How to improve laptop battery life: 10 essential tips

Laptops have become an essential part of our daily lives, whether for work, studying, or sessioning that latest TV show in bed… But many of us find ourselves constantly searching for a power outlet! If that’s you, it’s time to optimise your laptop’s battery performance.

In this guide, we will cover how to improve laptop battery life with practical and easy-to-implement tips for Windows 11 and the latest macOS devices. Let’s do this!

1. Adjust your power settings

One of the simplest ways to extend your laptop’s battery life is by adjusting its power settings. Most operating systems come with built-in power management options, helping by dimming the screen, reducing background activity, and optimising power consumption.

• On Windows: head to Start > Settings > System > Power & battery (click here to open the Windows setting) and make sure your Power Mode is set to Best Power Efficiency. While you’re there, you might find some other energy recommendations that you can apply in one click for a quick win!
• On Mac: go to Apple menu > System Settings > Battery and adjust the energy-saving settings. Click here to open a guide on how to change battery settings on a Mac laptop.

2. Lower your screen’s brightness

The display is one of the biggest power consumers in any laptop. So reducing screen brightness can significantly extend battery life. Adjust the brightness to the lowest comfortable level.

• On Windows:
  • Use function keys (Fn + Up/Down arrows or Fn + F6/F7)
  • Or go to Start > Settings > System > Display (click here to open theWindows setting). While you’re there, you can give your eyes a rest by also enabling Night light, which uses warmer colours to help block blue light. Also, enabling adaptive brightness, if it’s available on your machine, can also help by automatically adjusting brightness based on ambient light conditions. You can find this under the Brightness setting (dropdown arrow) and enabling Change brightness automatically when lighting changes.
• On Mac:
  • Use function keys (Fn + F1/F2 or Fn + Sun brighter/dimmer icons)
  • Or go to Apple menu > System Settings > Displays. Click here to open a guide on how to change your Mac display’s brightness.

3. Close unused applications and background processes

Many applications continue running in the background, consuming both processing power and battery life. By managing your background applications, you can improve laptop battery life and performance significantly. To check and close unnecessary apps, here’s what you gotta do:

• On Windows: Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and end tasks that are not needed
• On Mac: Use Activity Monitor (Cmd + Space, then type ‘Activity Monitor’) to quit unnecessary processes

Be careful whilst using these administrative tools, as you can cause apps to crash or stop your system responding correctly if you end system processes by mistake!

4. Enable Flight/Airplane mode if you’re offline

Did you know that wireless connections such as Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, and Near Field Communication (NFC) drain battery power even when idle? So if you are working offline, enable Flight mode or Airplane mode to conserve energy. Additionally, unplug any external devices such as USB drives, external hard disks, or connected peripherals (like keyboard, mouse, etc.) that are not in use, as they also consume battery power.

• On Windows: Select the Network, volume, or battery icon on the taskbar, then turn on Flight mode.
• On Mac: There’s no built-in flight mode, so you need to manually disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to achieve the same result. Click on the Wi-Fi icon on your menu bar > Turn Wi-Fi off. Then click on the Bluetooth icon on the same bar > Turn Bluetooth off.

5. Avoid extreme temperatures

Laptop batteries perform best in moderate temperatures. Excessive heat or cold can degrade battery health over time! To prevent battery damage:

• Avoid placing your laptop in direct sunlight
• Use a cooling pad if your laptop heats up frequently
• Do not leave your laptop in a freezing car or extremely cold environment

6. Keep your laptop’s software and drivers updated

Laptop manufacturers often release software updates that include energy efficiency and battery performance improvements. So make sure that your operating system, firmware, and drivers are up to date. To check for updates, here’s what to do:

• On Windows: Go to Start > Settings > Windows Update (open Windows setting)
• On Mac: Open Apple menu > System Settings > Software Update

7. Avoid full discharges and overcharging

Lithium-ion batteries, which are used in most modern laptops, last longer when they are kept between 20% and 80% charge. Completely draining the battery frequently or keeping it plugged in at 100% for long periods can shorten its lifespan. Weird, right?

Instead, you should:

• Unplug the charger when the battery reaches 80–90% if possible
• Avoid letting the battery drop below 20%
• Use smart charging features if your laptop supports them, such as limiting your battery charge to 80% as its maximum level of charge

8. Reduce browser tabs and extensions

Internet browsers, especially Google Chrome, are known to be pretty resource-heavy. And running multiple tabs and extensions can drain your battery quickly too! Feel seen?

So, to conserve power:

• Use lightweight browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Opera, or Brave
• Close unused tabs
• Disable unnecessary extensions
• Enable “Battery Saver” mode in your browser if available

By optimising your browser usage, you can improve laptop battery life without compromising on your productivity.

9. Consider replacing the battery

If your laptop’s battery life has significantly deteriorated despite following the above steps, it may be time for a replacement. Over time, all batteries lose capacity due to wear and tear.

The following steps are slightly more techy, so you might be better off going to a professional to get your battery life checked and/or replaced. You’ve been warned! 

• On Windows: Open Terminal and type powercfg /batteryreport. This will generate a file and place it in your user folder. Select the path, copy and paste it into your browser to view the report. Scroll down to Battery life estimates at the bottom for an estimated battery life percentage.
• On Mac: Go to Hold the Option key > Apple menu > System Information. Under Hardware, select Power. The current cycle count is listed under Battery Information. You can then use this cycle count and compare against Apple guidelines for maximum cycle counts for different device models.

If the battery health is below 50% or your laptop frequently shuts down without warning, replacing the battery can restore better performance.

10. Disable unnecessary startup programs

Many applications automatically launch when you start your laptop, consuming battery power before you even begin using it! So, to improve efficiency:

• On Windows: Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), go to the Startup tab, and disable unnecessary programs
• On Mac: Open Apple menu > System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions and remove any unnecessary startup apps (User Guide: Remove login items to resolve startup problems on your Mac). You should restart your Mac for the changes to take effect.

And that’s all there is to it!

Understanding how to improve laptop battery life is essential for anyone who relies on their device throughout the day. By implementing these simple yet effective strategies, you’ll spend less time searching for a power outlet and more time being productive. Try these tips today and enjoy a longer-lasting laptop battery!

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