Laptop batteries wear down over time, but you can make yours last longer with a few simple tips. Here’s how to keep your laptop battery in top condition.
Save Battery Cycles
Laptop batteries can handle a limited number of charge cycles, usually around 500 full cycles. A cycle is one full discharge from 100% to 0% and then back to 100%. Reducing the number of full cycles can extend your battery’s life. Set your laptop to hibernate before the battery is completely drained and quit apps running in the background. Windows 11 has a Battery Saver mode that activates at 20% battery life, which blocks background apps, lowers screen brightness, and conserves battery. MacBooks have similar settings like Power Nap and automatic graphics switching to save power.
Keep It Charged a Little
You don’t need to fully discharge a lithium-ion battery regularly. Aim to keep your battery charged between 20% and 80%. Modern laptops stop charging at 100%, so keeping them plugged in won’t harm the battery. However, if you store your laptop for a long time, charge it to about 50% first.
Avoid Extreme Temperatures
Heat speeds up the chemical reactions in your battery, causing it to wear out faster. If your laptop gets too hot, shut it down and let it cool off. Avoid placing your laptop in hot environments like a car on a sunny day. Cold temperatures can also harm your battery, so don’t leave your laptop in freezing conditions. Use apps like CoreTemp or Real Temp to monitor your laptop’s temperature.
Leave It Plugged In (But Not Always)
It’s safe to leave your laptop plugged in, especially when running intensive applications like games. This reduces the number of discharge cycles on your battery. However, for day-to-day tasks, use the battery to avoid keeping it fully charged all the time. If you store your laptop, keep the battery at 40% to 50% capacity.
Get Battery Health Reports
Monitoring your battery’s health can help you manage it better. For Windows, BatteryCare provides notifications, temperature readings, and discharge cycle monitoring. For macOS, Battery Monitor shows battery health, cycles, and temperature. You can also use PowerShell on Windows with the command “powercfg /batteryreport” to generate a detailed battery report.
Enable Battery-Conscious Modes
Windows has a Battery Saver mode that extends battery life by limiting background activity. MacOS has similar features. Adaptive brightness and dark mode can also save energy. Keeping your laptop’s software updated ensures it runs efficiently, saving battery power.
By following these tips, you can extend the life of your laptop battery and keep your device running smoothly for longer.