Batteries in laptops make it easy to work everywhere without the need of a power outlet, but with time the length to use a battery shortens. After a while, your laptop discharges faster than in the beginning: this loss in capacity is irreversible.
However, the life of your battery depends on how much power your laptop consumes. High-performance CPU use like rendering and graphics editing depletes your battery faster than just text editing. Every time a battery discharges, it loses a small bit of its capacity.
You can extend the life of your battery by following the next tips:
- Turn off your wireless and/or Bluetooth (on-off button) if you don’t use it.
- Reduce the brightness of the screen.
- Disconnect your external drive if you don’t use it.
- Remove the battery if you continuously leave your laptop plugged in a power outlet.
- If you are not using your laptop, disconnect the power adapter to prevent continuously charging and discharging.
If you don’t use the laptop for a longer period, follow the next tips:
- Remove the battery if you store the laptop for more than two weeks.
- Store the battery with 30% to 50% charge.
- Do not expose your laptop to high temperatures for extended periods (like inside a hot car)
Periodically (every three months) calibrate your battery. How to do this depends on your laptop. These are the necessary steps:
- In your Power Options set everything Always On. So your laptop always stays on, your screensaver stays off, etc. (maximum power consumption)
- Fully charge your battery (100%)
- Disconnect your power adapter and keep your laptop on, until the battery is empty and your computer automatically shuts down
- Connect your power adapter, but do not start your laptop. Keep the adapter connected until the battery has completely charged: in general a little light indicates if your laptop is charging.
- When done, choose a power option which saves energy (like a screensaver on, etc.)
