You’re at the café. You’ve got your coffee. And your muffin. You’re ready to work! But then you open your laptop and… your battery is almost dead. This time you might need to be that person, with your cord snaking between chair legs. But follow these high-yield, low-effort hacks and you’ll not only have tip-top power for your next café visit, but you’ll also be extending the overall life of your laptop battery.
Avoid 0%
If possible, avoid draining your battery below a 20% charge. As long as your laptop is running on a lithium-ion battery (which most modern laptops do), it’s best practice to charge before your battery is completely drained. This hack will extend the life of your battery, as usage with a low charge puts a strain on the battery itself, and eventually reduces its charging capacity.
Takeaway: plug your laptop in while there is still some juice left.
Use power saver mode
When your laptop is unplugged, switching to battery saver mode will reduce the display brightness, prevent some background downloads/syncing and suspend most background apps. Unless you’re completing tasks that require a lot of battery power (editing videos, for example), you shouldn’t notice too much difference in overall performance. You can also tweak your settings manually to meet your needs – search for ‘Power Options’ on Windows machines and ‘Energy Saver’ if you are using macOS.
Takeaway: know your energy-saving options and use them when appropriate.
Streamline your workflow
Think of your laptop like a house, leaving six or seven apps open when you’re not using them is like leaving that many lights on in empty rooms. Try to minimise your open applications to just one or two – and check in Task Manager that you don’t have apps running unnecessarily in the background. If you don’t need the connectivity, disabling wi-fi and/or Bluetooth will reduce your power usage even more.
Takeaway: close unused apps and use Airplane mode if possible.
Ensure airflow and avoid overheating
Despite the name, laptops are designed to be used on a hard surface – this ensures airflow for the vents that pull in cool air and expel warm air, keeping your machine at an even temperature. Heat is the enemy of your device – affecting not only short-term life, but also longer-term battery health. Avoid placing your laptop in locations prone to heating up; don’t leave it in the car, for instance, or in direct sunlight.
Takeaway: Aim for cool environs and keep your laptop off your lap!
Stay up to date
Updating your operating system has all sorts of benefits – not the least is that patches and upgrades can help programs run more efficiently, conserving battery power. It’s best to schedule these processes only when you’re plugged in, though, as software updates can quickly suck battery life.
Takeaway: Don’t ignore software update notifications; do update software when plugged in.
Contact Geelong’s laptop repair and sales specialists
The strategies outlined will help you make the most of the battery you have. However, if you’re concerned about the health of your laptop battery, or you’re in the market for a new laptop, the team at Geelong Technology Group are here to help. We are experienced in laptop evaluations and repairs for both Windows and Apple machines, and we’re committed to providing the best customer service when it comes to sales.
Give us a call or drop by our specialised service center and showroom to chat in person:
📞 1300 GET GTG (1300 438 484)
📧 support@geelongtechnology.com.au
📍 166 Francis St, Belmont
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