You’ll need to plug in your powerful laptop to keep it juiced up throughout the day.
There are a few things you can do to increase laptop battery life. One is to keep your laptop plugged in when not in use. Another is to use a power adapter when you’re not using the laptop. And lastly, you can try using a battery saver program to extend the life of your battery.
How to Increase Laptop Battery Life
By tweaking a few software and hardware settings, you can extend your laptop’s battery life by up to an hour.
Quick Tips
Adjust screen brightness, as the screen uses copious amounts of battery power to keep your display bright and clear. Switch off Bluetooth and WiFi until you need it. These drain the battery by searching for nearby wireless networks and connections even when you’re connected. Enable Airplane Mode if your task doesn’t need web access. This eliminates battery drain by shutting down wireless radios, background apps and other programs as you single-task. Unplug or turn off peripherals such as USB sticks, webcams, or mice, which can drain your laptop because the motherboard has to power them. For example, instead of using a USB mouse, you can use your laptop’s trackpad instead. Mute your laptop speakers if you’ve no need for sound as it can also drain your laptop battery each time Windows boots or when you receive an email and other notifications
If your laptop came with a disc drive installed, make sure it’s empty before switching to battery power. Spinning discs in your laptop drain the vital extra minutes you need from your laptop battery as you work.Plug in your laptop before the battery dies to avoid straining the battery and reducing its charging capacity. Similarly, if your laptop doesn’t have a smart charging mode that prioritizes battery health, you don’t need to keep it plugged in all the time as this may reduce the number of charging cycles.Use your laptop in areas with ambient temperature as excessive exposure to extreme temperatures cause the computer to work harder, and eventually damage or shorten the battery’s useful lifeIf you have an older Mac laptop, make sure the battery is calibrated so it’s easier to predict the remaining charge or when that charge will be used up.
Make Sure Your Laptop Has Enough RAM
Laptop RAM can help your laptop run faster and longer on battery power. This will increase your laptop’s overall performance and extend its battery life.
Swapping out your hard drive for an SSD can speed up your computer and save battery life. ..
Close Power Hogging Apps
Some apps that can quickly chew up battery life are those that you’re not using. Make sure to check for them and disable them if they’re taking up a lot of time.
To check for apps that are using a lot of power, right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager. Under the Startup tab, look for any app that’s using a lot of power. ..
If you’re using a Mac laptop, search for Users & Groups, select the Login Items tab, and see which apps are currently running in the background when you start up your laptop.
Keep Windows Up to Date
Windows Updates can help improve the programs that use power on your laptop, by patching or bug fixing the operating system. This can make your laptop use less battery power and last longer.
Get a Laptop Power Bank
Some people keep an extra battery on hand in case their laptop runs out of power, or they get a laptop power bank to increase the battery life on their laptop. ..
A laptop power bank is a portable battery unit that can increase the length of your charge and plugs into your laptop the same way your charger would. ..
Some good battery packs include the Anker PowerCore+ 26800, Omni 20+ Wireless Power Bank, and MAXOAK 185Wh/50000mAh Battery Pack. ..
Adjust Power Settings
When you’re not using your laptop, it’s important to optimize the battery life by adjusting the power settings. By adjusting the power settings, you can ensure that your laptop is able to last as long as possible.
Windows 10 Battery Saver Mode: Both categories deliver longer battery life by suspending most background apps, preventing Windows Updates downloads and reducing brightness. ..
The Energy Saver preferences section on Mac laptops lets you adjust the battery performance slider.
Adjust Graphics and Display Settings
If you have a powerful graphics card, try to adjust the graphics settings so that only games and photo or video editing apps can use it. Then, assign everything else to the integrated chip. ..
If you’re using a Mac laptop, check the “Automatic graphics switching” option under the “Energy Saver” settings. This way, your Mac will determine which app uses which graphic accelerator to conserve battery life. ..
Extend Your Laptop’s Battery Life
A recent study by an online retailer found that the average laptop user spends an hour away from power, and up to three hours on battery life. This is especially true for mobile laptop users, who are more likely to be working from home or in a remote location. To ensure that your laptop remains productive while you’re away, make sure to: -Charge your laptop before you leave for work or school. A full charge will give your battery a full day of use. -Keep your laptop plugged in when not in use. Laptops require juice to function properly, and if you’re not using them regularly, it’s important to keep them plugged in so they can continue providing juice even when they’re not being used. -Use a power cord that is long enough to reach all of your devices. Laptops have plugs at the end of their cords, so if you have multiple devices connected to those cords, make sure they are all plugged into the same outlet and/or extension cord.
- Use a battery saver program to extend the runtime of your laptop.
- Use a more powerful graphics card and processor if you need to run longer on your laptop.
- Use a screen saver that will keep your screen off during long periods of use.
We’d love to hear what you use to extend your laptop’s battery life. Share with us in the comments.
