In today's fast-paced work environment, laptops have become essential for many people. Laptops offer the flexibility and portability needed so people can work from anywhere, at any time.
Unfortunately, laptops have limited battery life. And there's nothing more frustrating than having your laptop run out of battery while you're in the middle of an important task. This is why you need to know how to optimize your laptop’s battery life. By doing so, you can extend the time between charges and work efficiently without worrying about running out of battery power.
Follow these strategies for optimizing your laptop’s battery life.
Adjust relevant settings and turn on the power-saving feature
To maximize your laptop's battery life, adjust the following display settings:
- Brightness: Reduce the brightness level of your laptop’s display to a dimmer yet comfortable level.
- Screen resolution: A lower resolution requires less processing power, which means less power consumption and longer battery life.
- Visual effects: Disable visual effects, such as animations, transparency, and live wallpapers, since these consume a lot of power.
- Second display: If you are using a second display, turn it off when not in use. The dual display mode can be power-hungry, especially if the second screen has a high resolution.
If you're using Windows 11, check out its Energy recommendations section, which contains a collection of settings that impact your laptop’s power usage. You can access this section by selecting Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Energy recommendations. From there, you can click Apply all or adjust the different settings individually.
There’s also a Battery saver feature in Windows 11. When this feature is on, your laptop temporarily limits some notifications and background activities that require a lot of power, such as automatic email and calendar syncing. You can access the battery saver by clicking Start > Settings > System > Power & battery. To activate the Battery saver when the battery level drops to a specific level, scroll down the page until you find Battery, then select Battery saver and set the desired battery level. If you want to activate the Battery saver feature and keep it on until you connect your laptop to a power source, then click Turn on now.
Read also: Windows 11: Here’s everything you need to know
Turn on Smart charging
If your device can support Windows 11’s Smart charging feature, then you should turn it on. This feature will help you get the most out of your device’s battery life without much manual intervention or configuration.
The Smart charging feature monitors your device’s battery level and charging status and automatically adjusts the charging rate to slow down or stop charging once the battery reaches a certain level. This helps to prevent overcharging and reduces the wear and tear on the battery.
Moreover, the Smart charging feature can learn from the user's behavior and adjust the charging schedule accordingly. For example, if you typically use your device during the day and charges it at night, the feature may delay the start of the charging process until later in the evening, when it is more likely that the device will be fully discharged.
Close unnecessary programs and tabs
Running too many programs and tabs at once can put a strain on the laptop's processor and memory, leading to increased power consumption and decreased battery life. Take a look at the programs and tabs you have open and determine which ones you can close. It’s best to keep open only the programs and tabs that you are actively using. For instance, if you are working on a presentation, close all other programs and tabs that are not relevant to your task.
You can use Task Manager on Windows devices to identify programs that are consuming a lot of resources as well as to end the processes of any programs that are not essential to your work. To access the Task Manager on Windows 11, simply press Ctrl + Alt + Delete or Windows Key + X. You can also access it by right-clicking on the Start button.
Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth consume a lot of power, so turn them off when not in use. You can turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth from the Windows 11 Action Center. To access the Action Center, press the Windows key + A. From there, you can toggle the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth buttons on or off. You can also click on the Wi-Fi icon on the taskbar, which will display settings for some apps that you can easily toggle on and off, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Airplane Mode.
Unplug external devices
Even when not in use, external devices such as USB drives, external hard drives, additional monitors, and other peripherals use a significant amount of power. To conserve battery life, unplug these devices when you're not using them.
Read also: 5 Common habits that shorten PC life span
Keep your laptop cool
A laptop that runs hot consumes more power, causing the battery to drain faster. Keep your laptop cool by placing it on a flat, hard surface, such as a table, so that air can circulate freely. Using a cooling pad, which is a stand with built-in fans, can also help prevent your laptop from overheating.
Following these strategies can help optimize your laptop's battery life. For more IT tips and advice, ask the tech experts at Quicktech. Book a FREE consultation with us today.