How to extend your laptop battery life?

The more time you spend on your laptop, the more you’ll appreciate and understand the importance of its battery life. The truth is, regardless of how much your laptop is capable of, it’s only as good as the battery that keeps it powered. With that in mind, here are 6 very important things you should know about the shelf life of laptop batteries and how to go about maintaining them to ensure you’re getting as much out of them as possible-

1) Keep your laptop battery cool- The hotter your battery, the quicker it loses its charge capacity. Laptop battery manufacturers will usually store their products at around 60°F. Don’t put it in the refrigerator or freezer as this could cause serious damage.

2) Avoid running your laptop battery completely dry- While the belief exists that it’s best to completely discharge your battery with every charge, this isn’t the case when it comes to Lithium Ion notebook batteries. Today’s batteries perform best when they’re recharged while they still have 10-20% capacity remaining.

3) Charge your laptop battery to its full capacity the first time and every time- New batteries almost always arrive completely discharged. Give your laptop battery a complete charge upon receipt, and allow it to fully charge each time you plug it in.

4) If you don’t need it, don’t use it- The capacity of a laptop battery decreases with each cycle of charging and discharging. Even if your laptop is plugged into the wall, the battery is still going through a constant charge-discharge cycle. If you know you’ll be working from a location where you’ll be near an electrical outlet, go ahead and remove the battery and store it in a cool location (see#1).

5) Don’t keep batteries stored for long periods of time- While it’s nice to have spare batteries around, laptop batteries are always losing at least a small bit of their charge. Assess your laptop battery needs, and keep yourself supplied accordingly.

6) Don’t charge your notebook battery before long periods of inactivity- When it’s necessary to have a spare battery or two around, be sure to store them with just 10-20% capacity remaining. This will keep it performing at a high rate once it’s time to put that spare battery into action.

You may very well have the best laptop money can buy, but without a functioning battery your laptop is useless. Knowing how to get the most from a laptop battery and putting that knowledge to action will make a big difference and can save you a lot of money and headaches.