Power Management Tab is missing from Device Manager - Windows 11

Question

Why Microsoft removed the power management tabs from the devices in Device Manager? Is there another way other than making a change to the Registry, as in adding the cEnabled entry, as we find everywhere? I need this back to all our laptops and I do not want to make this change to each and every one of them. Our main complain is that our users hate when their laptops go to sleep during lunch breaks and that kills the VPN connection. What was the reasoning behind removing this tab? Is there an alternative in the Windows Power options to make this adjustment, namely that sleep will not power off the network card?

Answer 1

The removal of the Power Management tab from Device Manager in certain Windows versions, including Windows 11, is primarily due to design changes aimed at improving power management for devices, especially in systems that support modern standby features. In these systems, Windows manages the power state of devices more systematically to enhance battery life and connectivity, which can lead to the absence of user-configurable options like the Power Management tab.

For users experiencing issues with laptops going to sleep and disrupting VPN connections, there are alternative methods to manage power settings without directly modifying the registry. You can adjust the power settings through the Windows Power Options:

1. Open Power Options: Right-click on the battery icon in the system tray and select "Power Options."
2. Change Plan Settings: Choose the active power plan and click on "Change plan settings."
3. Change Advanced Power Settings: Click on "Change advanced power settings."
4. Network Adapter Settings: Look for settings related to the network adapter and configure them to prevent the adapter from going to sleep.

This approach allows you to manage power settings without needing to make registry changes on each device individually. However, the specific options available may vary based on the hardware and drivers in use.

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References:

• Information about power management setting on a network adapter
• Power Management tab is not visible for some Wireless Network adapters with AOAC platforms in Windows 8