How to Configure Shutdown Link Speed on Network Adapters in Windows 11 Using PowerShell

Modern Gigabit and multi-Gigabit Ethernet controllers maintain physical link connectivity even after a Windows workstation or server has been powered down into the ACPI S5 shutdown state, primarily to support remote management and Wake-on-LAN (WoL) triggers. However, sustaining a full 1 Gbps, 2.5 Gbps, or 10 Gbps physical link while the system is switched off consumes unnecessary standby electrical power and can prevent compliance with European Energy-related Products (ErP Lot 6) efficiency mandates. The Shutdown Link Speed driver setting allows network administrators to throttle the physical Ethernet link down to 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps when Windows 11 powers down, preserving remote wake capabilities while minimising standby power consumption. This article demonstrates how to query, configure, and validate Shutdown Link Speed on network adapters in Windows 11 using PowerShell.

Understanding Shutdown Link Speed and Power States

When Windows 11 enters an S5 shutdown state, the kernel transitions the network adapter into a low-power auxiliary state (typically D3cold or D3hot with auxiliary power supplied via PCIe standby rails). If Wake-on-LAN or platform management technologies (such as Intel Active Management Technology) are enabled, the physical layer transceiver (PHY) must remain powered on to detect inbound magic packets.

Operating a Gigabit or 10-Gigabit PHY at full link speed draws significantly more quiescent power than operating at legacy speeds. Network interface controllers (NICs) manufactured by Intel, Realtek, and Broadcom provide the *ShutdownLinkSpeed advanced driver parameter to govern physical negotiation upon system shutdown. The available configuration states generally correspond to:

• Hardware Default / Not Speed Down (Value 0): The adapter maintains whatever link speed was negotiated during active Windows operation. This consumes the most standby power but prevents link renegotiation delays.
• 10 Mbps First (Value 1): The adapter renegotiates the physical link down to 10 Mbps upon entering shutdown. This achieves the lowest possible power consumption (often under 0.1W) while still permitting Wake-on-LAN packet reception.
• 100 Mbps First (Value 2): The adapter renegotiates down to 100 Mbps. This setting is optimal in enterprise switching environments where legacy 10 Mbps half/full-duplex auto-negotiation is administratively disabled or port security features reject 10 Mbps connections.

Identifying Network Adapters and Current Link Speed Properties

Before modifying network configuration, launch an elevated Windows PowerShell console (Run as Administrator). First, retrieve all physical Ethernet interfaces present in the system:

Get-NetAdapter -Physical | Where-Object { $_.HardwareInterface -eq $true } | Select-Object Name, InterfaceDescription, Status, LinkSpeed

Next, query the advanced properties of the target Ethernet adapter to verify support for the standardised *ShutdownLinkSpeed keyword or vendor-specific variants:

Get-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name "Ethernet" | Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*Shutdown*" -or $_.RegistryKeyword -like "*ShutdownLinkSpeed*" }

To inspect all valid selectable option values defined within the device driver schema, query the property details using Format-List:

Get-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name "Ethernet" -DisplayName "*Shutdown Link Speed*" | Format-List DisplayName, DisplayValue, RegistryKeyword, RegistryValue, ValidDisplayValues

Review the ValidDisplayValues output, which typically lists choices such as "10 Mbps First", "100 Mbps First", and "Hardware Default" or "Not Speed Down".

Configuring Shutdown Link Speed Using Set-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty

To configure the network adapter to drop to 10 Mbps upon shutdown for maximum power efficiency, execute the Set-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty cmdlet using the exact display value retrieved from the driver schema:

Set-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name "Ethernet" -DisplayName "Shutdown Link Speed" -DisplayValue "10 Mbps First"

Alternatively, if configuring managed devices across multilingual Windows deployments where localised display names vary, assign the setting directly using the standardised registry keyword and numerical value:

Set-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name "Ethernet" -RegistryKeyword "*ShutdownLinkSpeed" -RegistryValue 1

In enterprise managed environments where corporate switches reject 10 Mbps links or require 100 Mbps for 802.1X re-authentication, configure the adapter for 100 Mbps operation instead:

Set-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name "Ethernet" -DisplayName "Shutdown Link Speed" -DisplayValue "100 Mbps First"

Applying this setting momentarily resets the network adapter driver stack to register the updated firmware parameter, causing a brief sub-second link renegotiation.

Verifying the Active Configuration and Registry Persistence

Confirm that the driver successfully registered the updated link speed setting by querying the advanced property table:

Get-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name "Ethernet" -DisplayName "Shutdown Link Speed" | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayValue, RegistryValue

To verify that the value persists within the underlying Windows hardware device registry hive, retrieve the network class driver key via PowerShell:

$Adapter = Get-NetAdapter -Name "Ethernet"
$RegPath = "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4d36e972-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}\$($Adapter.DeviceID)"
Get-ItemProperty -Path $RegPath -Name "*ShutdownLinkSpeed" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Ensuring Wake-on-LAN Compatibility and Switch Port Stability

When tuning Shutdown Link Speed, ensure that overall power management settings permit the adapter to listen for Wake-on-LAN magic packets. Verify power management state using Get-NetAdapterPowerManagement:

Get-NetAdapterPowerManagement -Name "Ethernet" | Format-List WakeOnMagicPacket, WakeOnPattern, AllowComputerToTurnOffDevice

If Wake-on-LAN is not already active, enable magic packet listening alongside shutdown throttling:

Enable-NetAdapterPowerManagement -Name "Ethernet" -WakeOnMagicPacket

To validate the behaviour in practice, shut down Windows 11 (Stop-Computer) and inspect the physical link LED on your computer’s Ethernet port and the upstream switch. When set to “10 Mbps First”, the link LED will change colour (typically amber or off/solid depending on vendor specifications), confirming that the network card operates in low-power standby while remaining ready to power on upon receiving a wake trigger.