Having your laptop battery drain quickly can be incredibly frustrating. A dead battery means no more working on the go and can seriously disrupt your productivity. Thankfully, there are several ways you can stop your laptop battery from draining too quickly. Here’s what I’ve learned about keeping my laptop battery charged for longer.
Understand What Drains Your Battery
Before you can solve battery drain, you need to understand what’s causing it in the first place. There are a few main culprits:
Brightness Level
Having your screen brightness set to maximum will drain your battery much faster. Reducing your brightness to around 50% can help conserve battery life.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios in your laptop use a lot of power when active. Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not in use to save battery.
Apps and Browser Tabs
Apps and browser tabs running in the background, especially ones that access the internet, drain the battery continuously. Close background apps and tabs you aren’t using.
Processor-Intensive Activities
Tasks like gaming, video editing, and streaming video use a lot of processing power, draining the battery faster. Avoid these when not plugged in.
Optimize Your Laptop Settings
The settings on your laptop have a big impact on battery life. Here are some tweaks you can make:
Dim the Screen
As mentioned before, lower screen brightness to around 50% to conserve battery life.
Turn Off Unneeded Radios
Disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and location services when you don’t need internet access.
Enable Battery Saver Mode
Windows and MacOS have battery saver modes that manage settings to save power. Turn these on.
Disable Visual Effects
Fancy visual effects like animations use extra battery. Turn off animations and enable “best performance” mode.
Remove Unused USB Devices
Having USB devices like printers and drives plugged in drains power even when not active. Unplug accessories when not in use.
Change How You Use Your Laptop
Some changes to your usage habits can help battery life:
Close Unused Apps and Tabs
As mentioned earlier, unused apps and browser tabs drain the battery in the background. Close them when not needed.
Take Breaks From Video Streaming
Streaming video is taxing on the battery. Take occasional breaks from Netflix to let the battery recover.
Avoid Games and Graphics Editing
3D games and video editing software push the laptop hardware to its limits. Don’t rely solely on battery for these activities.
Use Battery Saver Mode
Enable your laptop’s battery saver mode to automatically apply settings that conserve power.
Plug In When Possible
When you can, use your charger to avoid draining the battery at all.
Maintain Your Laptop Battery
Proper maintenance and care can also improve battery life:
Don’t Let It Drain Completely
Avoid discharging your battery below 20% when possible. Completely draining it can reduce longevity.
Don’t Leave It Plugged In All The Time
Conversely, don’t leave your laptop plugged in at 100% for too long either. Storing a fully charged battery also reduces lifespan over time.
Use It Occasionally
If you store your laptop for long periods, give the battery a full discharge/charge cycle every few months to keep it healthy.
Let It Cool Down
Heat degrades batteries faster. Allow your laptop to cool before charging to maximize battery health.
Consider Replacement Batteries
With heavy daily use, most laptop batteries need replacement after 3-5 years. Get a new battery if yours is getting old.
Conclusion
With some diligent power management and sensible usage habits, you can keep your laptop battery from draining too quickly. Pay attention to power-hungry apps and hardware, optimize your settings, and take good care of your battery. A few small tweaks can give you hours of extra productivity!
