Taking Care of Your Laptop’s Battery and Extending Its Life: A How-To Guide

When in good condition, a laptop’s battery is expected to last for quite a long time. It all depends on the user’s level of care. Taking care of your laptop is the best way of making doubly sure that you get your money’s worth and more in the long run.

Read on to learn how to effectively use your laptop’s battery and take care of your laptop so that it will love you back.

Top Four Methods of Preserving Your Battery’s Lifespan

1.  Save Cycles to Save the Battery

This is one of the fastest and most effective solutions on how to increase a laptop battery’s life. Since all batteries are made to sustain a specific number of charge cycles (which is approximately 500 full cycles, depending on certain features), you can increase the battery’s lifespan by saving the number of cycles. One charge cycle is equivalent to one full discharge down to 0% plus a full recharge back up to 100%. Thus, a half cycle is made up of the battery going down to 50% and then back up to 100%. With each charging session, the battery’s capacity reduces. Always keep it in mind that the fewer times you drain the battery, the longer it will last.

2.  Keep the Software Updated

Software is another major but often overlooked component responsible for how your battery works. You can increase your battery’s performance and lifespan on your own by improving the programs installed and running on your device. With each new update, your software uses less battery power. Review and update your operating system (OS) as often as possible. The newer your OS, the lighter it is on your machine, which makes keeping it updated a must.

3.  Avoid Complete Discharges

A lot of so-called ‘experts’ have led the masses to believe that a lithium-ion battery can be calibrated or rebooted by being discharged completely and then charged back to 100%.  This is a misconception, however, and your battery might get damaged in the process. You can let your battery discharge to about 20% and then recharge it. Avoid discharging your battery completely – this will help you prolong its lifespan.

Another theory is that computer users shouldn’t keep their devices plugged in all the time. The belief comes from speculation that charging the battery to 100% and keeping the charger connected quickly wears down the battery. This can be somewhat true for those using ancient devices. However, new and advanced computers are designed to auto-stop the charging process when they become fully charged, meaning there won’t be any power going into your battery unnecessarily after it has charged. No excess power, no damage to your laptop battery.

4.  Stay Away from Heat

Although the modern lithium-ion battery is more heat-resistant than its predecessors, there is a limit to what it can sustain. At times, your PC can become hot really fast. The main reason is because of working overtime without a break or the graphics processor or CPU running continuously.

If this is the case, take a break to cool down your machine. Or maybe you should consider actually getting a laptop cooler. Although seen as one of those accessories that are sold to add to aesthetics, laptop coolers serve a valid purpose, and when used correctly, they can extend your device’s lifespan.

With a laptop cooler or a designated computer desk, you can do yourself a big favor by avoiding wearing yourself out carrying a laptop on your thighs. Take into consideration the health risks and hazards that also come with balancing the laptop on your thighs – the likes of testicular damage and associated types of cancer caused by the closeness of the laptop to your private parts.

With a laptop cooler, the fans work continuously to supply cool air to your machine and, most importantly, your battery, which will not overheat. If you’re using a computer with a built-in battery, then you have no option but to shut it down and let the machine cool down to increase the lifespan.

It goes without saying that your laptop must stay outside the kitchen and any other hot place. The cooler you keep your laptop, the better for you, your laptop’s battery, and your pocket. If you’re forced to cook having your laptop nearby, then keep it away from the stove or any other hot surface.

Bonus Tips for Prolonging Laptop Battery Life

The four tips above can be used to keep the battery life longer. You can use them in combination with the other tips below to improve your battery’s lifespan. Although not among the top four, the tips below have been proven to be effective and actually work:

5.  Put the computer into hibernation instead of sleep.

6.  Dim the screen brightness as much as possible.

7.  Disable any Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices and also close any web pages and tabs that aren’t in use.

8.  Completely turn off the display after some time of inactivity.

9.  Free up your RAM.

10.  Disconnect any peripherals draining the battery.

Even with the research and information from actual experts, questions on how to treat your laptop's battery may keep going around in your head. While certain aspects may still remain unclear, one thing’s for sure though: if you’re using a modern device and know that it is in good condition and has the latest software installed, then you have little to no reason to stress about your battery being depleted.

So, how long do laptop batteries last? There’s no one correct answer. To the best of our knowledge, it all depends on the user and what exactly they do with their laptop. Thus, how long one’s battery will serve cannot be figured out using other laptops, even if they are the same brand, model, etc.

Above are the top ten tricks on how to prolong the lifespan of your battery. You can learn or discover additional tricks by yourself and apply them to your machine.