The battery life of your laptop is one of the most important factors that affect your productivity and convenience. Whether you are working, studying, gaming, or browsing, you want your laptop to last as long as possible without running out of juice.

However, many factors can drain your battery faster than you expect, such as power settings, apps, graphics, display, temperature, and more.

In this article, we will show you how to extend the battery life of your laptop by adjusting some simple settings and following some best practices.

How to Adjust Power Settings on Your Laptop?

One of the easiest ways to extend the battery life of your laptop is to adjust the power settings according to your needs. Most laptops have built-in power management tools that allow you to customize the performance and battery usage of your device.

Depending on your operating system, you can access these tools as follows:

If You Use a PC

If you are using a Windows laptop, you can use the Windows Performance Management Tool to change the power plan of your laptop.

To do this, go to Settings > System > Power & sleep > Additional power settings. Here, you can choose from three predefined power plans: Balanced, Power saver, and High performance.

You can also create your custom power plan by clicking on Create a Power Plan. The power saver plan will reduce the performance and brightness of your laptop to save battery, while the high-performance plan will do the opposite. The balanced plan will adjust the settings automatically depending on your activity.

You can also change the advanced settings of each power plan by clicking on Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings. Here, you can tweak the settings for various components, such as the processor, wireless adapter, hard disk, display, sleep, and more.

If You Use a Mac

If you are using a macOS laptop, you can use the macOS Battery Settings to change the energy preferences of your laptop.

To do this, go to System Preferences > Battery. Here, you can choose between two modes: Battery and Power Adapter. The battery mode will optimize the settings for longer battery life, while the power adapter mode will optimize the settings for better performance.

You can also adjust the settings for each mode, such as the brightness, sleep, and power nap. Also, you can enable the Battery Status menu bar icon, which will show you the estimated battery time remaining and the apps that are using significant energy.

Tips for Simplifying Your Workflow and Reducing Power Consumption

Another way to extend the battery life of your laptop is to simplify your workflow and reduce the power consumption of your laptop. Here are some tips shared by the Laptop Repair Dubai team to do that:

Close Unnecessary Apps and Use Airplane Mode

Running multiple apps at the same time can consume a lot of battery power, especially if they are resource-intensive or use the internet.

To save battery, close the apps that you are not using and only keep the essential ones open. You can also use the Task Manager on Windows or the Activity Monitor on macOS to see which apps are using the most CPU, memory, disk, or network resources and end them if needed.

Another way to save battery is to use the airplane mode when you don’t need the internet. This will disable the wireless connections of your laptop, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular data, and prevent them from draining your battery.

Adjust Graphics and Display Settings

The graphics and display settings of your laptop can also affect the battery life of your laptop. To save battery, you can lower the resolution, refresh rate, and color depth of your display, as well as disable any unnecessary visual effects, such as animations, shadows, and transparency. You can also lower the brightness of your screen and use a dark or plain background or wallpaper.

If your laptop has a dedicated graphics card, you can also switch to the integrated graphics card when you don’t need high-performance graphics, such as gaming or video editing. You can do this by using the NVIDIA Control Panel or the AMD Radeon Settings on Windows, or the Automatic Graphics Switching option on macOS.

Ways to Optimize Battery Health and Extend its Life

Besides extending the battery life of your laptop for each charge, you can also optimize the battery’s health and extend its overall life span. Here are some ways to do that:

Keep Laptop Cool and Unplugged When not in Use

The temperature and charging habits of your laptop can affect the health and capacity of your battery. To prevent your battery from degrading, you should keep your laptop cool and avoid exposing it to extreme heat or cold. You can also use a cooling pad or a fan to improve the airflow and ventilation of your laptop.
Another way to preserve your battery health is to avoid overcharging or undercharging your laptop. You should not leave your laptop plugged in all the time, nor let it drain completely. Ideally, you should keep your battery level between 20% and 80%, and charge it periodically to maintain its optimal performance.

Use the Original Charger and Regularly Update Operating System

The charger and the operating system of your laptop can also influence the battery health and performance of your laptop. To ensure your battery is getting the right amount of power and voltage, you should use the original charger that came with your laptop, or a compatible one that meets the specifications of your laptop.

You should also avoid using cheap or counterfeit chargers, as they can damage your battery or cause safety issues. Another way to optimize your battery is to regularly update your operating system, as it can improve the efficiency and compatibility of your laptop and fix any bugs or issues that may affect your battery.

What to Do if Your Battery Life is Still Short?

If you have followed the above tips and your battery life is still short, you may need to take some additional steps to improve your situation. Here are some things you can do:

Consider Carrying a Battery Backup

One of the simplest solutions to extend the battery life of your laptop is to carry a battery backup with you. This can be either an external battery pack or a spare internal battery that you can swap when your original battery runs out.

However, you should make sure that the battery backup is compatible with your laptop model and has enough capacity and power output to charge your laptop. You should also take care of the battery backup as you would with your original battery, and avoid overcharging or undercharging it.

Utilize Software or Built-In Tools for Battery Management and Health Reports

Another solution to extend the battery life of your laptop is to utilize some software or built-in tools that can help you manage your battery and monitor its health and status. For example, you can use the Battery Saver feature on Windows or the Energy Saver feature on macOS to automatically adjust the power settings of your laptop when the battery level is low.

You can also use the Battery Report tool on Windows or the System Information tool on macOS to generate a detailed report of your battery’s history, capacity, cycles, and condition. Moreover, you can also use some third-party software, such as BatteryCare or coconutBattery, to get more information and tips about your battery.