Tips on Extending the Life of Your Laptop Battery
Jan 12 , 2021
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We enjoy the mobility and freedom of our laptop devices. And yet, one of the biggest concerns is how long the battery in our laptop will last. No one wants to be caught in the middle of a task and discover they don’t have enough battery life to complete it. While overall battery life is a consideration when purchasing a laptop, the fact is that a more graphical focused operating system as well as resource devouring applications can subsequently drain the life of any battery. Hence, one has to consider ways in which to extend the life of a laptop battery without resorting to buying a new battery unless or until absolutely necessary.
How to save a life – laptop battery life, that is
Adjust the screen brightness and other system settings – One of the biggest drains on your battery life is your laptop’s screen brightness. If you can, lower the screen brightness to a level that is still acceptable for use. Additionally, many laptops feature backlit keyboards. While useful in low light settings, they consume a significant amount of power. If not needed, turn off the lights on the keyboard. Other system adjustments include disabling Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when they are not in use. Even when not connected to a device or in use, these will continue to consume power. Finally, when you are finished with your laptop, instead of putting it to “sleep,” choose instead to have it “hibernate.” A sleeping laptop will still utilise the motherboard and RAM and thus will consume some power. By putting your laptop in hibernate mode, your current sessions will still be saved and it will turn the laptop off completely, thus consuming zero power.
Eject any discs and unplug USB devices – Unless you are using the disc drive, be sure to remove all discs when switching to battery power. Just having the disc spinning in the drive will consume power and resources. Similarly, if you have any unused USB peripherals, it is better to unplug or remove them. Otherwise, they will continue to register themselves with the connected operating system which will consume power, even when not in use.
Close unneeded applications, browser tabs, and messaging software – Many of us find ourselves working on several things at once. This typically means having several internet browser tabs open as well as a few programs. Try to close web browser tabs and programs that are not currently needed to complete a task at hand. Each unnecessarily open tab or program not only consumes battery power but also drains some of your own productivity. Additionally, close any unused messaging applications such as Skype or Facebook, or even some of the Google and Adobe applications, which ping the Internet to check for updates and new emails and messages. Without this constant check-in, the life of your battery will be extended.
Maintenance – It maintains battery life as well
Keeping the laptop clean and free of clutter – While it’s a good practice in general to keep your laptop clean, if for no other reason than to see your screen, this practice also increases the life of your laptop’s battery. Most models are designed with a cooling system that keeps all of the laptop’s components from overheating. When your air vents are blocked, either by a build-up of dust or other obstructing items, your laptop produces more heat, reducing the life of your battery. Allowing the cooling fans to properly circulate air translates directly into not only longer battery life but also longer laptop health.
Defragmentation of your hard drive – Performing a defragmentation on a regular basis can help your system better organise the data within. When the data is more organised, your laptop doesn’t have to work as hard to access your data. Less work searching for files means less battery drain.
As more and more employees join the Remote Worker and the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) workforce, it becomes vital to look out for the longevity of your laptop’s battery. Simple steps such as these can help protect the life of the battery and the laptop itself, helping ultimately to contribute to cost savings for your organisation.