To turn off Efficiency mode in Windows 11, open Task Manager, expand the affected app, right-click the individual process, and select Efficiency mode to switch it off. The green leaf icon should disappear from that process.
I recommend changing it only for the app you are investigating. A leaf icon shows a power-saving state; it does not, by itself, prove why an app is slow.
Step 1: Open Task Manager and Find the App
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Select Processes in the left sidebar.
- Find the app that is slow or unresponsive. If your version has a search box, enter the app’s name.
- Look in its Status column for the green double-leaf icon.
An app can contain several processes. If there is a small arrow beside its name, click it to show the individual entries. The group heading and its child processes are not interchangeable when changing this setting.
Microsoft screenshot showing Efficiency mode on Notepad. The yellow pause symbol beside Settings means Suspended, a different state. This example uses an earlier Windows 11 interface.
Step 2: Turn Off Efficiency Mode for the Process
- Within the expanded app group, select the individual process displaying the leaf icon.
- Right-click that process.
- Select Efficiency mode to turn it off if it is currently enabled.
- Alternatively, use the Efficiency mode button on Task Manager’s command bar for the selected process.
The same control switches the feature on and off. Check the process’s current state before clicking it; selecting an entry that is not using Efficiency mode can enable it instead.
Microsoft screenshot identifying both Efficiency mode controls. In this example Notepad is not yet in Efficiency mode; the picture shows where the toggle is, rather than an already-disabled result.
Do not click End task as part of this step. That closes the process and can interrupt work. Switching Efficiency mode off changes how the process is treated without deliberately closing it.
Step 3: Confirm the Change and Test the App
Return to the same process row. Its green leaf should disappear when Efficiency mode is off. Other processes under the same app can still have leaves, so check the specific row you changed.
Switch back to the app and repeat the action that was slow. For example, reopen the same document or repeat the same browser interaction. Keep the workload similar so the comparison is useful.
If the leaf disappears but the problem remains, the setting changed successfully. That result simply gives you a reason to investigate something else, such as extensions, memory pressure, storage activity, or the app itself.
What If Efficiency Mode Is Greyed Out?
First, check whether you selected the app’s group heading. Expand it and select a child process instead.
Some essential Windows processes do not allow this change. A disabled control on one of those processes is not a reason to change system permissions or force the process to close.
Also check that the symbol you are investigating is actually the green leaf. A suspended process uses a pause indicator and needs a different explanation.
Why Does Efficiency Mode Keep Coming Back?
Task Manager is not a permanent, system-wide exclusion list. An app may create a new process after you change the original one, and applications can request energy-efficient behavior through Windows APIs themselves.
Windows uses Efficiency mode to reduce a process’s priority and apply energy-conscious scheduling behavior. That can help background work compete less with the task you are using, but it also explains why disabling it indiscriminately is not a reliable performance fix.
If a leaf returns, note whether the app restarted or the affected process changed. Repeat the check on the current process before assuming the earlier toggle failed. Avoid registry fixes advertised as a universal switch unless they are documented for this exact purpose.
If your actual goal is to prevent an unwanted app from opening when you sign in, use the Windows 11 Startup folder and startup-app controls instead. That addresses automatic launching directly.
Microsoft Edge Has a Separate Energy Saver Setting
Task Manager’s Efficiency mode and Edge’s browser-level power controls are separate. Turning off one does not automatically turn off the other.
For Edge’s setting:
- Open Microsoft Edge and select the three-dot menu.
- Open Settings > System and performance > Performance.
- Find Energy saver and turn off Enable energy saver if you want to test browsing without it.
Older Edge instructions may call this browser feature Efficiency mode. Follow the labels in your installed version.
For a tab that reloads or stops updating in the background, inspect Edge’s Sleeping tabs settings as well. Add a necessary site to Always keep these sites active rather than assuming Task Manager’s toggle will prevent it from sleeping.
Should You Leave Efficiency Mode Off?
Leave it off for an affected process only when the change helps the task you need to complete. If it makes no useful difference, there is little reason to disable power-saving behavior broadly.
Disabling it can increase energy use, and the effect depends on the app and workload. If your main concern is short battery life, the Windows 11 battery report guide explains how to separate reduced battery capacity from higher consumption.
