tlp(8)

NAME
tlp - apply laptop power saving settings

SYNOPSIS
tlp command [parameters] [-- CONFIG_PARAM=value ... ]

DESCRIPTION
tlp applies power saving settings manually and controls battery care features.

COMMANDS

  Profile Management

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.

  Battery Care

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.

  Device Power Management

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.

  Information

diskid
    Print disk ids for configured drives.

--version
    Print TLP version.

  Configuration

-- 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.

AUTHORIZATION

Almost all tlp commands require root privileges. To change the power profile without root, you may use tplctl.

BATTERY CARE

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.

POWER PROFILES

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.

EXAMPLES

Change thresholds of the main battery to 70 / 90% temporarily:
        tlp setcharge 70 90

Charge the secondary battery to full capacity:
        tlp fullcharge BAT1

Recalibrate the main battery:
        tlp recalibrate

FILES
/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.

EXIT STATUS
On success, 0 is returned, a non-zero failure code otherwise.

SEE ALSO
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>

BUGS
Report bugs to: <https://github.com/linrunner/TLP/issues>.

AUTHOR
(c) 2025 Thomas Koch <linrunner at gmx.net>