How to take care of a laptop battery?

How a laptop battery works?

To properly take care of the battery in your laptop, it is worth learning the principle of its operation. The most common type of battery, whether for laptops, smartphones or smartwatches, is the lithium-ion battery. The basis of its functioning is the flow of positive lithium ions between the anode and cathode, which occurs during the discharge of the. When charging the device, the charges move in the opposite direction. Each cycle of charging and discharging the battery shortens the life cycle of the lithium-ion cells, and the battery itself is subject to slow self-discharge.

Lithium-ion cells are now among the most efficient, widely available batteries. They are distinguished by high resistance to a large number of charge-discharge cycles, as well as high power and energy density. They are used both in the form of laptop batteries, as well as batteries in electric cars. They allow fast charging, are free of the so-called memory effect, and are recyclable. There are also a few simple ways to extend the life of the lithium-ion battery, which will allow the laptop to work longer without being connected to a power supply.

How to properly charge your laptop and take care of your battery?

To laptop battery worked long and efficiently, you need to know how to care for it properly. By following a few simple rules, you can extend the life of your laptop and maintain its performance for a longer period of time:

1. Laptop batteries are very sensitive to complete discharge. Do not format them, i.e., discharge them completely, then charge them up to 100% and leave the laptop plugged into the charger. The best practice is to start charging the battery when it is about 20% full and end it at 80 or 90% full. This prevents the battery from overheating and consuming the aforementioned charging cycles.
2. The laptop should not be plugged in all the time - this greatly weakens its battery life. Although it may seem that in this situation the battery remains fully charged. In fact, the battery more or less discharges to 95% and immediately recharges to 100%. This is how mini-cycles are created, shortening battery life.
3. Unplug the power adapter when the laptop is turned off. Also, remember not to discharge the device completely - ideally, the battery state of charge before switching off should be about 40%
4. Use high quality, original chargers. A poorly chosen charger can not only significantly shorten the life of a laptop, but even damage the computer.
5. What to do to use your laptop longer when you can't plug it in to charge? One of the main factors affecting the power consumption of a laptop is the brightness of the screen. Reducing the screen brightness in the laptop's system settings allows the device to be used for longer periods of time without recharging. Disconnecting unused peripherals will also help.

How to increase the battery life of your laptop?

One of the most effective ways to extend the life of a laptop battery is to adjust the computer's power settings. By enabling power-saving features and adjusting display settings, you can reduce the amount of power your laptop consumes, thereby extending battery life. In addition, Windows 10 allows you to see which apps are using the most power and adjust settings accordingly. Using these settings and features, you can maximize the battery life of your laptop and reduce the need for frequent charging.

Unused programs should not run in the background. Closing programs when you're done and regularly deleting unnecessary files and applications significantly extends battery life, while protecting the processor from overheating. Unplugging unused peripherals also helps to increase the battery life of your laptop. Accessories such as headphones, microphone, driver external, mouse or cooling pad draw a certain amount of power. If you don't use the headphones or microphone, unplug them, and this will extend the battery life.

Also remember not to abuse the laptop's sleep mode. This is a useful option when you need to step away from work for a long while. However, if you regularly leave your laptop in sleep mode for several hours or overnight, you will shorten the life of the of the laptop's battery. In such situations, it is much better to turn off the computer.