By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- Choose a power mode and set screen and sleep timeouts to match how you work.
- Select the correct audio output and input device and set their volume.
- Connect to and forget a Wi-Fi network, and explain why a public network needs care.
- Describe how a printer is added and what a printer driver does.
Four everyday jobs live in Settings: how long the battery lasts, where the sound comes out, which network you use and which printer prints your work. Most trouble people have with them is not a fault but a wrong choice, such as sound going to a monitor with no speakers. When you know what each setting means, you can sort these problems out in a minute.
Power: modes, screen and sleep
A laptop balances speed against battery life. A power mode is a ready-made choice of that balance. A more powerful mode lets the processor work harder and run hotter, and uses the battery faster. A saving mode slows things a little and lasts longer. The screen is usually the biggest user of power, so the screen timeout (how long before the screen goes dark) and the sleep delay (how long before the laptop goes into sleep) matter as much as the mode.
| Mode | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Power saver or best power efficiency | Slows the processor and dims the screen | Away from a socket, doing light work |
| Balanced | Adjusts speed to the work being done | Most of the time |
| Performance or best performance | Allows maximum speed; more heat and noise | Plugged in, for heavy tasks such as video editing |
Read this figure as text
A bar chart comparing the relative battery use of power saver, balanced and performance modes.
Three bars show the relative amount of battery used, as an illustration rather than a measurement. Power saver uses the least, about 60 out of 100. Balanced uses about 80. Performance uses the most, 100. The note says that real numbers depend on the laptop, but the order is always the same: the faster the mode, the faster the battery empties.
Find the power settings
On Ubuntu 24.04
Step 1: Open Power
Open Settings and click Power.
You should see: You see Power Mode, Screen Blank and Automatic Suspend settings. The modes shown depend on your laptop, so Performance may be missing.
Step 2: Choose a mode
Under Power Mode pick Balanced or Power Saver.
You should see: The selection moves. If the battery is low, Ubuntu may switch to saving automatically.
Step 3: Set the timeouts
Under Screen Blank, choose how long the laptop can sit idle before the screen goes dark. Under Automatic Suspend, choose when it should sleep on battery and when plugged in.
You should see: Your choices are saved at once. There is no Apply button.
On Windows 11
Step 1: Open Power and battery
Open Settings, click System, then Power & battery (some versions say Power).
You should see: You see a Power mode list and a section called Screen and sleep.
Step 2: Choose a mode
Open the Power mode list and choose Balanced, Best power efficiency or Best performance.
You should see: The choice is applied immediately.
Step 3: Set the timeouts
Open Screen and sleep. Choose when to turn off the screen and when to put the device to sleep, separately for battery and plugged in.
You should see: The drop-down lists show times such as 5 minutes or 1 hour.
Audio: output and input devices
Sound comes out of an output device (speakers, headphones, a monitor with speakers, a Bluetooth speaker) and goes in through an input device (a microphone). A laptop can know about several at once and uses only the one you choose. When people say 'I have no sound', often the computer is sending it to the wrong device, for example to a monitor connected by HDMI with no speakers.
Read this figure as text
A network-style diagram of a laptop connected to speakers, headphones, a monitor and a microphone with one output selected.
A laptop in the centre is linked to four things. Three are outputs: built-in speakers (selected, marked 1), headphones through the jack or Bluetooth (marked 2) and a monitor through HDMI (marked 3, no speakers, so sound sent here is silent). One is an input: the built-in microphone (marked 4). The selected output is the one that makes sound. If the monitor were selected, you would hear nothing.
Choose where sound goes
On Ubuntu 24.04
Step 1: Open Sound
Open Settings and click Sound.
You should see: You see Output and Input sections with volume sliders.
Step 2: Select the output
Under Output Device, click the device you want, such as Speakers or Headphones.
You should see: The chosen device is marked. Play a sound to test it.
Step 3: Select the input
Under Input Device, choose your microphone and speak.
You should see: The input level bar moves as you talk. If it does not move, try another input device.
On Windows 11
Step 1: Open Sound
Open Settings, click System, then Sound.
You should see: You see Output and Input lists, each with a volume control.
Step 2: Select the output
Under Choose where to play sound, click the device you want. A quicker route is the arrow next to the volume slider in the taskbar quick settings.
You should see: The chosen device has its circle filled in.
Step 3: Select the input
Under Choose a device for speaking or recording, pick your microphone. The Volume bar below it moves when you talk.
You should see: A moving bar shows the microphone is hearing you.
Networks: choosing and forgetting Wi-Fi
You connect to a Wi-Fi network by choosing its name (the SSID) and entering its network password, which your router's owner gave you. Your computer remembers the password and joins the network again automatically. Use Forget to remove a saved network, for example one at a cafe you will not visit again.
Connect to or forget a network
On Ubuntu 24.04
Step 1: Open the Wi-Fi list
Click the system menu at the top right, click Wi-Fi, then Select Network.
You should see: A list of names within range appears, with signal bars.
Step 2: Join a network
Click your network and type its password when asked, then click Connect.
You should see: The Wi-Fi icon fills with bars when you are connected.
Step 3: Forget a network
Open Settings, click Wi-Fi, click the gear beside a saved network and choose Forget Connection.
You should see: The network disappears from the saved list.
On Windows 11
Step 1: Open the Wi-Fi list
Click the network, volume and battery icons at the right of the taskbar, then click the arrow beside the Wi-Fi tile.
You should see: A list of networks appears with signal bars.
Step 2: Join a network
Click a network, then Connect, and type its password. You can tick Connect automatically.
You should see: The word Connected appears under the name.
Step 3: Forget a network
Open Settings, then Network & internet, then Wi-Fi, then Manage known networks, and click Forget beside a network.
You should see: The network is removed from the known list.
Printers: how they are added
A printer is a device that needs a small piece of software, a driver, to turn your document into instructions it understands. Modern network and USB printers usually work without installing anything, because both Ubuntu and Windows can print to them using common built-in methods. The computer finds the printer on your network (or by USB), adds it to a list and sets it as the default.
- Step 1: Connect itUSB or same Wi-Fi
- Step 2: SearchPrinters settings
- Step 3: Add itDriver set up for you
- Step 4: Test pageCheck it prints
Read this figure as text
A flow of four steps for adding a printer: connect, let the computer find it, add it and print a test page.
A flow of four steps. Step one: switch the printer on and connect it by USB or to the same Wi-Fi network as the laptop. Step two: open the printers settings and let the computer search. Step three: choose your printer from the list and add it; the computer sets up the driver. Step four: print a test page to check it works.
Where printers live in Settings
On Ubuntu 24.04
Step 1: Open Printers
Open Settings and click Printers.
You should see: Any printer already known is listed. An Add Printer button may be shown after you unlock the page.
Step 2: Add a printer
Click Add Printer. Ubuntu searches the network and lists what it finds. Choose yours and click Add.
You should see: The printer appears in the list. Click its gear to find Printing Options and Printer Details.
On Windows 11
Step 1: Open Printers & scanners
Open Settings, click Bluetooth & devices, then Printers & scanners.
You should see: Printers already set up are listed.
Step 2: Add a printer
Click Add device and wait while Windows searches. Choose your printer when it appears.
You should see: The printer is added and shown in the list. Click it to see Print test page and Printing preferences.
Common mistakes
✖ Instead of: Leaving the laptop on Performance mode when on battery.
✔ Do this: Use Balanced or a saving mode away from a socket, and keep Performance for heavy work while plugged in.
✖ Instead of: Joining the first network that has a familiar name in a public place.
✔ Do this: Ask for the exact network name, and keep sensitive tasks for a trusted network.
✖ Instead of: Installing a driver from a random website when a printer is not found.
✔ Do this: First check the connection and the printers page. If you do need a driver, use the printer maker's official support page or the system's own tools.
If something goes wrong
- There is no sound, but the volume is up.
- Open the sound settings and look at the selected output device. Choose the speakers or headphones you want. Also check that the volume is not muted in the settings and that headphones are fully plugged in.
- My microphone does not work.
- Open the sound settings, choose the correct input device and speak while watching the level bar. Also check the privacy settings for microphone access, which are covered in the next lesson.
- The computer cannot find my printer.
- Check that it is switched on and on the same Wi-Fi network (or connected by USB). Restart the printer, then search again from the printers page. Some printers have a separate Wi-Fi setup in their own menu.
- The Wi-Fi password is rejected.
- Check capital letters and look-alike characters such as 0 and O. If it is a saved network whose password changed, use Forget and join again with the new one.
Key terms
- Driver
- Software that lets the operating system talk to a piece of hardware.
- Wi-Fi
- A way of joining a network and the internet by radio instead of a cable.
- HDMI
- A common connection that carries picture and sound to a monitor or television.
- Lithium-ion battery
- The rechargeable battery type used in nearly all laptops and phones.
Practise it for real
Reading is not the same as being able to do it. Complete these on your own computer, then tick only what you have actually done. These ticks are your own honest record: nothing checks them for you.
Tour your power and sound settings
On your own laptop, open the power settings and write down the current power mode, screen timeout and sleep delay. Then open the sound settings and note which output device is selected. Play any sound, then change the output to another device and back again to hear the difference, if you have a second device such as headphones.
Challenge: audit your networks and printers
Open the Wi-Fi settings and look at your saved networks. Decide which ones you no longer use, and forget one that you will not need again. Then open the printers page and write down whether any printer is set up and which is the default. Do not add or remove anything that you do not understand.
Knowledge check
6 questions. You need 80% to pass. Mistakes here are part of learning, and you can retry as often as you like.
Summary
- Power mode, screen timeout and sleep delay set the balance between speed and battery life.
- Sound uses the output and input devices you choose; check them first when there is no sound.
- Forget old networks and be careful with public Wi-Fi names.
- Printers need a driver, which modern systems usually supply; search from the printers page.
Checklist: can you do these?
Marking a lesson as read does not prove you can do it. Skills count as demonstrated when you pass the quiz (not yet) and complete the practical tasks (not yet).
Related lessons
References and further reading
Official sources for details that can change between versions.