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How to Make a Laptop Battery Last Longer

Extend each charge, and the life of your battery

By Jon Martindale Jon Martindale Writer Jon Martindale has been a feature tech writer for more than 10 years. He's written for publications such as Digital Trends, KitGuru, and ITProPortal. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on November 12, 2021 Reviewed by Jon Fisher Reviewed by Jon Fisher Wichita Technical Institute Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Accessories & Hardware The Quick Guide to Webcams Keyboards & Mice Monitors Cards HDD & SSD Printers & Scanners Raspberry Pi Here are the best ways to make your laptop battery last longer.

Change Your Power Profile to Power Saver

Windows laptops come with the option of changing the power profile in the Power and Sleep Settings menu. Select Battery Saver mode to optimize your laptop to focus on efficiency over performance. That can go a long way to extending battery life.

Lower Screen Brightness

A bright, high-resolution screen is a major factor in draining your laptop’s battery life. While you can’t do much about its resolution once you’ve bought it, you can lower the brightness to make it use as little power as possible. This will make the laptop more dull to look at though, so it’s not the best for watching films of playing games, and can make it hard to see the screen when you're in a bright environment (especially outdoors).

Turn Off Keyboard Backlighting

Keyboard backlighting is really useful for typing in the dark, but it also requires power, which means it's another source of battery usage. If battery life is important, do your best to do without the backlighting and turn it off.

Unplug Any External Devices You Don t Need

External devices all draw power from your laptop, whether they’re exclusively powered by it, or use it to charge their own internal battery. If you have devices like your phone, external hard drives, or external displays plugged into USB ports on your laptop, they will draw power from it and therefore reduce your laptop’s battery life. If you aren’t using them, or can charge them somewhere else, unplug them to extend your laptop’s battery.

Keep It Cool

Batteries remain more efficient and last longer when kept around room temperature or even slightly below, so do your best to keep your laptop from getting hot. That means making sure that you don’t use it in rooms that are too hot, or in direct snlight, and ideally, make sure the laptop itself has plenty of ventilation to ensure it can cool down its components well enough toi avoid excess heat build up.

Turn-off or Hibernate When Not In Use

If you’re not using your laptop, turn it off, or set it to hibernate after a short period of inactivity. Even when sitting idle it will consume battery life—just because the screen’s off doesn’t mean it isn’t slowly de-charging. Shut it down if you're done using it.

Why Does My Laptop Battery Last Only 30 Minutes

Some laptops just have short battery life because they have powerful components, a small battery, or have grown old. You can use the above techniques to try to extend it, but 30 minutes of battery life probably means your battery has grown inefficient and lost charge over its lifetime. It may be time for a battery or laptop replacement. Alternatively, leave it plugged in and use it as a type of desktop system.

Can I Leave My Laptop Plugged In All Night

Yes, it's fine to leave your laptop plugged in overnight if you have a modern laptop. Newer machines have circuitry built-in to cycle the battery during long periods of charging to ensure you still get maximum life out of the battery. As far as older models go, however, you should check with the manufacturer to see what they recommend. An old rule of thumb was charge to 80% and then unplug, but, of course, that's nearly impossible to do while you are asleep.

Is It Bad to Leave Your Laptop Plugged In All The Time

The same rules apply as above: It's fine if you have a modern laptop. If you find yourself using your laptop plugged in all the time, consider replacing it with a desktop machine. Those are, obviously, meant to be plugged in all the time and can offer more power for less money. FAQ How do I make a Lenovo laptop battery last longer? In addition to the above, Lenovo recommends turning off Bluetooth. If your Lenovo Ideapad fails to charge past 60 percent when plugged in, you might want to update the BIOS version. Go to the Lenovo support site to look up your model, install the most recent update, and reboot your PC. How do I make my Mac laptop battery last longer? To extend your Mac's battery, turn off services you're not using, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or AirPlay. Also, go to System Preferences > Energy Saver and activate settings to turn off the display after a specific interval or put hard disks to sleep when possible. You can also calibrate your Mac's battery by letting it drain before plugging it in to charge fully. How long do laptop batteries usually last? A laptop battery's lifespan depends on factors like heat and usage, but the average laptop battery lasts approximately 2 to 4 years or 1,000 charging cycles. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Change Brightness in Windows 11 How to Fix 'No Battery Is Detected' on Your Laptop How to Make Your Cellphone Battery Last Longer How to Use iPhone Low Power Mode How to Keep Your Phone or Laptop From Overheating Windows 10 Battery Report: What It Is And How to Use It How Long Does a Laptop Battery Last? 8 Things to Consider Before Buying a Computer Mouse How to Use Power Saver Mode on Kindle Paperwhite How to Dispose of a Laptop Battery How to Charge Your Phone or Laptop on a Plane Signs and Dangers of Laptops Overheating How to Keep Your Phone and Laptop Cool How to Turn On Low Power Mode on a Mac The 18 Best Tips to Get More iPad Battery Life (Updated for iPadOS 15.5) How to Fix a Broken Charger Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies