How To Optimize Your Laptop’s Battery Life

A lot of your Laptop’s life depends on how well you can optimize your battery usage.

To understand this in a better way, let’s first talk about what ‘battery overcharging’ means. Over-charging takes place when you keep charging the device even after its reached 100%.

See Also: How to Prevent your Laptop from Overheating

Know about Batteries

Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are type of rechargeable batteries and mostly used in modern laptops which can be charged hundred times as it has internal circuit that stops the electricity when its fully charged. Therefore, overcharging does not affect the laptop’s battery life.

Li-ion batteries have built in controller chips, which intercept it from overcharging. But sometimes it may possibly explode or burn if its overcharged.

Mac Notebook Batteries

Mac notebook batteries are mainly used for Apple products like, iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, which comes with non -replaceable lithium polymer batteries. It is mainly used to provide maximum battery life in a compact space.

See Also: 7 Quick Tips to Improve MacBook’s Battery Life

Smart Batteries

Smart batteries are rechargeable battery packs with a built-in BMS (battery management system). It is designed to use for portable computer such as a laptop. Generally, it runs 15% longer due to the increased efficiency.

Image source: hackaday.com

Here are few hacks to Maximize Laptop’s Battery Life.

• Avoid Full Discharges

When a laptop’s battery is fully discharged, it forces a shutdown. As the battery uses a full charge cycle. So, don’t allow your laptop’s battery to drop to zero percentage. Make sure you stop using your laptop when you get any alert from your operating system about the battery is getting low. If you’re not using a Li-Ion battery, it is highly urged to fully discharge and recharge your laptops battery once a month.

• Reduce Screen Brightness

The biggest power drain on your device is the screen and reducing the screen brightness of your computer can save 30minutes or more to your battery’s life. You can also adjust and manage the screen brightness by using the keyboard shortcuts. Simultaneously press Windows key and key “X” . It will take you to new window where you can make the changes in the screen brightness, which will help you to run your computer for a longer duration. It will work for all the versions of Windows.

• Change the power settings

By default, most of the laptops are set to Windows Balanced setting instead of Power Saver and each Power Plan’s setting can be customize individually. Go to Control Panel, then the power options and have a look which Power Plan is selected.

• Disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Other Hardware Devices

Always disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and your other hardware devices when you’re not using them. It won’t take much time as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth both has key and switch combinations to disable it quickly. You may also use the Device Manager in the Control panel, and scroll down through the list of the hardware’s e. g, Bluetooth adaptor. If you will right click on it.  It will provide you an option to disable it.

• Avoid extreme temperatures

It is highly recommended not to keep your devices in extreme hot and cold temperature. For example, store it indoors, avoid direct sunlight, keep your laptop cool and don’t forget your laptop in car during the hot and snuggly days.

• Disconnect remove unnecessary peripherals

It is known fact that, if you will leave a disc in your DVD drive then it will leave the negative impact on your laptop’s battery life. Any USB accessories intentionally or unintentionally left connected to your device can drain power. So, it is very important to disconnect them once you’re done.

• Manage your memory

If you have a habit of opening multiple tabs on your web browser, then you might save a little bit of battery life by culling those tabs. Running multiple programs together on your screen will not only slow down the speed of the computer, but allows you to use the free space (paged space) in your computer and it also enhances the battery life of the laptop.

• Get Rid of the screensaver

Getting rid of your favorite screensaver will surely maximize battery life of your laptop. So, you can run your computer for a little more time.

 During the past few years, laptops have become an essential part of our lives and it is worth to make few adjustments, especially if you spend half of the day gazing at your laptop’s screen. We hope the above tips help you get more from your laptop battery and improve its life.