Energy-Efficient Ethernet, commonly abbreviated as EEE, is a power-saving feature available on many wired Ethernet network adapters. It is designed to reduce the amount of electricity consumed by an Ethernet connection when network activity is low. On a compatible Windows 11 PC, EEE can place the network adapter into lower-power operating states during periods when the connection is not being heavily used.

Windows 11 does not normally provide a dedicated Energy-Efficient Ethernet switch in the main Settings application. Instead, the option is usually controlled through the Advanced properties of the Ethernet network adapter in Device Manager. The exact name and availability of the setting depend on the network adapter, its driver, and the computer manufacturer. Microsoft documents EEE as a standardized network-driver power-management setting, with EEE enabled by default for drivers that expose the standardized keyword.

In this guide, you will learn how to turn Energy-Efficient Ethernet on or off in Windows 11, how to find the setting when it is available, what to do when the option is missing, and how to restore the original configuration if changing it does not solve your problem.

What Is Energy-Efficient Ethernet?

Energy-Efficient Ethernet is an Ethernet power-saving technology designed to reduce energy consumption during periods of low network activity. Instead of keeping the network hardware operating at full power continuously, compatible hardware and drivers can use lower-power states when appropriate.

Microsoft’s network-driver documentation identifies Energy-efficient ethernet as the standardized *EEE power-management keyword. A value of 0 represents disabled, while 1 represents enabled and is the default for the standardized setting.

The feature is particularly useful for computers that remain connected to a wired network for long periods. A desktop PC in an office, for example, may spend many hours connected to Ethernet while transferring very little data. Power-saving features can reduce unnecessary energy consumption during these periods.

Before You Change the Setting

Before disabling Energy-Efficient Ethernet, keep a few things in mind.

First, the setting is normally available only for wired Ethernet adapters. A Wi-Fi adapter generally will not have an “Energy Efficient Ethernet” option because EEE is an Ethernet technology.

Second, the name can vary between manufacturers. Depending on your network adapter and driver, you may see entries such as:

• Energy Efficient Ethernet
• Energy-Efficient Ethernet
• Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE)
• EEE
• Advanced EEE
• Green Ethernet
• Power Saving Mode
• Gigabit Lite

Not every one of these options means exactly the same thing, so you should avoid changing unrelated advanced network settings unless you know what they do.

Third, some network adapters simply do not expose an EEE option in Windows. This is normal. Microsoft notes that network power-management capabilities depend on the adapter and its driver.

Method 1: Turn Off Energy-Efficient Ethernet Using Device Manager

The easiest and most direct method is to use Device Manager.

Step 1: Open Device Manager

Press Windows + X on your keyboard.

A shortcut menu will appear.

Select Device Manager.

Alternatively, you can press the Windows key and search for Device Manager, then open it from the search results.

Step 2: Expand Network Adapters

In Device Manager, locate:

Network adapters

Click the arrow next to it to expand the category.

You will see the network adapters installed on your computer.

Look for your wired Ethernet adapter. Its name may include terms such as:

• Ethernet
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 2.5GbE
• Intel Ethernet
• Realtek PCIe Ethernet
• Killer Ethernet
• USB Ethernet

If your computer has both Wi-Fi and Ethernet hardware, make sure you select the wired Ethernet adapter, not the wireless adapter.

Step 3: Open the Adapter Properties

Right-click your Ethernet adapter.

Select Properties.

A new window containing several tabs will appear.

Step 4: Open the Advanced Tab

Click the Advanced tab.

This section contains hardware-specific network settings provided by the adapter driver.

The list can be quite long because different manufacturers expose different options.

Scroll through the Property list and look for:

Energy Efficient Ethernet

or a similar EEE-related option.

Step 5: Disable Energy-Efficient Ethernet

Select Energy Efficient Ethernet.

On the right side, you should see a Value drop-down menu.

Select:

Disabled

Then click OK.

The Ethernet adapter may briefly disconnect and reconnect while Windows applies the new configuration.

This is expected.

Microsoft Q&A guidance also commonly recommends opening the Ethernet adapter’s Advanced tab and setting Energy Efficient Ethernet to Disabled when troubleshooting certain Ethernet connection problems.

Step 6: Test Your Connection

After changing the setting, use your internet connection normally.

If you were experiencing intermittent disconnections, slow reconnections, or connection problems that appeared after periods of inactivity, monitor whether the problem has improved.

You may also restart Windows after making the change, especially if the adapter does not immediately reconnect correctly.

Method 2: Turn On Energy-Efficient Ethernet Again

If you previously disabled EEE and want to restore it, you can use the same Device Manager procedure.

Open:

Device Manager → Network adapters → Your Ethernet adapter → Properties → Advanced

Find:

Energy Efficient Ethernet

Select it and change the value from:

Disabled

to:

Enabled

Click OK.

The adapter may briefly disconnect while Windows applies the change.

Afterward, test the Ethernet connection.

If the option originally showed a different value, such as Auto, Enabled, or another manufacturer-specific setting, restoring the original value may be preferable to simply selecting Enabled.

Method 3: What to Do If Energy Efficient Ethernet Is Missing

One of the most common questions is: “I opened the Advanced tab, but Energy Efficient Ethernet isn’t there. Where is it?”

The answer is that the option is not available on every Ethernet adapter.

Windows can only display settings that are exposed by the network adapter’s driver. Microsoft documentation describes EEE as a standardized driver keyword, but individual hardware and driver implementations can differ.

If you cannot find EEE, try the following.

Check for Similar Names

Look for:

• EEE
• Energy-Efficient Ethernet
• Advanced EEE
• Green Ethernet
• Power Saving Mode
• Gigabit Lite
• Auto Disable Gigabit

Do not automatically disable every power-related option. Change only the setting relevant to the problem you are troubleshooting.

Update the Ethernet Driver

An outdated or generic driver may expose fewer adapter options than the manufacturer’s driver.

Check your PC, motherboard, or Ethernet adapter manufacturer’s support website for the latest Windows 11-compatible Ethernet driver.

For example, an Ethernet adapter integrated into a motherboard may have a driver supplied by the motherboard manufacturer, while a business laptop may provide a customized network driver through the laptop manufacturer’s support page.

After installing the appropriate driver, reopen Device Manager and check the Advanced tab again.

Check the Adapter Manufacturer

To identify your Ethernet hardware, open:

Device Manager → Network adapters

The adapter’s full name will usually identify its manufacturer and model family.

This can help you determine whether the hardware actually supports EEE.

Method 4: Use PowerShell for Network Adapter Power Management

Windows also provides PowerShell commands for managing network-adapter power settings.

This method is more advanced and should be used carefully because the PowerShell command for disabling network-adapter power management is broader than simply changing the EEE setting.

First, open Windows Terminal as Administrator.

You can do this by right-clicking the Start button and selecting Terminal (Admin).

To identify your Ethernet adapters, run:

Get-NetAdapter

Find the name of your wired adapter.

For example, it might be:

Ethernet

or:

Ethernet 1

Microsoft documents the Disable-NetAdapterPowerManagement cmdlet for disabling network-adapter power-management features. If no specific power parameter is supplied, the cmdlet disables all supported power-management features for the selected adapter and normally restarts the adapter.

For example:

Disable-NetAdapterPowerManagement -Name "Ethernet"

Replace "Ethernet" with the actual adapter name shown by Get-NetAdapter.

Important: this command is not equivalent to simply changing the EEE option in Device Manager. It affects the adapter’s broader power-management configuration. Therefore, if your only goal is to turn off Energy-Efficient Ethernet, the Device Manager method is usually preferable when the EEE option is available.

Microsoft also provides an Enable-NetAdapterPowerManagement cmdlet for restoring supported power-management features.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is Energy-Efficient Ethernet safe to disable in Windows 11?

Yes. Disabling EEE is a normal network-adapter configuration change. It does not damage the Ethernet hardware or Windows installation. It simply prevents the adapter from using that particular energy-saving feature.

If disabling it makes no difference, you can return to Device Manager and enable it again.

2. Why don’t I have an Energy Efficient Ethernet option?

Your Ethernet adapter or installed driver may not expose the setting. The exact properties available in Device Manager depend on the network hardware and driver.

Check for alternative names such as EEE, Green Ethernet, or Power Saving Mode, and consider installing the appropriate manufacturer-provided driver.

3. Should I disable Energy-Efficient Ethernet for gaming?

Not necessarily.

If your Ethernet connection is stable, there is usually no need to disable EEE solely for gaming. If you are experiencing unexplained network interruptions or brief disconnects, disabling EEE can be tested as part of troubleshooting.

However, EEE is not normally responsible for increasing or decreasing your game’s internet bandwidth by itself.

4. Does disabling EEE reduce battery life?

On a desktop PC, battery life is obviously not relevant. On a laptop using a wired Ethernet connection, disabling power-saving features can potentially increase power consumption while Ethernet is active.

The actual impact depends on the hardware and how the adapter implements its power-management features.

If battery life is important and your Ethernet connection works correctly, leaving EEE enabled is generally the sensible choice.

Conclusion

Energy-Efficient Ethernet is a useful power-saving feature designed to reduce energy consumption when a compatible wired Ethernet adapter has little network activity. Windows 11 usually manages this feature through the Ethernet adapter’s driver rather than through the regular Windows Settings application.

The simplest way to turn it off is to open Device Manager, expand Network adapters, open your Ethernet adapter’s Properties, select the Advanced tab, find Energy Efficient Ethernet, and change its value to Disabled. To turn it back on, return to the same location and select Enabled or restore the adapter’s previous setting.

For most users with a stable wired connection, there is no compelling reason to disable EEE. If you are troubleshooting intermittent disconnections, problems after idle periods, or other unusual Ethernet behavior, disabling EEE is a reasonable test. Microsoft also provides PowerShell commands for managing network-adapter power management, although those commands can affect broader power-management features and should therefore be used with more care.

The key point is that EEE is a power-saving feature, not an internet-speed booster or speed limiter by design. If your Ethernet connection is working correctly, leaving it enabled is generally appropriate. If you are experiencing connectivity problems, change the setting, test the connection, and restore it if it does not make a meaningful difference.