tlp¶
Purpose
Apply TLP’s settings and change mode of operation.
Start or restart TLP¶
Apply all configured settings according to the actual power source:
sudo tlp start
Note
Also use this command to apply changes after editing the configuration.
Battery Mode¶
Apply the battery settings profile and enter manual mode:
sudo tlp bat
Hint: manual mode means that changes to the power source will be ignored until the next reboot or tlp start is issued to resume automatic mode.
AC Mode¶
Apply the AC settings profile and enter manual mode:
sudo tlp ac
Hint: manual mode means that changes to the power source will be ignored until the next reboot or tlp start is issued to resume automatic mode.
USB Autosuspend¶
Apply autosuspend mode for all attached USB devices except input and blacklisted devices:
sudo tlp usb
Optical Drive¶
Power off optical drive in MediaBay or Ultrabay:
sudo tlp bayoff
Hints:
Re-power the drive by releasing and reinserting the drive slot/Ultrabay eject lever; on newer models push the media eject button
Devices other than optical drives – in particular hard disk drives – are not affected by this command
Battery Features¶
Battery features means wear control in form of charge thresholds and the possibility to discharge or recalibrate the battery while AC is connected. Battery features do not comprise additional power saving.
Important
Battery charge thresholds, discharge and recalibration are currently only supported for IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads
Any other Lenovo laptop models including IdeaPads and all other laptop brands are not supported
TLP 1.3.1 does not support the kernel’s natacpi implementations for Asus and Huawei laptops because of differing sysfiles
Change battery charge thresholds temporarily¶
sudo tlp setcharge [ START_THRESH STOP_THRESH ] [ BAT0 | BAT1 ]
Changes the charge thresholds for the battery to the given values. Valid thresholds range from 1 to 100, START_THRESH must be <= STOP_THRESH - 4. Configured thresholds will be restored at the next boot or by using tlp setcharge again but without the threshold arguments.
Example:
sudo tlp setcharge 70 90 BAT0
Applies thresholds of 70/90% to the main battery (BAT0).
Note
tlp setcharge changes the charge thresholds only temporarily. To make the change permanent, you must activate or change the related settings in the configuration file. Refer to Battery Charge Thresholds.
Charge battery to full capacity¶
sudo tlp fullcharge [ BAT0 | BAT1 ]
This is done by applying vendor presets to the charge thresholds temporarily. Configured thresholds will be restored at the next boot or by using tlp setcharge without the threshold arguments.
Hint: after setting the thresholds the command terminates; it does not wait for the charge to complete.
Example:
sudo tlp fullcharge BAT1
Charges the auxiliary battery (BAT1) to full capacity.
Charge battery to the stop charge threshold once¶
sudo tlp chargeonce [ BAT0 | BAT1 ]
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.
Hint: after setting he thresholds the command terminates; it does not wait for the charge to complete.
Discharge battery on AC power¶
sudo tlp discharge [ BAT0 | BAT1 ]
BAT0 selects the main battery, BAT1 the auxiliary/Ultrabay battery for discharge. The command continously shows remaining capacity and estimated discharge time. Discharging may be stopped at any time with Control-C.
Hints:
The command terminates automatically when the battery is discharged completely
The command needs the AC power supply plugged in
Normal use of the ThinkPad is possible during the discharge process
ThinkPads with two batteries: the battery controller can only handle one battery at a time; while discharging one battery with this command the other battery can neither be charged nor discharged
When encountering problems, see the FAQ: Battery Features
Recalibrate battery on AC power¶
sudo tlp recalibrate [ BAT0 | BAT1 ]
This command works as follows:
Applies vendor presets to the charge thresholds
Discharges the selected battery completely (see description of tlp discharge above)
When discharging is complete the command terminates; it does not wait for the charge to complete
Important: to complete the recalibration process, let the battery charge to 100 % subsequently (you may power off but not remove AC power)
Example:
sudo tlp recalibrate BAT0
Recalibrates the main battery (BAT0).
Hints:
Configured thresholds will be restored at the next boot or by using tlp setcharge without the threshold arguments
ThinkPads with two batteries: the battery controller can only handle one battery at a time; while discharging one battery with this command the other battery can neither be charged nor discharged
Recalibration forces the battery pack to update the energy_full or charge_full information shown by tlp-stat -b
Recalibration does not repair defective or worn out batteries