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The quickest way to verify the active Windows 11 power plan is to open Command Prompt or Windows Terminal and run powercfg /getactivescheme. Read the scheme name returned by Windows: if it says Ultimate Performance, that named plan is active. For a wider view of every plan installed on the computer, run powercfg /list; the active scheme is marked with an asterisk in Microsoft’s documented output. You can also confirm the selection in Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options.

Use the direct command first

powercfg /getactivescheme asks Windows which power scheme is selected now. It is the clearest status check because the command reports the active scheme by name rather than making you infer it from a list of settings.

  1. Open Command Prompt or Windows Terminal.
  2. Enter powercfg /getactivescheme.
  3. Press Enter.
  4. Inspect the scheme name in the returned line.

The result identifies the currently active named scheme. When the name is Ultimate Performance, Windows is using that plan. If another name is displayed, that other scheme is active instead. Do not judge the result from a performance slider or from the fact that the computer appears to be running quickly; use the scheme name returned by this command.

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How to interpret the result

Ultimate Performance is displayed

This is a positive status result: the active named power scheme is Ultimate Performance. You do not need to run another command to make the determination, and you should not change any settings merely to confirm it.

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A different scheme is displayed

The command still answered the question. Windows is using the scheme named in the output, not Ultimate Performance. If you want to understand what other schemes are installed, run powercfg /list as a separate, read-only inventory check.

The output is difficult to read

Focus on the human-readable scheme name in the returned line. The command may also show an identifier for the scheme, but the name is the part that tells you whether the selected plan is Ultimate Performance.

List every available scheme with powercfg /list

Use powercfg /list when you need context rather than only the current answer. Windows lists the power schemes available on that installation. In Microsoft’s documented output example, an asterisk appears beside the active scheme.

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  1. Open Command Prompt or Windows Terminal.
  2. Run powercfg /list.
  3. Review the names in the returned list.
  4. Find the entry marked with an asterisk.
  5. Check whether that marked entry is named Ultimate Performance.

This gives you two pieces of information at once: which schemes are present and which one is selected. If Ultimate Performance appears in the list without the asterisk, it is installed but not active. If the asterisk is beside Ultimate Performance, it is the active named scheme.

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/list and /getactivescheme answer related but different questions. The first inventories the schemes shown in the command output and identifies the active one with the documented marker; the second directly returns the active scheme name. Use the latter when you only need a yes-or-no check, and the former when you are comparing the active entry with the other entries on the machine.

Confirm the plan visually in Control Panel

Windows also exposes power plans through the classic Power Options page. This is useful when you prefer a graphical check or want to see the surrounding plan choices.

  1. Open Control Panel.
  2. Select Hardware and Sound.
  3. Open Power Options.
  4. Inspect the plans shown on the page.
  5. Identify the plan marked as active. Microsoft’s documented example uses an asterisk to indicate the active scheme.

Look for the name Ultimate Performance on the active entry. If the plan names are truncated, unclear, or do not match what you expected, return to powercfg /getactivescheme; the command is the more direct way to read the selected scheme name.

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Control Panel and powercfg /list provide useful context, but neither changes the selection just by displaying it. They are inspection methods, not activation commands.

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Do not confuse Power mode with the Ultimate Performance scheme

Windows 11 includes a separate Power mode control under Settings > System > Power & battery. Its choices include Best power efficiency, Balanced, and Best performance. This control describes the selected performance-versus-power mode in Settings; it does not, by itself, identify the active named power scheme.

Seeing Best performance in Settings is therefore not proof that Ultimate Performance is active. The two labels belong to different interfaces and answer different questions. To check the named scheme, use powercfg /getactivescheme, or use powercfg /list and inspect the asterisk.

Microsoft notes that a custom power plan may prevent you from changing the Power mode control. That behavior is another reason not to treat the Settings label as a substitute for a scheme check: a custom plan can affect how the control behaves while the selected named scheme remains a separate status value.

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The Settings choice also has a practical power trade-off. Microsoft’s performance guidance says that Best performance can increase power consumption, drain a laptop battery more quickly, and make the device warmer. Those effects describe the Power mode choice; they do not establish that Ultimate Performance is the active named scheme. Verify the scheme independently before drawing that conclusion.

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If Ultimate Performance is not active

The command names another plan

When /getactivescheme returns a different name, Windows is using that named scheme at the time of the check. This is a definitive answer to the status question. You can run /list if you need to see whether Ultimate Performance is also present but unselected.

Ultimate Performance is listed but has no active marker

This means the scheme is available in the list but is not the selected one. The asterisk belongs to the active entry, so compare the marker with the plan name rather than merely checking whether the words Ultimate Performance appear anywhere in the output.

Ultimate Performance is absent from the list and Control Panel

These checks establish only that the plan is not shown in those two views. They do not, by themselves, explain why it is unavailable. Microsoft’s reviewed guidance does not provide a complete availability matrix covering every Windows 11 build, device, and original-equipment configuration, so avoid assigning one universal cause to a missing entry.

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The safest conclusion is limited and precise: the plan is not exposed in the command list or the Power Options page you inspected. If you need to investigate availability further, record the exact output and the Windows edition or device context before looking for a device-specific explanation. Do not present the absence as proof that every Windows 11 computer lacks the plan, and do not assume that one missing entry has the same cause on every machine.

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The active result and the list seem inconsistent

Run the two commands again in the same session and compare the scheme name from /getactivescheme with the asterisk-marked entry from /list. The first command is the direct status result; the second is the broader inventory. If the names still appear inconsistent, preserve the complete command output rather than relying on a cropped or partially read line.

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Do not use /setactive for a status check

powercfg /setactive is an action command: Microsoft documents it as making a specified scheme active. It changes the current selection, so it is not needed when your goal is only to inspect the status.

For a non-changing check, stay with these commands:

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  • powercfg /getactivescheme to retrieve the active scheme name directly.
  • powercfg /list to show the available schemes and identify the active entry with the documented asterisk.

Keeping inspection and activation separate prevents an accidental plan change while you are trying to diagnose the current configuration.

Which verification method should you use?

Method What it tells you Best use Changes the plan?
powercfg /getactivescheme Returns the currently active scheme name. The fastest, most direct yes-or-no check. No.
powercfg /list Lists schemes shown on the computer and marks the active one with an asterisk in Microsoft’s documented example. Comparing Ultimate Performance with the other schemes installed. No.
Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options Displays the plans graphically, with the active entry marked in Microsoft’s documented example. Visual cross-checking when you prefer a graphical interface. No.
Settings > System > Power & battery Shows the Power mode choices, including Best power efficiency, Balanced, and Best performance. Checking the separate Windows 11 performance/power mode. It controls Power mode, not a direct Ultimate Performance status readout.

A repeatable checking procedure

For support work, documentation, or a before-and-after comparison, use the same order every time:

  1. Run powercfg /getactivescheme and record the exact scheme name returned.
  2. If you need the surrounding context, run powercfg /list and note every listed scheme plus the asterisk-marked entry.
  3. Optionally open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options to visually cross-check the active plan.
  4. If someone reports that Settings says Best performance, treat that as a separate Power mode observation and verify the named scheme with the command.
  5. If Ultimate Performance is not shown, report precisely whether it was inactive, listed without the active marker, or absent from both the command list and Control Panel.

This sequence separates the active-scheme answer from the inventory of available plans and from the Settings Power mode label. That distinction prevents the most common misreading: treating Best performance as another name for Ultimate Performance.

Quick checklist

  • Use powercfg /getactivescheme for the direct active-plan result.
  • Call it active only when the returned scheme name is Ultimate Performance.
  • Use powercfg /list to see the broader set of schemes; check the asterisk-marked entry.
  • Use Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options as a graphical cross-check.
  • Do not treat Settings’ Best performance label as proof of Ultimate Performance.
  • Do not run powercfg /setactive when you only want to inspect the current state.
  • If the plan is missing, describe what the checks show without assuming a universal cause across Windows 11 builds and devices.

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