Imagine this: you've just received your new laptop. You've been surfing the web for about an hour when you get a message telling you to plug your laptop in before it dies. You may be wondering why your laptop battery dies so quickly if new laptop batteries can hold a charge for several hours.
Why Laptop Battery Dies Quickly
Certain default settings, apps, and programs on your laptop that are intended to improve your experience can frequently drain your battery unnecessarily. Settings like brightness and power plan, as well as other factors like bloatware and background apps, could all be contributing to your battery dying quickly.
By adjusting these settings, you should be able to keep your battery from dying too quickly. However, if the battery continues to drain too quickly, there could be a problem with the battery itself.
What To Do If Your Laptop Battery Dies Quickly
Certain default settings, apps, and programs on your laptop that are intended to improve your experience can frequently drain your battery unnecessarily. Settings like brightness and power plan, as well as other factors like bloatware and background apps, could all be contributing to your battery dying quickly.
By adjusting these settings, you should be able to keep your battery from dying too quickly. However, if the battery continues to drain too quickly, there could be a problem with the battery itself.
..If your laptop is pushing 3-4 years old or older, faster drainage should be expected…
To begin, go to Settings > System > Battery > Battery Usage to determine what is causing the battery to drain. Examine the first app on the list and the percentage of your battery it consumes. If it's unusually high, you'll need to address that first. Typically, the first app will be your display because it is the one that drains the battery the fastest.
In the following sections, we'll go over the main causes of fast battery drain and how to fix them.
1 - Adjust Brightness Settings
When your brightness settings are set to maximum (100%), it can quickly drain your battery. Unless you're outside in the sun, your brightness probably doesn't need to be that high, so you can turn it down to a lower but still visible setting.
2 - Disconnect Unnecessary Peripherals
Peripherals are devices that you connect to your computer either physically or wirelessly. If you have a plugged-in or connected peripheral that you aren't using, it is draining your battery life. You are free to unplug it.
Furthermore, if you do not use Bluetooth-enabled devices, you can disable Bluetooth so that it is not constantly searching for a device (which also drains your battery life). Deselect the Bluetooth option if it's enabled by clicking the Notifications button in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen (Windows 10).
3 - Turn Down Your Backlit Keyboard
Even though small, your fancy backlit keyboard does drain power from your laptop. You may save some juice by simply turning it down.
4 - Cool It Down
The heat inside your laptop causes the fan to work harder to cool it down. As the result, you will notice your battery drains fast.
Make sure you don’t block ventilation or use your laptop in a hot environment.
5 - Close Background Apps And Programs
..After using your laptop for a while, your laptop’s memory can become bloated with unnecessary background apps and programs that drain your battery fast…
After a while of use, your laptop's memory can become bloated with unnecessary background apps and programs that quickly drain your battery. It is, however, very simple to disable these programs and apps. Using the Task Manager, you can specify which apps and programs should be running.
Ending executable tasks can cause serious damage to your computer. However, any apps you aren't currently using that are running a free game will be terminated. You should terminate any tasks that are currently consuming a lot of memory because they are the ones that are draining your battery the fastest.
6 - Remove Bloatware
Bloatware is a common problem on Windows computers. These are preinstalled apps and programs from your operating system (Windows 7, 8, 10, etc.) or the manufacturer of your laptop. When you first got your laptop, you probably noticed that it came with a slew of 'trial' programs already installed.
Antivirus software, word processing software, computer cleaning software, music/media players, games, web browser extensions, and so on. Even if you don't use these programs, they could be draining your battery in the background.
You'll often be able to find them if you do a Task Manager sweep but uninstall them completely to ensure they don't bother you any longer. You can uninstall a program by going to Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a Program, where you can view a list of all programs installed on your laptop, or by simply right-clicking on the program (for example, one of the Windows games in your Start menu) and selecting Uninstall.
7 - Adjust The Power Plan
Your power plan has a significant impact on how quickly your battery drains. Control Panel > Hardware & Sound > Power Options will take you to your power plan. You can control when your laptop sleeps and/or hibernates, as well as more advanced options such as which power plan is best for your needs.
In advanced settings, you'll most likely see three options: Power Saver, Balanced, and High Performance.
Power Saver will disable some apps and programs, as well as adjust the brightness and a few other settings, in order to prioritize battery life over all else. To be honest, I only use this in power outages when I need to extract every last drop of juice from my battery.
High Performance will prioritize performance and experience over battery life. In all honesty, I see no difference in the performance of my everyday activities on the balanced plan as opposed to the high-performance plan.
Choose the plan that best suits your usage.
Tip 8 - Change The Battery
It's terrifying to consider, especially if your laptop is brand new, but if your battery is discharging too quickly or can't hold a charge at all, you may simply have a bad battery. If your laptop is still under warranty, check with the manufacturer to see if a replacement battery is covered (it normally is).
If your laptop is several years old and/or out of warranty, look online for a new laptop battery (if it is removable). I had to do this for my old laptop, and a new one cost about $20.
If your battery cannot be removed, take it to a professional to see what can be done. They’ll be able to replace that battery if it needs replacing or find out what is causing the issue.
Conclusion:
Hopefully, your laptop battery is discharging at a more appropriate speed than before.
Does your laptop battery keep draining?
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