A laptop that needs charging every couple of hours isn’t much of a laptop. Battery life drops over time, but sudden or severe drain usually has a cause you can find. Here’s how to check your battery’s health, what drains it, and when it’s time for a new one.
Batteries wear out over time
Laptop batteries lose capacity every time they’re charged and discharged. After a few years of daily use, many batteries hold noticeably less charge than when they were new. Heat speeds this up, so a laptop that often runs hot tends to wear its battery faster.
Check your battery’s health in Windows
Windows can create a detailed battery report. Open Command Prompt, type powercfg /batteryreport and press Enter. It saves a file called battery-report.html in your user folder. Open it and compare the design capacity with the full charge capacity. If the full charge capacity is much lower, the battery has worn out.
What drains a laptop battery
- A bright screen, which is often the biggest single drain
- Apps running in the background. Check Settings, System, Power & battery, then Battery usage
- Keyboard backlighting, Bluetooth and accessories plugged into USB ports
- Video streaming, video calls and lots of browser tabs
- A high-performance power mode
- Malware working away in the background
Settings that help
- Turn on Energy Saver, or Battery Saver on older versions of Windows, when you’re away from a charger.
- Lower the screen brightness and turn off keyboard backlighting when you don’t need it.
- Close or uninstall apps you don’t use, and stop unnecessary programs starting with Windows.
- Set the screen to turn off and the laptop to sleep after a few minutes of inactivity.
- Install the latest BIOS and drivers from your laptop maker’s website.
Look after your battery
- Keep the laptop cool and avoid leaving it in a hot car.
- If your laptop is plugged in most of the time, look for a battery-care setting in your manufacturer’s app that limits charging to around 80%.
- Try not to run the battery right down to zero on a regular basis.
Is it the battery or the charger?
If the battery percentage drops even while the laptop is plugged in, the charger may not be supplying enough power, especially on gaming laptops under heavy load. Check you’re using the original charger or one with the correct rating. If the laptop isn’t charging at all, the charging port could be at fault.
Signs it’s time for a new battery
- The battery report shows a much lower full charge capacity than design capacity.
- The laptop shuts down suddenly with charge still showing.
- It only works when plugged in.
- The percentage jumps around, for example from 40% to 10% in a few minutes.
- Windows warns you to consider replacing the battery.
- The battery is swollen, lifting the trackpad or making the case bulge. This is a safety risk, so stop using the laptop and get it replaced straight away.
Battery replacement
Most laptop batteries can be replaced, even built-in ones that need the laptop opening. A new battery usually restores close to the battery life you had when the laptop was new. We use good-quality batteries matched to your model, and fitting is usually quick. If your laptop isn’t charging at all, read Laptop Not Charging? Common Causes and How to Fix Them. Find out more about our laptop repair service in Luton.
In short: run a battery report to see how worn your battery is, cut down background apps and screen brightness, and use the battery-care settings your laptop offers. If the capacity has dropped a long way or the battery is swollen, it’s time for a replacement.
Need a hand? PC Masters offers a free diagnosis over the phone, a £59 same-day call-out across Luton, Dunstable, Houghton Regis, Harpenden and Leighton Buzzard, No Fix, No Fee, and a warranty from 1 month up to 36 months. Book online or call 0800 145 5521, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 8pm.
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