This post (Laptop Battery Maintenance) has some tips on battery management via software. A lot of you here probably have a lot of experience with computer hardware, so here is a question for you: what are some tried-and-true methods that can prolong the lifespan of laptop batteries?
All the stuff out there can be dubious and inconsistent. Even computer manufacturers sometimes put out different (and contradicting) guidelines on battery health - for example, HP might say one thing, and Dell might say another. Therefore, it helps to hear the opinions of experienced users on the subject.
I’m sure one of these questions have crossed the minds of computer users at some point:
Is it a good idea to leave our laptops plugged all the time?
Should we remove the battery from the laptop if the laptop won’t be used for a long time?
Should I charge the battery to 80% before unplugging? Or 90%? 70%
If you do answer, please specify the type of battery that your suggestions apply to. It would also be great if you could provide evidence and reasoning to support your suggestions.
Depends entirely on how the laptops charge circuit/software is designed. Some these days are designed to stop charging the battery after a certain point if the system is plugged in and only occasionally trickle charge it for battery longevity. So the answer to that is…It depends and youll need to know more about your laptop to accurately answer the question.
Generally the biggest issue for LI batteries is charge dropping below a certain threshold. While keeping it at high charge isnt the best allowing the battery to deplete too much is worse. You mostly want to keep the battery above 20% and between 80-100% at full charge depending on how much away from wall time you need.
I know Dell has the option in newer laptops Bios to set a max charge, maybe yours does?
EDIT: a bit more info, LI batteries out right die when the charge is depleted enough. The battery has protection to ensure that does happen. Once a LI battery is fully depleted (not possible for a user to do) it cant be charged again without being re-manufactured which im not aware of the losses or how thats accomplished.
So, let’s say I charge my battery to 80% and then unplug it. Is it better to remove the battery pack from the laptop to store the battery somewhere else where the temperature can be kept consistently cool? Coz I read that heat can also reduce battery lifespan. Not that I’m allowing my computer to heat up to 70 celcius or anything. It’s just that with the battery out of the computer, it’s easier to keep it cool.
The laptops charging circuit wont let the battery get hot enough to worry. LI batteries arent that sensitive to higher temps as much as cold. Cold temps deplete the cell and put additional stress on it. The issue with staying plugged in assuming your charge circuit is pretty bare bones isnt thermal stress but electrical stress.
Really you mostly dont need to worry about it. Most laptops these days should keep the battery working fine for the duration of its useful life if you leave it plugged in. The biggest issue is depleting the battery too much.
Anecdotal evidence at best but i have a 10yr old Dell M6600 with a battery to match and the battery life isnt much worse than it was 10yrs ago. I keep it plugged in almost all the time except when i need it on battery
@anthony93 The only time you need to worry about removing the battery (if yours even can be as some cant) is when itll be unused for extended periods of time. If you actively use it just leave the battery in. The battery is managed and leaving it in wont reduce the life enough to worry. You just dont want to constantly deplete the battery to very low levels, THAT will kill it much faster
Lol. I thought so. Just wanted to confirm. I guess I’m going to have to read my computer’s manual and find out more about the charging cycle.
But… just to give you how bad of a state my current battery is in…
This is an 8-year-old ThinkPad.
I’ve never depleted the battery completely, but I know it dropped to below 10% a few times. I was in engineering, so I used the machine doing a lot of CAD work (that was before I switched to Linux, of course)
if the battery is that old you really cant do a lot for it, The batteries can only last so long and no amount of babying is going to save an 8yr old battery from losing max charge lol
10 years old? And it isn’t much worse? Damn. Now I have GOT to learn a few tricks from you. Some articles recommend charging the battery at lower voltages. Do you do that as well?
i just dont deplete it under 20% and leave it plugged in when im home. Thats it, but this laptop never had good battery life to begin with. Id be lucky to get more than 3hrs doing anything besides watching youtube in its prime. These days i can squeeze 2hrs doing any real work.
In its prime under load it MIGHT have gotten 2hrs doing CAD or gaming lol
I pulled the battery out of my laptop and forgot about battery lifespan. The laptop badly overheats so removing the battery gave me a few FPS in Apex Legends due to reduced heat
