What Is Windows Efficiency Mode? - The Green Leaf Icon and How to Turn It Off

In Windows Task Manager, you sometimes see a green leaf icon next to an app’s name, with Efficiency mode shown in the Status column.

When you see this, the questions that tend to blur together in your head are these.

• Is Windows slowing this down behind my back?
• Is it OK to turn it off?
• How do I turn it off?
• Is there a way to turn it off across the board instead of one process at a time?
• Why does it seem to keep coming back, especially for the browser?
• Are Windows Efficiency mode and Edge’s energy-saving features the same thing?

Up front: Efficiency mode is not a villain. It is how Windows 11 reduces CPU interference from work that is not what you are actively doing, in order to protect the responsiveness of the app you are using in the foreground, plus battery, heat, and fan noise. However, when it picks the wrong target, it can show up as perceived slowdown or instability in the app you are actually using.

This article organizes what Windows Efficiency mode does, the standard procedure for turning it off, system-wide ways to minimize it across all processes (power mode, registry, Group Policy, and PowerShell), the cases where you cannot turn it off, and how it differs from Microsoft Edge’s energy-saving features. The steps assume Task Manager on Windows 11. The content is based on Microsoft’s official information verifiable as of July 2026.

Table of Contents

1. The Conclusion First
2. First, Separate the Three Things That Get Mixed Up
3. What Windows Efficiency Mode Actually Is
4. When to Consider Turning It Off
5. How to Turn Off Windows Efficiency Mode
6. When You Cannot Turn It Off, or It Seems to Come Right Back
7. Where to Look When Only Edge Is Slow
8. Common Misconceptions
9. Summary
10. Related Articles
11. References

Knowledge map for this article

The efficiency mode that Windows Task Manager displays is a feature that does two things at once: it lowers the base priority of the target process, and it applies the EcoQoS classification, which prioritizes power efficiency over performance, and EcoQoS is turned into an actual drop in CPU frequency or placement on efficiency cores by the mechanism called Power Throttling. Setting the power mode to Best performance, or the system-wide setting that disables Power Throttling through Group Policy or the registry, can stop only the Power Throttling side of these two, and the lowered base priority remains. Microsoft Edge and Chrome call the power efficiency API themselves, so a process can look as if it is in efficiency mode even when the user has configured nothing, and this is a separate thing from the browser’s own energy saving feature.

flowchart LR
    accTitle: Windows efficiency mode
    accDescr: Diagram showing that efficiency mode in Task Manager does two things, lowering the base priority and applying EcoQoS, that Power Throttling is what implements EcoQoS, that the power mode and Group Policy can stop only the Power Throttling side, and that Microsoft Edge has its own energy saving mechanism separate from the Windows efficiency mode
    efficiency_mode["Efficiency Mode (Task Manager)"]
    power_throttling["Power Throttling"]
    ecoqos["EcoQoS"]
    base_priority["Process Base Priority"]
    task_manager["Task Manager"]
    power_mode_best_performance["Best Performance Power Mode"]
    group_policy["Group Policy"]
    process_power_throttling_api["Power Throttling Control via SetProcessInformation"]
    process_instability_risk["Process Instability from Efficiency Mode"]
    microsoft_edge["Microsoft Edge"]
    edge_energy_saver["Microsoft Edge Energy Saver"]
    core_windows_process["Core Windows Process"]
    admin_rights["Administrator Privileges"]
    windows_qos["Windows QoS Classification"]
    efficiency_mode -->|"uses"| ecoqos
    efficiency_mode -->|"uses"| base_priority
    power_throttling -->|"implements"| ecoqos
    efficiency_mode -->|"configured by"| task_manager
    power_mode_best_performance -->|"prevents"| power_throttling
    group_policy -.->|"prevents"| power_throttling
    power_throttling -->|"configured by"| process_power_throttling_api
    power_throttling -->|"verified by"| process_power_throttling_api
    efficiency_mode -.->|"may cause"| process_instability_risk
    microsoft_edge -.->|"uses"| ecoqos
    microsoft_edge -->|"uses"| edge_energy_saver
    efficiency_mode -->|"not recommended for"| core_windows_process
    efficiency_mode -->|"verified by"| task_manager
    process_power_throttling_api -.->|"requires"| admin_rights
    windows_qos -->|"uses"| ecoqos

In the diagram a solid line marks a relation that always holds and a dashed line marks a conditional one (the conditions are given per relation on the detail page). The full list of relations (15 in total, with evidence and certainty) and the definitions of the main concepts are collected on the knowledge map detail page (in Japanese). Data: JSON-LD / Turtle

1. The Conclusion First

Here are the key points up front.

• Windows Efficiency mode is a Windows 11 feature displayed in Task Manager.
• Microsoft describes it as a feature that automatically limits the resources used by a single process or group of processes when high CPU usage is detected.
• Its goals are improving foreground app responsiveness, extending battery life, reducing heat and fan noise, and easing load on the CPU.
• In more technical terms, Task Manager’s Efficiency mode lowers the target process’s base priority and applies EcoQoS (the Quality of Service class that says this work may prioritize power efficiency over performance) so the CPU runs in a more power-efficient way. Section 3.1 has a table and a diagram showing how Efficiency mode, EcoQoS, and Power Throttling contain one another.
• However, Microsoft itself warns that it may cause instability for certain processes. If the app you are currently using is slow, stuttering, or unstable, it is worth turning it off and comparing.
• The standard way to turn it off in Windows is per-process, from Task Manager.
• To keep it from running as much as possible across all processes, set the power mode to Best performance, or use Group Policy or the registry to Turn off Power Throttling (section 5.2). Both choices cost you battery life and heat headroom.
• Microsoft Edge’s energy saver is a separate thing. Turning off Windows Efficiency mode does not turn off Edge’s energy saver, and vice versa.

2. First, Separate the Three Things That Get Mixed Up

In this discussion, unless you separate at least three things, the conversation stops making sense.

2.1 Windows Efficiency mode

This is the feature shown in Task Manager’s Status column. The green double-leaf icon is the marker, and it shifts how the target process uses CPU resources toward power efficiency.

2.2 Microsoft Edge’s energy saver (formerly efficiency mode)

This is a browser-side feature. You turn it on or off from Edge’s settings screen. It is separate from Windows Efficiency mode.

2.3 The system-wide Windows power mode and energy saver

This is an OS-wide setting that leans toward power saving. Under Best power efficiency, background activity is restricted; under Energy saver, the screen dims and background processes are restricted as well.

In other words, even when the symptoms look similar - it is slow, a leaf icon appeared, something is protecting the battery - you may actually be looking at different switches. Mix them up and your fix will miss.

3. What Windows Efficiency Mode Actually Is

According to Microsoft’s support documentation, the Efficiency mode shown in Task Manager’s Status column is a Windows 11 feature that automatically limits the resources used by one process or a group of processes when high CPU usage is detected.

There are four goals.

• Make the foreground app you are using right now more responsive
• Improve battery life
• Reduce heat and fan noise
• Keep background work from churning the CPU too hard

So it pairs well with work that is not the main event on screen - updaters, sync tasks, indexing, behind-the-scenes helper processes - while it can show up as perceived degradation for the work app you are actively touching, responsiveness-critical operations, heavy web-app tabs, and near-real-time monitoring or capture processing.

3.1 How Efficiency Mode, EcoQoS, and Power Throttling Relate

The three terms that get mixed up most in this article are Efficiency mode, EcoQoS, and Power Throttling. To make section 5 easier to follow, here is a table that pins them down first.

As a diagram, the containment looks like this.

flowchart TD
    E["Task Manager Efficiency mode"]
    P["Lower base priority to low"]
    Q["Set QoS to EcoQoS"]
    T["Power Throttling<br/>lower CPU frequency / move to efficiency cores"]
    S1["Can be stopped by the system-wide settings in 5.2"]
    S2["Not stopped by the system-wide settings in 5.2"]

    E --> P
    E --> Q
    Q --> T
    T --> S1
    P --> S2

The point to hold onto here is that Power Throttling is part of Efficiency mode, not all of it. The system-wide settings covered in 5.2 (power mode, Group Policy, the registry) can stop only the EcoQoS and Power Throttling side; the lowered base priority remains. Most reports of “I applied the system-wide setting and the green leaf is still there, and it is still slow” come down to this difference.

In one technical sentence

Microsoft’s DevBlogs explains that Task Manager’s Efficiency mode lowers the target process’s base priority to low and sets its QoS to EcoQoS.

Furthermore, Microsoft Learn’s SetProcessInformation documentation explains that for processes classified as EcoQoS, the system attempts to improve power efficiency by lowering CPU frequency or using more power-efficient cores. It adds that EcoQoS is intended for work that does not contribute to the foreground user experience and should not be used for performance-critical or foreground experiences.

In short, Efficiency mode is not merely a matter of lowering the priority a little. It is easier to understand as a mechanism that signals to Windows that this work may prioritize efficiency over performance.

3.2 A Process Can Be Treated as Power-Efficient Even If You Never Turned It On

This is another easy place to be misled.

Windows’s QoS documentation describes the following classification.

• Focused window: High QoS
• Visible but unfocused: Medium QoS
• Minimized or fully occluded windows: Low QoS
• Background services: Utility QoS
• Work explicitly tagged EcoQoS: Eco QoS

On top of that, even when an app does not explicitly set EcoQoS, Windows has mechanisms that infer QoS heuristically.

That is why phenomena like these are not surprising.

• It suddenly feels slow once minimized
• It is heavy only when running on battery
• You never touched Efficiency mode, yet the behavior looks similar

This property is also a trap when you compare performance or triage a defect. Section 8.3 covers how to hold the comparison conditions constant.

4. When to Consider Turning It Off

When you spot Efficiency mode, the reflex is to turn it all off, but in practice things go better when you split by whether the work is what you are doing right now or a background chore.

Microsoft’s description of EcoQoS can be summarized the same way: it suits background work, updates, sync, and indexing, and it does not suit foreground, performance-focused use.

5. How to Turn Off Windows Efficiency Mode

The standard procedure documented by Microsoft support is to toggle the target process from Task Manager. The steps are as follows.

1. Open Task Manager
   • From Start, search for Task Manager and open it.
   • Ctrl + Shift + Esc works too if you want it fast.

2. Open Processes in the left menu

3. Find the process you want to turn it off for
   • Look for Efficiency mode in the Status column or the green double-leaf icon.
   • If the Status column is not visible, right-click anywhere in the column headers and check Status. The green leaf icon appears to the left of the process name.
4. Right-click the target process and turn off Efficiency mode
   • Per Microsoft’s guidance, choose Efficiency mode from the menu to turn it off.
   • Once it is off, the green leaf icon disappears.
5. If you selected a process group, expand it
   • You sometimes cannot toggle at the parent-group level.
   • Expand the group with the arrow on the left and right-click the individual process to toggle it.
6. Repeat as many times as you need
   • If several apps are affected, walk through each one individually with the same steps.

5.1 You Can Also Toggle It From the Button in the Upper Right

Microsoft support also notes that, with a process selected, you can toggle Efficiency mode on or off from the Efficiency mode icon at the top right of Task Manager. If the icon is gray, it is not available for that target.

5.2 Keep Efficiency Mode From Running Across All Processes (System-Wide Settings)

The Task Manager toggle works one process at a time, and the setting disappears when that process exits. Right-clicking a process every time it starts and the green leaf comes back is not realistic, so here are two system-wide settings that keep the CPU throttling from Efficiency mode from running as much as possible across the whole machine.

First, be clear about how much they can actually stop. As section 3.1 showed, Task Manager’s Efficiency mode does two things together: it lowers the base priority to low and it sets the QoS to EcoQoS. What the system-wide settings below stop is only the Power Throttling mechanism that implements the second one. Power Throttling is part of Efficiency mode, not all of it, so even with these settings applied the lowered base priority remains (sections 5.3 and 5.4).

Both options disable the whole mechanism that constrains the background side in order to protect foreground apps. They definitely cost you in battery life, heat, and fan noise, so treat them as options for performance test machines, always-plugged-in desktops, and workloads where responsiveness takes absolute priority.

5.2.1 Set the Power Mode to Best Performance

This is the easiest option and the one you can undo at any time.

Microsoft’s hardware documentation says that Power Throttling is always enabled except when the power slider is set to Best performance, and that under Best performance all applications are opted out of Power Throttling.

1. Open Settings (Windows + I)
2. Open System > Power & battery
3. Set Power mode to Best performance

This requires neither a registry edit nor a restart. On a laptop, plugged-in and battery operation can be configured separately, so you can also run full performance only while connected to AC power.

5.2.2 Turn Off Power Throttling Itself Through the Registry or Group Policy

For a stronger option, Windows provides a policy that turns off Power Throttling itself. Microsoft’s policy documentation (PowerThrottlingTurnOff in ADMX_Power) states both that enabling the policy turns Power Throttling off and where the corresponding registry location is.

On Pro and Enterprise editions, you can configure it through Group Policy.

1. Press Win + R, enter gpedit.msc, and open the Group Policy Editor
2. Open Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Power Management > Power Throttling Settings
3. Set Turn off Power Throttling to Enabled
4. Restart Windows

On editions such as Home that do not include the Group Policy Editor, set the same registry value the policy would write. Run the following in a terminal opened as administrator.

reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerThrottling" /v PowerThrottlingOff /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

The setting is as follows. Restart Windows after applying it.

• Path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerThrottling
• Value name: PowerThrottlingOff
• Type: REG_DWORD
• Data: 1 (turn Power Throttling off)

To revert, set the value to 0 or delete the value entirely, then restart Windows.

reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerThrottling" /v PowerThrottlingOff /f

Note that an incorrect registry edit can make the system unstable, which is why Microsoft also recommends taking a backup before you change anything.

5.3 Try to Clear It From Every Running Process at Once (PowerShell)

If you do not want to restart, or do not want to change a machine-wide setting, but you do want to clear the Efficiency-mode-equivalent throttling from every process that is running right now, you can call the SetProcessInformation API from PowerShell.

As section 3.1 showed, of the two things Efficiency mode does, the EcoQoS side is controlled by PROCESS_POWER_THROTTLING_EXECUTION_SPEED. Microsoft Learn explains that setting this flag in ControlMask while leaving StateMask at 0 disables throttling always, treating the process as HighQoS. The script below applies that to every process.

# Run in PowerShell opened as administrator
Add-Type -Namespace Win32 -Name PowerThrottlingApi -MemberDefinition @'
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct PROCESS_POWER_THROTTLING_STATE
{
    public uint Version;
    public uint ControlMask;
    public uint StateMask;
}

[DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
public static extern bool SetProcessInformation(
    IntPtr hProcess,
    int ProcessInformationClass,
    ref PROCESS_POWER_THROTTLING_STATE ProcessInformation,
    uint ProcessInformationSize);
'@

$state = New-Object Win32.PowerThrottlingApi+PROCESS_POWER_THROTTLING_STATE
$state.Version     = 1  # PROCESS_POWER_THROTTLING_CURRENT_VERSION
$state.ControlMask = 1  # PROCESS_POWER_THROTTLING_EXECUTION_SPEED
$state.StateMask   = 0  # 0 = always disable throttling (treat as HighQoS)
$size = [uint32][System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal]::SizeOf($state)

foreach ($p in Get-Process) {
    try {
        # 4 = ProcessPowerThrottling (PROCESS_INFORMATION_CLASS)
        $null = [Win32.PowerThrottlingApi]::SetProcessInformation(
            $p.Handle, 4, [ref]$state, $size)
    } catch {
        # Skip processes that cannot be opened, such as protected processes
    }
}

Check What Actually Changed After Running It

The script prints nothing, so you need to confirm separately whether it worked. There are two ways to check.

1. Look in Task Manager (GUI)

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager and select Processes in the left menu. If the green double-leaf icon and the Efficiency mode text are gone from the processes that had them before the run, the EcoQoS side has been cleared. If you cannot find the Status column, right-click the column headers and switch Status on.

Note that this check tells you nothing about the base priority. To see the priority, right-click the target process on the Details tab and read the current value from Set priority.

2. Read the current values from the command line (PowerShell)

The GetProcessInformation API lets you read each process’s PROCESS_POWER_THROTTLING_STATE. The following script is independent of the one above and runs on its own.

# List the current throttling settings. Run in PowerShell opened as administrator
Add-Type -Namespace Win32 -Name PowerThrottlingCheck -MemberDefinition @'
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct PROCESS_POWER_THROTTLING_STATE
{
    public uint Version;
    public uint ControlMask;
    public uint StateMask;
}

[DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
public static extern bool GetProcessInformation(
    IntPtr hProcess,
    int ProcessInformationClass,
    ref PROCESS_POWER_THROTTLING_STATE ProcessInformation,
    uint ProcessInformationSize);
'@

$template = New-Object Win32.PowerThrottlingCheck+PROCESS_POWER_THROTTLING_STATE
$size = [uint32][System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal]::SizeOf($template)

Get-Process | ForEach-Object {
    $proc = $_

    $handle = $null
    try { $handle = $proc.Handle } catch { }
    if ($null -eq $handle) { return }   # Skip processes that cannot be opened

    $state = New-Object Win32.PowerThrottlingCheck+PROCESS_POWER_THROTTLING_STATE
    $state.Version = 1
    # 4 = ProcessPowerThrottling (PROCESS_INFORMATION_CLASS)
    if (-not [Win32.PowerThrottlingCheck]::GetProcessInformation($handle, 4, [ref]$state, $size)) {
        return
    }

    # bit 0 = PROCESS_POWER_THROTTLING_EXECUTION_SPEED
    if (($state.ControlMask -band 1) -eq 0) {
        $speed = 'Left to the system'
    }
    elseif (($state.StateMask -band 1) -ne 0) {
        $speed = 'Always enabled (EcoQoS)'
    }
    else {
        $speed = 'Always disabled (HighQoS)'
    }

    [pscustomobject]@{
        Name           = $proc.ProcessName
        Id             = $proc.Id
        ExecutionSpeed = $speed
    }
} | Sort-Object ExecutionSpeed, Name | Format-Table -AutoSize

Read the output like this.

If Always disabled (HighQoS) lines up after you run the script in 5.3, it was applied successfully. Anything still showing Left to the system is a process whose handle could not be opened and was skipped.

What This Script Is and Is Not

So that you do not misjudge its reach, here are its characteristics and limits.

• It affects only processes that are running now. Processes started later are not covered, so for everyday use you need to run it again, for example from a logon task. If you want the change to persist, the registry or Group Policy option in 5.2.2 is the better fit.
• Even when you run it as administrator, processes that cannot be opened, such as protected processes, are skipped. This gets you as far as possible, not all the way.
• What it clears is only EcoQoS, the one of Efficiency mode’s two effects that shifts CPU operation toward power efficiency. The other one, the lowered base priority, remains. You can restore the priority with something like $p.PriorityClass = 'Normal', but raising the priority of background processes across the board has heavy side effects and is not recommended.
• If you want to return to the system’s default judgment rather than force throttling off, set ControlMask to 0 and run the same loop.

5.4 What Remains Even After All of This

Even if you apply everything in 5.2 and 5.3, you get as close as possible, not all the way. Here is what remains.

• Power-saving behavior the browser implements on its own does not stop. As section 6.2 explains, Edge and Chrome lower their own base priority and use power-efficiency APIs. Turn off Edge’s energy saver with the steps in section 7.
• The lowered base priority remains even when you stop Power Throttling. Efficiency mode does two things, lowering the base priority to low and applying EcoQoS, and the system-wide settings in 5.2 can only stop the latter (Power Throttling). To undo the priority drop on a process where you turned Efficiency mode on in Task Manager, turn Efficiency mode off for that process.
• The QoS classification itself does not go away. Differences in treatment based on window state - foreground, visible, minimized - and P-core / E-core assignment also depend on power settings and hardware factors.
• And of course, if Efficiency mode is not the cause of the slowness, none of this will make anything faster (see 8.2).

6. When You Cannot Turn It Off, or It Seems to Come Right Back

6.1 The Menu Item Is Grayed Out

Microsoft’s DevBlogs explains that if Efficiency mode is gray, the process may be a core Windows process, and throttling that process could affect the system.

Microsoft support also states that Efficiency mode cannot be turned on or off for most process groups. For example, even when the whole Windows Explorer process group cannot be toggled, the individual Explorer folder windows revealed by expanding it sometimes can.

In other words, gray does not mean broken. It can simply mean you cannot touch it at that granularity. Start by expanding the group and looking at the individual child processes.

6.2 Efficiency Mode Appears on the Browser Even Though You Never Touched It

This happens routinely.

Microsoft’s DevBlogs explains that Microsoft Edge and Chrome lower their own base priority and use power-efficiency APIs, so they can appear with Efficiency mode in Task Manager.

That is, even when the user never turned Efficiency mode on by hand:

• The browser itself is using power-efficiency APIs
• Seen from Task Manager, it looks like an Efficiency-mode-equivalent state

In that case, it is faster to check the browser’s own energy-saving settings as well as the Windows side.

6.3 Turning It All Off at Once Is a Bit Risky

Efficiency mode exists in the first place to protect foreground work by reducing interference from the background side. So if you crudely turn everything off, updaters, sync, and resident background tasks will reclaim the CPU, and the experience can degrade in a different way.

It is safer to narrow things down in this order.

• Look only at the app that is giving you trouble right now
• Decide whether it is the work you are doing or a background chore
• If it is a browser, look at the browser-side settings too

On top of that, if you understand the tradeoff and want to stop it machine-wide on a performance test system or an always-plugged-in desktop, sections 5.2 and 5.3 cover the methods, and section 5.4 covers what still remains.

7. Where to Look When Only Edge Is Slow

Microsoft Edge’s support documentation explicitly states that Edge’s energy saver is a separate thing from Windows Efficiency mode.

So if only Edge is slow, or only certain sites stutter, check the Edge side as well.

Steps to Turn Off Edge’s Energy Saver

1. Open Settings from the ... menu (Settings and more) at the top right of Edge. Typing edge://settings/system in the address bar takes you to the same screen.
2. Open System and performance in the left menu.
3. Under Performance, turn off Turn on energy saver.

When You Only Want to Exempt Specific Sites

If you do not want to turn it all off, add the target URLs to Always keep these sites active. For heavy web apps, admin consoles, and in-browser CAD / DCC / BI tools, this is often easier to live with.

8. Common Misconceptions

8.1 A Green Leaf Icon Always Means Something Bad

Not necessarily. Efficiency mode is a mechanism for protecting foreground responsiveness, battery, and heat. For background work you are not using, having it on can actually be to your advantage.

8.2 Turning It Off Makes Everything Faster

Also wrong. If the cause of the slowness is memory pressure, disk I/O, network waits, drivers, heat, or a different browser setting, switching off Efficiency mode alone changes nothing fundamental.

Sections 5.2 and 5.3 do cover the means of turning it off broadly - power mode, the registry, Group Policy, PowerShell - but the same point applies: if Efficiency mode is not the cause, disabling it machine-wide will not make anything faster. Establish whether Efficiency mode is the cause before you reach for those options.

8.3 A Minimized Window Gives You the Same Comparison Conditions

Per Microsoft Learn’s QoS documentation, minimized or fully occluded windows can fall to low QoS. Furthermore, in Windows 11’s power settings, Best power efficiency restricts background activity and Energy saver restricts background processes.

So for performance comparisons and defect triage, unless you hold constant

• AC power versus battery
• the power mode
• whether the window is in the foreground and visible or minimized

you are running a different experiment.

8.4 Turning Off Edge’s Energy Saver Also Removes Windows Efficiency Mode

Also separate. Edge’s energy saver and the Efficiency mode shown in Windows Task Manager are different features. Turning one off leaves the other in place.

9. Summary

In one sentence, Windows Efficiency mode is a mechanism that quiets down background work a little so that foreground responsiveness and power savings can coexist.

That leads to the following.

• For background work you are not using, leaving it as is usually fine
• If the app you are using right now is slow, unstable, or sluggish, turn it off for that process only and compare
• If you want to stop it machine-wide on a performance test system or an always-plugged-in desktop, use the Best performance power mode or the registry / Group Policy setting Turn off Power Throttling (accepting the battery and heat tradeoff)
• If only the browser is heavy, check Edge’s energy saver as well as the Windows side
• For benchmarks and triage, hold AC power, the power mode, and window visibility constant

That is the most practical way to look at it.

A green leaf icon is not something you have to write off as bad on sight. Decide between leaving it on and trying it off based on whether that process is what you are actually doing right now.

10. Related Articles

• Windows Processor Scheduling Settings - Background Services and P/E Cores
• How to Correctly Compare the Speed of Different Program Versions on Windows
• When Do You Actually Need Administrator Privileges on Windows? - UAC, Protected Areas, and How to Tell by Design

11. References

1. Microsoft Support, Learn about performance features in Microsoft Edge The meaning of Efficiency mode in Windows Task Manager, the green leaf icon, the steps to turn it off, and the difference from Edge’s energy-saving features.

2. Microsoft DevBlogs, Reduce Process Interference with Task Manager Efficiency Mode How Task Manager’s Efficiency mode combines lowering the base priority with EcoQoS, what the grayed-out state means, and notes on how Edge / Chrome appear.

3. Microsoft DevBlogs, Introducing EcoQoS The aim of EcoQoS, its suitability for background work, and its effect on power consumption, heat, and fan noise.

4. Microsoft Learn, Quality of Service - Win32 apps QoS levels, and the relationship between foreground, visible, minimized, and background services and QoS.

5. Microsoft Learn, SetProcessInformation function (processthreadsapi.h) The meaning of ProcessPowerThrottling / EcoQoS, the effect on CPU frequency and efficient cores, and heuristic QoS inference.

6. Microsoft Learn, GetProcessInformation function (processthreadsapi.h) That specifying ProcessPowerThrottling lets you read PROCESS_POWER_THROTTLING_STATE, and the access rights required.

7. Microsoft Support, Power settings in Windows 11 How power modes and energy saver relate to restrictions on background activity and processes.

8. Microsoft Learn, Policy CSP - ADMX_Power (PowerThrottlingTurnOff) What the Turn off Power Throttling policy does and the corresponding registry key (Power\PowerThrottling / PowerThrottlingOff).

9. Microsoft Learn, Customize the Windows performance power slider The purpose of Power Throttling and the fact that all applications are opted out of Power Throttling when the power slider is set to Best performance.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the topic of this article.

What is Efficiency mode in Task Manager?

It is a feature displayed in Windows 11 Task Manager. Microsoft describes it as a feature that automatically limits the resources used by a single process or group of processes when high CPU usage is detected. It lowers the target process's base priority and uses a mechanism called EcoQoS to run the CPU in a more power-efficient way. The goals are better foreground app responsiveness, longer battery life, and less heat and fan noise. Processes it applies to are marked with a green double-leaf icon in Task Manager.

Should I turn Efficiency mode off?

There is no need to turn it off across the board. For behind-the-scenes work such as updaters, sync tasks, and indexing, leaving it alone is usually the better arrangement. On the other hand, if the app you are working in clearly stutters or becomes unstable, it is worth turning it off for that process and comparing, because Microsoft itself warns that it may cause instability for certain processes. Turning everything off at once is best avoided: background resident work will reclaim the CPU and the experience can degrade in a different way.

How do I turn Efficiency mode off?

Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), select Processes in the left menu, right-click the target process, and choose Efficiency mode from the menu to turn it off. Once it is off, the green leaf icon disappears. If you have a process group selected, you sometimes cannot toggle it at the parent-group level, so expand the group with the arrow on the left and right-click the individual processes. You can also toggle it from the Efficiency mode icon at the top right of Task Manager with a process selected.

Why is Efficiency mode grayed out so I cannot turn it off?

If the item is gray, the process may be a core Windows process, and throttling it could affect the system, so it cannot be toggled. Microsoft also states that Efficiency mode cannot be turned on or off for most process groups, while the individual processes revealed by expanding the group can sometimes be toggled. Nothing is broken; you simply cannot touch it at that granularity, so start by expanding the group and looking at the child processes.

Can I turn Efficiency mode off for all processes at once?

Task Manager has no single master switch, but two settings apply system-wide. One is setting the power mode to Best performance; Microsoft states that in this mode all applications are opted out of Power Throttling, the mechanism that actually implements the Efficiency mode throttling. The other is the Group Policy setting Turn off Power Throttling (in the registry, PowerThrottlingOff = 1 under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerThrottling), which disables the Power Throttling mechanism itself. However, the power-saving behavior a browser implements on its own and the lowered base priority both remain, and battery life and heat get worse, so neither is recommended as an everyday setting on a laptop.

Why does Efficiency mode appear on my browser even though I never set it?

Microsoft Edge and Chrome lower their own base priority and use power-efficiency APIs themselves, so Task Manager can show Efficiency mode even when the user never enabled it by hand. Edge's energy saver is also a separate thing from Windows Efficiency mode: turning the Windows side off does not turn Edge's energy saver off. If only Edge is slow, check the energy saver settings under System and performance in Edge's settings.

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Go Komura

Representative of KomuraSoft LLC

Focused on Windows software development, technical consulting, and investigations into failures that are difficult to reproduce.