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 denylisted 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 Care¶
Important
Supported hardware
Depending on TLP version and laptop vendor or brand Battery Care includes different capabilities:
Version 1.3.1 and lower
IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads only: start and stop charge threshold, discharge and recalibration
Version 1.4 and higher - additionally:
ASUS laptops: stop charge threshold
Huawei MateBooks: start and stop charge threshold
LG Gram laptops: fixed stop charge threshold at 80% aka battery care limit
Lenovo laptops (non-ThinkPad series): fixed stop charge threshold at 60% aka battery conservation mode
Samsung laptops: fixed stop charge threshold at 80% aka battery life extender
Disclaimer: all other laptop vendors/brands are not supported.
See also
Settings: Battery Care
FAQ: Battery Care.
Change battery charge thresholds temporarily¶
sudo tlp setcharge [<START_CHARGE_THRESH> <STOP_CHARGE_THRESH>] [BAT0|BAT1|BAT<x>|CMB0]
Changes the charge thresholds for the battery to the given values.
Allowed threshold values are version and vendor specific:
Version 1.4 and higher:
Consult the output of tlp-stat -b
tlp setcharge validates parameters and configuration and reports errors
A value of 0 is translated to the vendor specific default (or the disabled state)
If the laptop supports only a stop charge threshold, use START_CHARGE_THRESH = 0
In case it supports both thresholds (currently Huawei and ThinkPads) and you want to use only one, then use START_CHARGE_THRESH = 0 or STOP_CHARGE_THRESH = 100 to disable the one you don’t want to use
For some vendors the BAT0 parameters apply to all batteries, regardless of their actual name
Version 1.3.1 and lower (only ThinkPads):
START_CHARGE_THRESH = 1 to 96
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH = 5 to 100
START_CHARGE_THRESH must be <= STOP_CHARGE_THRESH - 4.
A value of 0 is translated to the vendor default 96/100%
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 config file. Refer to Battery Care.
Charge battery to full capacity¶
sudo tlp fullcharge [BAT0|BAT1|BAT<x>|CMB0]
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¶
ThinkPads only
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¶
ThinkPads only
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 Care
Recalibrate battery on AC power¶
ThinkPads only
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