How to make a laptop PC’s battery last longer

What could cause a laptop PC’s battery not to last long?

The major causes of poor battery life are:

    Over-heating: If you put your palm under some laptops, you’ll be amazed at how hot they could get when running. Some even emit generator-like noises from their air vents; overheating! Overheating = Poor battery life
    Leaving WIFI / Bluetooth ON: Leaving your WIFI / Bluetooth radios on when not in use is one way to drain your battery quickly if that’s what you’re out to achieve
    Too many Auto-start items: Auto-start items are those apps / processes that run on boot (mouse effects, screen savers etc). Having too many unneeded auto-start items will have a negative impact on battery
    Running too many programs at a time: Running too many programs at a time consumes more system resources than normal, battery being one of them.
    Running on High performance power plan: This is one wide pit many fall into; and there’s always space for some more. Everybody seems to want “High performance” things these days (mostly without having a clue how to utilize them). Using the High performance plan on battery will ‘High performance’ your battery flat.
    Screen brightness set too high: Your LCD Screen is one of the biggest consumers of battery. Setting your screen brightness too high makes a short battery life imminent
    Peripheral devices: Leaving unused peripheral devices like CD/DVD drives, external drives etc running consumes a notable percentage of your battery
    Damaged battery: Yes, of course. If the battery in question is damaged then you shouldn’t expect it to perform optimally
    Poor charging practices: You’ll be shocked by what some people subject their batteries to; yet, they expect a good battery life

When you say “Poor charging practices, could you shed more light on that?

Absolutely! Some common poor battery charging practices include:

    Connecting the power pack’s jack or pin to the laptop’s charging port before connecting the plug to a power source
    Continually adjusting the power pack’s plug while the laptop is plugged into the power pack in an attempt to get the right position to make the laptop charge
    Pulling out the battery while the PC is charging
    Leaving the laptop connected to power when 100% charged (Nickel-Ion based)

How long should my battery normally last?

There is no direct answer to this question because it could depend on the battery type, laptop hardware and tasks being executed. On average though, you should expect around 2 hours battery time on most PCs running minor tasks.

How can I make a laptop PC’s battery last longer?

There are quite some simple techniques you could employ to get more out of your battery. Some are:

• Use Hibernate over Sleep or Shutdown: If you need to put your laptop aside for a few hours then use Hibernate over Sleep or Shutdown. Hibernate consumes much less power than Sleep and Shutdown. A PC in Hibernate mode can only be woken up by the power button; unlike Sleep that can be disrupted by scheduled tasks.
• Re-calibrate (Nickel-based): If you’re using a Nickel-Ion based battery then re-calibrate the battery
• Avoid over-heating: Ensure to brush off dust from the air vent and also tilt the laptop during use such that air can easy circulate and cool the bottom
• Turn off your WIFI (wireless) and Bluetooth when not in use: Yes, if your WIFI and Bluetooth radios are not in use the turn them off to conserve battery
• Disable unneeded Auto-start items: Keep auto-start items at their barest minimum. (see https://blog.hovatek.com/how-to-fix-a-slow-hanging-or-crashing-pc/ to learn how to disable auto-start items)
• Reduce the number of running applications: Ensure to close unused applications / background processes and keep only needed ones running (Use ctrl + alt + del to access Task Manager)
• Change power plan: When on battery, use Power Saver or Balanced. Avoid using High Performance when running on battery if you really wish to conserve battery. Click the battery icon at the bottom right to change power plan
• Reduce screen brightness: Ensure to use just the level of screen brightness you need. This is one trick that could save you tens of battery minutes. Click the battery icon at the bottom right to adjust screen brightness
• Disconnect unused peripheral devices: Ensure to disconnect any active peripheral device which is not needed (external storage, CD/DVD drive ect).
• Employ healthy battery charging practices: Protect your laptop from sparks while charging and also avoid leaving your battery plugged in at 100% too frequently
• Disable aesthetics when running on battery: Disable those fancy Aero effects, themes, animations and screen savers when running on battery and you’ll be rewarded with extra battery minutes
• Install a good Power Assistant software: Install the power assistant software for your laptop’s model. Its advanced options will give you access to more battery tweaks
• If all the above tips and more still don’t boost the laptop’s battery time then you should consider purchasing a new battery

- See more at: https://blog.hovatek.com/how-to-make-a-laptop-pcs-battery-last-longer/#sthash.Kb7O1104.dpuf

There are quite some simple techniques you could employ to get more out of your battery. Some are:

    Use Hibernate over Sleep or Shutdown: If you need to put your laptop aside for a few hours then use Hibernate over Sleep or Shutdown. Hibernate consumes much less power than Sleep and Shutdown. A PC in Hibernate mode can only be woken up by the power button; unlike Sleep that can be disrupted by scheduled tasks.
    Re-calibrate (Nickel-based): If you’re using a Nickel-Ion based battery then re-calibrate the battery
    Avoid over-heating: Ensure to brush off dust from the air vent and also tilt the laptop during use such that air can easy circulate and cool the bottom
    Turn off your WIFI (wireless) and Bluetooth when not in use: Yes, if your WIFI and Bluetooth radios are not in use the turn them off to conserve battery
    Disable unneeded Auto-start items: Keep auto-start items at their barest minimum. (see https://blog.hovatek.com/how-to-fix-a-slow-hanging-or-crashing-pc/ to learn how to disable auto-start items)
    Reduce the number of running applications: Ensure to close unused applications / background processes and keep only needed ones running (Use ctrl + alt + del to access Task Manager)
    Change power plan: When on battery, use Power Saver or Balanced. Avoid using High Performance when running on battery if you really wish to conserve battery. Click the battery icon at the bottom right to change power plan
    Reduce screen brightness: Ensure to use just the level of screen brightness you need. This is one trick that could save you tens of battery minutes. Click the battery icon at the bottom right to adjust screen brightness
    Disconnect unused peripheral devices: Ensure to disconnect any active peripheral device which is not needed (external storage, CD/DVD drive ect).
    Employ healthy battery charging practices: Protect your laptop from sparks while charging and also avoid leaving your battery plugged in at 100% too frequently
    Disable aesthetics when running on battery: Disable those fancy Aero effects, themes, animations and screen savers when running on battery and you’ll be rewarded with extra battery minutes
    Install a good Power Assistant software: Install the power assistant software for your laptop’s model. Its advanced options will give you access to more battery tweaks
    If all the above tips and more still don’t boost the laptop’s battery time then you should consider purchasing a new battery

What could cause a laptop PC’s battery not to last long?
The major causes of poor battery life are:

• Over-heating: If you put your palm under some laptops, you’ll be amazed at how hot they could get when running. Some even emit generator-like noises from their air vents; overheating! Overheating = Poor battery life
• Leaving WIFI / Bluetooth ON: Leaving your WIFI / Bluetooth radios on when not in use is one way to drain your battery quickly if that’s what you’re out to achieve
• Too many Auto-start items: Auto-start items are those apps / processes that run on boot (mouse effects, screen savers etc). Having too many unneeded auto-start items will have a negative impact on battery
• Running too many programs at a time: Running too many programs at a time consumes more system resources than normal, battery being one of them.
• Running on High performance power plan: This is one wide pit many fall into; and there’s always space for some more. Everybody seems to want “High performance” things these days (mostly without having a clue how to utilize them). Using the High performance plan on battery will ‘High performance’ your battery flat.
• Screen brightness set too high: Your LCD Screen is one of the biggest consumers of battery. Setting your screen brightness too high makes a short battery life imminent
• Peripheral devices: Leaving unused peripheral devices like CD/DVD drives, external drives etc running consumes a notable percentage of your battery
• Damaged battery: Yes, of course. If the battery in question is damaged then you shouldn’t expect it to perform optimally
• Poor charging practices: You’ll be shocked by what some people subject their batteries to; yet, they expect a good battery life

When you say “Poor charging practices, could you shed more light on that?
Absolutely! Some common poor battery charging practices include:

• Connecting the power pack’s jack or pin to the laptop’s charging port before connecting the plug to a power source
• Continually adjusting the power pack’s plug while the laptop is plugged into the power pack in an attempt to get the right position to make the laptop charge
• Pulling out the battery while the PC is charging
• Leaving the laptop connected to power when 100% charged (Nickel-Ion based)

How long should my battery normally last?
There is no direct answer to this question because it could depend on the battery type, laptop hardware and tasks being executed. On average though, you should expect around 2 hours battery time on most PCs running minor tasks.
How can I make a laptop PC’s battery last longer?
- See more at: https://blog.hovatek.com/how-to-make-a-laptop-pcs-battery-last-longer/#sthash.Kb7O1104.dpuf