Follow These Simple Tips to Increase Your Battery Life

The reason most people choose to purchase a laptop is because of its ability to be easily transported and used anywhere. Since a laptop has an internal battery, you don’t need to have it plugged in constantly, and it can last for hours, depending on what you use it for.

However, although laptops have built-in battery power, these batteries degrade over time. Using a laptop will shorten its battery life, but there are ways to increase the battery life of a laptop and keep it running for a few more years.

In today’s blog, our computer experts at My Computer Works share the best tips and tricks for keeping your laptop’s battery life healthy and lasting as long as possible. With these tips, you won’t have to fork out a small fortune sooner than you need to. 

How To Increase Battery Life? – These Are The Simple Tips To Follow 

At this point, you’re likely wondering how to increase the battery life on your laptop. That’s likely why you’re reading this blog post. Well, sadly, there isn’t a short answer that fits and applies to all laptops. Every laptop is different and has been built with different components that can play a massive part in how long their battery will last. However, some tips you can follow will boost your battery life, and we have listed them below for you to consider. It is important to note that these tips apply to lithium-ion batteries, which are the most commonly found in current laptops.

Close the Lid to Save Battery When Not in Use

When you close the lid, a laptop automatically goes into sleep mode. By simply closing your laptop’s lid, you can significantly reduce the device’s power consumption when not in use. This is because when your laptop’s lid is closed, it usually enters sleep mode, which helps conserve your laptop’s battery life without shutting it down completely.

Avoid Letting Your Battery Drop to 0%

We’re all guilty of leaving our devices to die completely, whether it’s a phone, watch, or laptop. Although you might think that draining your battery to 0% will benefit the device, in reality, it actually reduces the battery’s lifespan. 

That’s why if you want your laptop’s battery to enjoy a long lifespan, you should never let your device’s battery life deplete by less than 20%. In fact, to be on the safe side, it’s best to ensure that the battery life always hovers around the 80% mark. This will reduce strain and improve the battery’s capacity. 

Disconnect External Devices to Conserve Power

It might be hard to believe, but disconnecting external devices—such as mice, webcams, or hard drives—can be a considerable laptop battery saver. By disconnecting them, your device can prolong its battery life since it doesn’t need to provide power to them. 

Use the Manufacturer’s Charger

When the laptop charger breaks, using a cheaper charger that the device’s manufacturer doesn’t make can often be tempting. However, this route shouldn’t be taken, as it could cost you more money down the line. 

This is because some chargers can cause massive problems with your device, such as ineffective charging or potential damage to the battery itself. The charger provided by your laptop’s manufacturer is made to support it safely and charge it without damage. So buy a replacement from the manufacturer’s brand to avoid these issues. 

Store Your Device with About 50% Charge for Long-Term Storage

If you plan on storing your laptop for a long period of time, we recommend charging your battery to at least 50%. This way, while your laptop is in storage, you can reduce any capacity issues and damage to the battery over time. 

Avoid Extreme Temperatures

Exposing your laptop to high temperatures is dangerous. Extreme hot and cold weather can harm battery life and overall performance. 

We’ve seen many computers where long periods of exposure to high or low temperatures have permanently damaged the battery and other internal components. 

So, to avoid these risks, it’s best to keep your laptop in environments with temperatures ranging between 50°F and 95°F, ensuring optimal performance and longevity.

Avoid Keeping Your Laptop Plugged in Constantly

So, is it okay to keep a laptop plugged in 24/7? Constantly plugging in your laptop can lead to heat buildup, negatively impacting your device’s components, including the battery. 

Modern laptops are designed to manage power effectively, but heat remains a significant factor in reducing battery longevity. It’s good practice to occasionally unplug the device once fully charged to prolong your battery’s lifespan, allowing it to cycle and reduce heat stress.

Adjust Graphics and Display Settings

Have you checked your laptop’s battery saver settings lately? To maximize and preserve battery life, checking your laptop’s battery-saver settings is essential. If your device has a dedicated onboard graphics processor, this could be a big reason for your laptop’s faster battery drain.

You can see how much power the graphics processor uses by opening the ‘battery usage’ screen and checking how much energy your graphics processor consumes on this screen. If it uses more power than you’d like, then you can simply adjust the graphics settings to reduce battery usage.

Ensure Proper Ventilation

When you store your laptop in its bag, you should always be careful that it doesn’t interfere with its airflow. The bag’s material might block the ventilation ports, which in turn may drain more power from your battery than you might expect.

So, to preserve your laptop’s battery life when it’s in storage, you should ensure it is entirely powered down before packing it into your bag. When you arrive at your destination, you should try to unpack it immediately on a flat surface. This will help ensure your battery and vents are not blocked by dirt or debris.

Get A Computer Tune Up

You can Improve battery life by getting a reputable IT company such as My Computer Works to help tune up your device and resolve any problems that may consume your laptop’s power. 

These problems can include processes running in the background or hardware zapping all the battery’s power. An IT professional can identify the issues causing the drain on battery power and help you improve your laptop’s lifespan.

More Common Sense Tips for Battery Longevity

Here are a few more common sense tips to keep in mind to prevent battery degradation:

• Reduce screen brightness.
• Switch off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you aren’t using it.
• Close unnecessary background applications.
• Use power-saving modes or utilize battery optimization settings.

The Wrap-Up On Battery Life-Saving Tips

If you want your laptop to last long, you must take care of the battery. Fortunately, you now know how to save battery power on a Windows 11 laptop—or most laptops—and can apply these tips to prolong healthy battery life. 

However, we know that maintaining a healthy laptop battery can be difficult, so we offer advice and computer tune-ups to extend the lifespan of your laptop battery. So, if you need help, the friendly and professional team at My Computer Works is ready and waiting. Contact us today to learn more about our expertise.