collections, schedule desktop wake-ups, and report on device activity and power use. Deploy it in stages: measure current behavior, test a representative group, resolve policy conflicts, and exclude devices that must stay available. Power management is not supported on virtual machines; Windows Server should be excluded; Modern Standby devices may ignore settings; and Group Policy power settings take precedence.
What Configuration Manager power management does
Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr, also called SCCM) uses Windows power-management settings and client inventory data to manage compatible computers. Administrators assign plans to device collections, set different behavior for peak and non-peak hours, and can schedule desktop computers to wake for maintenance or deployments. Reports help assess device capabilities, activity, configured settings, energy use, cost, and environmental impact. See Microsoft’s power management overview.
It is not a universal power-policy engine. It does not support power management on virtual machines, should not be applied to Windows Server, does not reliably override Group Policy, and may not apply normally to systems using Modern Standby (S0). ConfigMgr can still collect power-usage data from servers for analysis, but that is different from managing their power settings.
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- Use Configuration Manager current branch with functioning clients. Confirm that target devices support the sleep, hibernate, and wake states required by your plan.
- Power-management data depends on Configuration Manager hardware inventory. A Reporting Services point is required to view the power-management reports. Review Microsoft’s prerequisites.
- Clients apply settings after receiving client policy; saving a console change does not change every endpoint immediately.
- Identify Modern Standby devices and test laptop models separately from computers using traditional S3 sleep.
- Check which authority controls each power setting. Group Policy overrides ConfigMgr power-management settings, so resolve competing policies before rollout.
Build distinct device collections before applying a plan. Capture a baseline, test on a small representative group, retain a comparable control group, then target production gradually. Create capability and exclusion collections as well. Microsoft recommends measuring existing settings and usage before deployment; see its power-management recommendations.
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- Baseline: Devices whose current settings and activity you will measure.
- Test: A small mix of representative desktops and laptops.
- Control: Similar devices that do not receive the plan during comparison.
- Production target: Devices approved to receive the plan.
- Capability review: Devices to assess using the Power Capabilities report.
- Exclusions: Servers, distribution points, kiosks, monitoring consoles, always-on systems, remote-access-critical devices, and systems with overnight processing.
Enable power management in client settings
Enable the default setting
- In the Configuration Manager console, go to Administration > Client Settings.
- Select Default Client Settings, then choose Properties.
- Select the Power Management group and set Allow power management of devices to Yes.
- Configure only the additional options your environment needs, then select Apply and OK.
Default Client Settings affect all clients in the hierarchy. For scoped enablement, create custom device client settings and deploy them to an appropriate collection; consult Microsoft’s client settings guidance. The power settings themselves still need to be assigned through device collections.
Choose the supporting options deliberately
- Allow users to exclude their device from power management: Lets users opt out through Software Center. This can accommodate legitimate exceptions, but reduces centralized enforcement.
- Allow network wake-up: Configures the network adapter to wake the computer. Success also depends on compatible firmware, adapter, driver, and network configuration.
- Enable wake-up proxy: Allows ConfigMgr clients to help wake sleeping computers in supported network designs. It requires appropriate client, firewall, port, and network configuration; enabling the option alone does not guarantee wake-up.
- Wake-up proxy port number (UDP) and Wake On LAN port number (UDP): UDP 25536 and UDP 9 are commonly documented defaults, respectively, in the HTMD console walkthrough. Verify the ports configured at your site and allowed by network controls rather than assuming those values are universal.
- Windows Defender Firewall exception for wake-up proxy: ConfigMgr can configure the relevant exception for Windows Defender Firewall. With another firewall, create and verify a rule for the selected UDP port.
- IPv6 prefixes: Configure these only when the network design uses DirectAccess or intervening IPv6 devices.
After changing client settings, allow clients to download policy. To test a device, initiate machine-policy retrieval from its Configuration Manager client and verify the resultant client settings; do not infer that all clients updated just because the console change was saved. For console procedures, see Microsoft’s power-management configuration guide.
Apply a built-in plan to a collection
- Go to Assets and Compliance > Device Collections.
- Open the target collection’s Properties.
- Select the Power Management tab and choose Specify power management settings.
- Define the peak (business-hour) schedule, select peak and non-peak plans, and configure an optional desktop wake-up time.
- Select Apply, then OK.
ConfigMgr provides three built-in plans: Balanced (ConfigMgr), High Performance (ConfigMgr), and Power Saver (ConfigMgr). These built-in plans cannot be modified. Use a custom plan when their settings do not meet your requirements. The collection procedure and plan behavior are documented in Microsoft’s create and apply power plans guide.
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Set schedules around real work
Peak hours usually prioritize availability and user experience; non-peak hours can use more aggressive display, sleep, hibernation, and disk settings. Base the schedule on observed activity rather than assuming every department shares one workday. The Computer Activity report can help identify realistic boundaries.
An optional wake-up time applies to desktop computers and can support overnight maintenance, updates, or deployments. Treat it as one part of an end-to-end wake design: firmware, network hardware, drivers, firewall rules, ports, network topology, and the device’s sleep state must also permit wake-up.
Create a custom power plan
A custom plan can set separate AC and battery behavior, including when to turn off the display, require a password on wake, sleep or hibernate after inactivity, turn off a disk, and respond to the power button, Start-menu power button, sleep button, laptop lid, low battery, or critical battery. It can also configure hybrid sleep, wake timers, and the processor-idleness requirement for sleep. Available options and their effect depend on Windows version, device type, firmware, and supported power states.
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Two configuration details matter for safe changes:
- When a setting is enabled in ConfigMgr policy, the client applies it.
- When a setting is left unselected, ConfigMgr does not restore the device’s earlier value; the existing client value remains in place.
Therefore, a partially configured plan is not a complete rollback mechanism. Document which settings the plan changes and validate their effective values on test devices.
Exclude computers that must not be managed
- Go to Assets and Compliance > Device Collections.
- Open the exclusion collection’s Properties and select Power Management.
- Select Never apply power management settings to computers in this collection.
- Select Apply, then OK.
A computer in any collection excluded from power management will not apply power-management settings, even if it also belongs to a collection that assigns a plan. Exclusion restores all power settings to their original values; it does not selectively undo only one ConfigMgr setting. Plan the exclusion before rollout and account for that full restoration behavior.
Common exclusions include Windows Server systems, distribution points, kiosks and public displays, monitoring consoles, always-on or remote-access-critical computers, devices lacking required power states, and systems that perform business-critical overnight work. Microsoft documents collection exclusion and restoration behavior in its configuration guidance.
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Understand Wake on LAN and wake-up proxy
Wake on LAN uses network hardware to receive a wake packet and wake or power on a computer. Wake-up proxy uses ConfigMgr clients to help wake sleeping computers within a supported network design. Neither is guaranteed by a console checkbox. Before relying on either, verify:
- BIOS/UEFI permits wake-up and the required sleep state is supported.
- The network adapter and driver support the required behavior; assess wired and wireless devices separately.
- Firewall rules and UDP port settings match the site’s configuration.
- Testing succeeds from the relevant network segment and across any network boundaries involved.
- The device is actually in the sleep state for which the wake method is intended, rather than in an incompatible state or using Modern Standby.
Wake timers may not be supported on portable computers. Test the specific hardware and Windows configuration before designing maintenance windows around scheduled wake-up.
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Modern Standby (S0)
Systems using Modern Standby/S0 do not apply ConfigMgr power policies in the usual way. Microsoft notes that unsupported settings can be ignored; for example, Required idleness to sleep may be reported as unsupported in PwrProvider.log. Treat such a message as evidence of an unsupported setting, not automatically as a client failure. Identify S0 systems before rollout and use Windows-supported configuration methods appropriate to those devices when ConfigMgr power management is insufficient.
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Group Policy and overlapping ConfigMgr plans
Group Policy power settings override ConfigMgr power-management settings. Also check local policy, OEM power utilities, Windows’ active power-plan state, resultant client settings, and collection membership when the effective result differs from the plan.
If a computer receives different ConfigMgr plans from multiple collections, the least restrictive value wins for a power setting. For example, if one plan sets sleep after 30 minutes and another after 60 minutes, the less restrictive 60-minute setting applies. If plans specify different desktop wake-up times, the time closest to midnight applies. Use the Computers with Multiple Power Plans report to find overlap and simplify targeting where possible.
Validate deployment with reports
A Reporting Services point is required to view ConfigMgr power-management reports. Use reports at each rollout stage rather than treating plan assignment as proof of compliance. Useful reports include:
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- Power Management – Computer Activity: Review activity patterns when setting business-hour boundaries.
- Power Management – Power Settings and Power Management – Power Settings Details: Inspect configured settings and their detail.
- Power Management – Power Capabilities: Identify device capabilities before selecting a plan.
- Power Management – Computers with Multiple Power Plans: Find devices receiving competing plans.
- Power Management – Computers Excluded: Check the effect of exclusions.
- Power Management – Computer Not Reporting Details: Investigate missing reporting data.
- Power Management – Insomnia and Insomnia Computer Details: Investigate computers that fail to sleep as expected.
- Power Management – Energy Consumption by Day, Energy Cost, Energy Cost by Day, Environmental Impact, and Environmental Impact by Day: Compare available energy and impact measures.
Microsoft’s report catalog describes available reports. Report data has a retention limit: detailed information used for daily reports is retained for 31 days, while summarized information used for monthly reports is retained for 13 months. Export baseline and compliance results if you need comparisons beyond those periods; see Microsoft’s recommendations.
Quick Recap
Validation sequence
- Confirm the device is in the intended target or exclusion collection.
- Confirm it has received client policy and inspect its resultant client settings.
- Review Power Settings and Power Settings Details for the expected configuration.
- Check Computers with Multiple Power Plans for overlapping assignments.
- Check Computer Not Reporting Details and investigate missing inventory or report data.
- Review Insomnia reports for devices that stay awake.
- Compare target and control groups over a comparable period, using activity and energy reports where available.
- Export results needed for longer-term evaluation before detailed daily data ages out.
Troubleshoot common results
| Symptom | First checks | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Policy saved, but settings did not change | Collection membership, client policy receipt, resultant client settings, custom client-setting deployment, Group Policy, VM or Modern Standby status, and overlapping plans. | Correct targeting or policy conflicts, retrieve machine policy, then recheck the effective settings and reports. |
| Effective settings are less aggressive than expected | Multiple ConfigMgr plans, Group Policy, OEM utilities, and unselected settings that preserve the existing client value. | Use the multiple-plans report, choose one authoritative control for each setting, and explicitly configure settings that need to change. |
| Laptop does not sleep | Insomnia reports, Modern Standby support, applications or drivers preventing sleep, and Group Policy. | Identify the cause on the device and validate behavior on that laptop model and power-state configuration. |
| Computer does not wake | BIOS/UEFI, adapter and driver support, sleep state, firewall, UDP ports, network path, and portable-device limitations. | Test from the same network segment, verify each dependency, and do not depend on scheduled wake until the specific setup succeeds. |
| Server appears affected | Whether it belongs to an exclusion collection and whether it is targeted by a plan. | Exclude server systems from power management. Data collection for analysis does not require applying a power plan. |
| Reports are empty or incomplete | Reporting Services point, hardware inventory, client reporting status, and the reporting period. | Restore reporting prerequisites and export data before it passes the applicable retention period. |
| Exclusion changed more settings than expected | Whether the device was excluded after ConfigMgr had changed its power configuration. | Account for exclusion restoring all power settings to original values; it is not a selective undo operation. |
Production rollout checklist
- Capture baseline power settings and activity; establish a comparable control group.
- Identify virtual machines, servers, Modern Standby systems, unsupported devices, and infrastructure exclusions.
- Resolve Group Policy and OEM conflicts for settings ConfigMgr will manage.
- Test a representative collection, including the wake behavior and any overnight maintenance dependency.
- Confirm policy receipt and effective settings through client validation and reports.
- Review multiple-plan and insomnia reports; fix collection overlap before expanding.
- Deploy to production in phases and compare results with the baseline and control group.
- Export reports needed for comparisons beyond the documented retention window.
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