ASUS Laptop Control (asusctl)
What this guide covers
This guide sets up power management on ASUS ROG, TUF, and ProArt laptops using asusctl.
We'll keep this guide mostly away from the terminal. By the end, you will be able to have your laptop change performance modes based on whether it is plugged in and set battery charge thresholds.
ASUS ROG / TUF / ProArt laptops only
asusctl only works on ASUS laptops (the ROG, TUF, and ProArt lines). On any other laptop these tools will not find your hardware.
Quick append (CLI)
Once asusctl is installed (see below), this is the whole setup in one place if you prefer the CLI.
# turn the background service on
systemctl enable --now asusd
# automatic switching: Balanced when plugged in, Quiet on battery
asusctl profile set -a Balanced
asusctl profile set -b Quiet
# apply a profile to use right now
asusctl profile set Balanced
# stop charging at 80% to preserve long-term battery health
asusctl battery limit 80# same profile on AC and battery — undo the automatic switching
asusctl profile set -a Balanced
asusctl profile set -b Balanced
# allow charging back to 100%
asusctl battery limit 100Warning
EPP is not set via asusctl. The throttle-policy → EPP link lives in /etc/asusd/asusd.ron as platform_profile_linked_epp.
Use ROG Control Center for it, or edit that file asusd.ron.
Installing asusctl
asusctl comes in two pieces: asusd (the background service that actually changes the settings) and ROG Control Center (the graphical app).
Install both, then turn the service on.
sudo dnf install asusctl asusctl-rog-gui
systemctl enable --now asusd.serviceUsing an old COPR?
The old lukenukem/asus-linux COPR is dead. If you added it in the past, remove it (sudo dnf copr remove lukenukem/asus-linux, sudo dnf autoremove and sudo dnf remove asusctl asusctl-rog-gui) so it does not clash with the Terra package.
Follow the official build instructions in the OpenGamingCollective/asusctl README.
asusctl and rog-control-center are both in the AUR:
yay -S asusctl rog-control-center
systemctl enable --now asusd.servicePrefer a prebuilt package over building from the AUR?
The OpenGamingCollective/asusctl README documents their maintained pacman repo, which skips the AUR build step.
supergfxctl is deprecated
Older guides (including ours, previously) paired asusctl with supergfxctl for switching between the integrated and dedicated GPU. That project is now archived and unmaintained.
Its experimental successor is cardwire — early enough that you should expect rough edges. This guide only covers power profiles, not dGPU switching.
Power profiles vs. your desktop's toggle
asusctl uses power-profiles-daemon to manage Power Profiles and automatic performance mode switching.
Most desktops and distros should already come and use power-profiles-daemon; regardless, below are the steps to set power-profiles-daemon as your performance manager:
Fedora uses tuned-ppd; swap it for power-profiles-daemon below.
sudo dnf install power-profiles-daemon
sudo dnf swap tuned-ppd power-profiles-daemon --allowerasing
systemctl enable --now power-profiles-daemon.serviceUsually already installed. If not:
sudo apt install power-profiles-daemon
systemctl enable --now power-profiles-daemon.servicesudo pacman -S power-profiles-daemon
systemctl enable --now power-profiles-daemon.serviceThen turn off your desktop's "automatically switch to Power Saver on battery" option in the settings app so only one thing changes the profile when you unplug.
Tips
asusdcooperates withpower-profiles-daemon, so both your Quick Settings toggle and ROG Control Center's Platform Profiles are safe to use.- Quick Settings for everyday switching,
- ROG Control Center for the one-time automatic-switching setup below.
Performance Management
Platform Profile (also Throttle Policy in ROG Control Center)
Your laptop's overall power mode. Platform Profile determines the maximum power budget:
- Increase budget -> fans and chips run hotter; system feels snappier
- Decrease budget -> everything runs cooler, saving battery; system feels slightly slower
Details
System Control -> Power Settings -> Platform Profile
| Profile | What it does |
|---|---|
| Quiet | Lowest power, quietest fans. Best for battery life and light work. |
| Balanced | The middle ground — the everyday default. |
| Performance | Full power, fans allowed to ramp. Best for gaming or heavy work while plugged in. |
Energy Performance Preference (EPP)
Where the Throttle Policy is the total power budget for the whole laptop, EPP controls just the CPU. It nudges the processor toward either saving power or going fast.
You don't necessarily have to toggle this section, but here is the editor's suggestion:
- Balanced Policy -> Balanced Performance
- Performance Policy -> Performance
- Quiet Policy -> Power
Details
System Control -> Power Settings -> Platform Profile -> Advanced -> EPP linked to Throttle Policy
| EPP | Definition | Behaviour |
|---|---|---|
| Power | Power saving | CPU stays slow to save the most battery |
| BalancePower | Balanced, leaning to power saving | CPU speeds up only when it really needs to |
| BalancePerformance | Balanced, leaning to performance | CPU speeds up readily, but still eases off when idle |
| Performance | Performance | CPU jumps to full speed quickly |
Automate: performance plugged-in, power-saving on battery
System Control -> Power Settings -> Platform Profile -> Advanced -> Throttle Policy for power state
Turn on "Throttle Policy on Battery"
Set its dropdown to Quiet. It would use the Quiet policy when you unplug.
Turn on "Throttle Policy on AC"
Set its dropdown to Balanced (or Performance if you prefer maximum power for a hotter system).
Tips
Verify if it actually worked by heading back to the ROG Control Center dashboard:
Plug and unplug to see if the Platform Profile has changed.
Contributors
Changelog
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