How to Save Your Laptop Battery Life

Thanks to new power-
saving features and high-
capacity batteries, today's
laptops run much longer
on battery power than
notebooks from previous generations. However, few
laptops can last all day on
battery power when
pushed to the limit. For
maximum battery life, your
laptop may need a little coaxing from you. Avoid
usage that quickly drains
the battery, and use your
laptop in an environment
that allows the battery to
operate at maximum efficiency. Difficulty: Moderately Easy Instructions 1. Use an efficient power
scheme in Windows to
adjust several system
settings automatically for
maximum battery life.
Right-click the battery icon in the notification
area, and click "Power
Options." Click the
"Power Saver" radio
button and then close
the window. 2. Reduce the brightness of
the display. Laptop
displays use bright
fluorescent or LED
backlights for maximum
brightness, making the screen one of your
laptop's largest draws of
battery power. In a low-
glare indoor
environment, you likely
do not need to run the screen at its maximum
brightness level. 3. Avoid gaming and
watching videos while
running your laptop on
battery power. These
activities generate high
battery loads by increasing the usage of
your computer's
processor and video
graphics adapter. 4. Turn your laptop's
wireless adapter off if
you are not using the
Internet. Even if you are
not currently browsing
the Web, your laptop's wireless adapter remains
active, searching for
signal and maintaining
contact with the wireless
access point, causing a
slow trickle of battery usage. 5. Use your laptop in a
comfortable
environment. According
to Apple, laptop batteries
function best in an
environment between 50-95 degrees
Fahrenheit. Using your
laptop outside of this
temperature range can
reduce the life of the
battery. A very hot usage environment also
causes the laptop's fan to
remain on, causing an
additional draw on
battery power.