Keeping Your Mobile Devices Mobile!
When you think about how essential laptops are in modern business, it’s hard to imagine life without them and extending your laptop battery life is key. Gone are the days of being tethered to a desk or reliant on chunky desktop computers. But, there’s nothing more frustrating than having a laptop run out of battery power just when you need it the most. Especially when you’re away from a power source and have important tasks to complete. Wouldn’t it be great to maximise your laptop’s battery life and avoid those inconvenient low-battery situations? With the right techniques, you can extend your laptop’s battery lifespan and enjoy smoother, longer-lasting performance.
Understanding Your Laptop Battery Life
Most modern laptops are powered by lithium-ion batteries. These batteries function through charge cycles, where a cycle is defined as a full discharge from 100% to 0%. Every time a full cycle occurs, the battery’s capacity decreases slightly. Over time, this results in your battery not holding as much charge as it did when it was new.
The trick to maintaining battery health is to avoid complete discharges as much as possible. You can stretch your battery’s lifespan by keeping it in the middle ground, avoiding full 100% charges and complete discharges to 0%.
Make Use of Your Power Settings
One of the easiest ways to keep your battery running longer is to adjust your laptop’s power settings. Many laptops offer a Battery Saver mode, which can extend the remaining battery life by reducing screen brightness and limiting background processes. You can also customise the Hibernation mode to kick in when your battery reaches a certain low point, helping to preserve power.
Eliminate Battery Drains
Many apps and processes run in the background, quietly draining your battery. A good practice is to close any applications you’re not using. Keeping your screen brightness low and switching off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth when they aren’t needed are simple ways to reduce the power your laptop consumes.
Charging Etiquette
You’ve probably heard the old myth that keeping your laptop plugged in will damage the battery over time. But, modern laptops are smart enough to manage power on their own. They stop charging once the battery reaches its full capacity, so keeping your laptop plugged in doesn’t harm it.
However, there are still a few rules to follow. Avoid letting your battery drop below 20%, as that puts unnecessary strain on it. Also, steer clear of extreme temperatures, which can damage the battery cells.
How to Store Your Laptop Correctly
If you’re planning on putting your laptop away for an extended period, make sure it’s stored with around 50% charge. Storing it with a full charge can degrade the battery’s long-term health, while storing it completely discharged can make it hard to charge up again when you need it. Great manufacturers like Dell publish great advice on maintaining your laptop battery life.
Software Updates are Important
Finally, keep your software up to date. Operating system updates often include patches that improve your laptop’s performance and optimise how it uses power, giving your battery an extra boost in efficiency.
Nxt Steps: Prolonging Your Laptop’s Battery Life
At Nxt Gen IT, we specialise in helping businesses like yours get the most out of their devices, including prolonging the life of your tech investments. If you’d like guidance on optimising your business’s IT infrastructure and ensuring your team’s devices last longer, we’d love to hear from you.
Get in touch today to find out how we can help you improve the efficiency and lifespan of your business’s devices!
Find out more about how our IT support services can help manage your technology effectively.
Ben helps growing businesses turn technology into a driver of performance instead of a barrier. At Nxt Gen IT he works with SME leaders, recruiters, and fast-scaling teams to design solutions that improve reliability, strengthen security, and unlock growth.
With a background in email deliverability and cloud systems, Ben specialises in making sure businesses communicate effectively, keep data safe, and get the most from Microsoft 365. His experience spans solution design, managed IT services, and virtual CIO support, always with a focus on practical outcomes that reduce headaches for business owners.
Ben has supported organisations across the UK, from recruitment agencies struggling with inbox placement to SaaS firms scaling fast, and SMEs needing a trusted partner for their IT. He believes tech is never the end goal: growth is. His role is to make sure technology never gets in the way of it.