Rule 1: Power Down the Display
Your screen or display consumes a major chunk of the laptop’s battery. This is because it relies on a backlight to illuminate pixels. If you power down the display, you turn off the backlights and reduce the overall battery consumption of the monitor.
Also, when you turn off your display, the computer no longer needs power to render images, prolonging the battery life. You may even dim the display using the brightness button on your computer’s keyboard when you’re in dimly lit environments.
Rule 2: Update Drivers and Firmware
Updating your drivers and firmware often provides optimizations that allow your hardware components to work more efficiently, reducing the power drain from bugs. You generally can get firmware updates from the manufacturer’s site. However, you may follow the steps below to update the Windows drivers.
Step 1: Right-click the Start menu and click Device Manager.
Step 2: Expand any category with outdated drivers, right-click the driver, and click Update device.
Step 3: Click Search automatically for drivers.
Rule 3: Calibrate the Battery
When you calibrate your battery, you will get improved accuracy of the battery percentage display reading. This will be useful in the wild, letting you know when to reduce resources or take other measures to extend battery life.
To calibrate your battery, let it run from 100% to almost empty, then charge it back to full. The meter will notice how long the battery actually lasted and readjust accordingly. Sometimes, your manufacturer may include a calibration tool, which is also a good option.
Rule 4: Turn On the Power Saver
When you enable power saver or battery saver, as it’s called on some computers, you extend the battery life by reducing the overall power consumption of the computer. You may follow the steps below.
Step 1: Click on the battery icon at the right corner of the Taskbar.
Step 2: Click the Battery Saver icon.
Rule 5: Adjust Power Settings
Your computer may be set to a top-performance mode. This will consume a lot of power and is the least efficient for battery life. You should choose a more efficient power plan.
Step 1: Press Windows + I to open the Settings app.
Step 2: Click System on the left menu, then Power & battery on the right.
Step 3: Under Power mode, select Best power efficiency.
Rule 6: Silence the Radios
In most cases, your Bluetooth and WiFi are turned on by default. While they are essential if you are actively browsing the internet or sending files via Bluetooth, they may be a waste of battery power if you’re not.
Step 1: Click on the battery icon at the right corner of the Taskbar.
Step 2: Switch off Bluetooth and WiFi, or even enable Airplane mode.
Rule 7: Shutdown Unused Background Processes
Some processes will run by default on your computer. While some may be integral to the computer’s proper functioning, others can be shut down to conserve battery life without any downsides.
Step 1: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch the Task Manager.
Step 2: Click any process you mean to shut down and click the End task button.
Note: If you are unsure of what a specific process does, it is advisable not to turn it off. Ending unused processes may also make your computer faster.
Rule 8: Disable Keyboard Backlighting if Available
Some computers have backlit keyboards. While this is great for typing at night or in dark environments, it is also resource-intensive and would drain your battery faster. You should turn off this setting on your computer. In some devices, you can turn it off with a switch or button on the keyboard.
Rule 9: Disconnect All Peripherals
It may not always seem evident, but peripherals also drain your battery. This is because, in most cases, they draw power from the computer to run when you connect them. Some examples may be external drives, disks, or even your mouse. If you want to extend battery life in the wild, disconnect them.
Rule 10: Use the Laptop Under Shades as Much as Possible
Using your computer under shades is a vital way of extending the battery life in the wild because it ensures you do not have to increase the screen brightness to see your monitor properly.
Also, it ensures you get low ambient temperature. A hotter environment can force the cooling system to work harder resulting in the usage of more power. Shades can help keep your laptop cooler, reducing the need for intensive fan usage and saving some battery life.
Rule 11: Use a Power Bank
Lastly, you should consider carrying a power bank along with it. This way, you will not need your charger or a constant source of electricity to power your laptop.
Disclaimer: Some pages on this site may include an affiliate link. This does not effect our editorial in any way.
