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I change these 6 settings on Windows to improve battery life
Your laptop's battery life is an important factor, especially when you are working on the go and don't have easy access to power outlets, such as during travel. As a freelancer, I sometimes find myself in such situations and anxiously watch the battery percentage of my laptop drop.
Thankfully, Windows comes with some built-in settings specifically designed to conserve your laptop's battery charge and enhance the overall lifespan of the battery. I have experienced a noticeable improvement after making these specific changes, all without relying on any third-party applications. Here's what I did, and you can do it too.
Switched to the best power mode for the battery
Optimizing power mode for maximum efficiency
One of the most effective first steps is adjusting your laptop's power mode settings. Windows allows you to select how aggressively your laptop manages its power usage. To adjust this, I navigated to System -> Power & Battery within the Settings and switched the Power Mode to Best Power Efficiency when "On battery" and to Best Performance when "Plugged in." Enabling this will make the system cautious when utilizing resources when the device isn't charging. This will limit the CPU and GPU performance, but that's negligible.
Alongside this, within the same "Power & battery" settings, I activated Energy Saver mode, setting it to automatically enable when the battery falls to around 30%. This simple step reduces background activity and pauses non-critical tasks when your laptop is low on battery, further optimizing power consumption.
After that, I launched the Task Manager and enabled the Efficiency mode (located at the top-right corner of the Task Manager window) to limit the resource consumption of specific resource-intensive apps. All these changes didn't have much effect on my daily work.
Dimmed the display and lowered the refresh rate
Managing the screen settings to conserve battery
It's common knowledge that a bright screen has a significant impact on battery life. Considering that, you can manually adjust your display brightness down to comfortable levels or enable automatic brightness adjustments through Windows' display settings. I prefer the former.
Furthermore, I reduced the refresh rate from a higher setting, such as 120Hz or 75Hz, to a more battery-friendly 60Hz, which can be accessed via Settings -> System -> Display -> Advanced display settings. This adjustment can make a notable difference, especially during prolonged use. However, it can also have some effect on your gaming performance.
I also disabled unnecessary animations and transparency effects under Settings -> Accessibility -> Visual effects. These graphical elements, although visually appealing, consume extra processing power and energy. Turning them off offered further battery savings, allowing my laptop to operate longer, especially during critical tasks or meetings.
Set the screen and sleep timers to shorter durations
Keeping your laptop from wasting energy when idle
Another common drain on battery life is your device unnecessarily remaining active during periods of inactivity. To mitigate this, I reduced the duration before my laptop's screen automatically turns off to about three to five minutes. Similarly, I configured the sleep timer to activate after five to ten minutes of inactivity when the device is running on battery power. You can find these options under the "Power & battery" setting.
To further enhance these settings, I disabled wake timers in Advanced Power Settings (Control Panel -> All Control Panel Items -> Power Options -> Edit Plan Settings). This step prevented the system from waking itself up due to scheduled tasks or background processes, ensuring that the laptop remained in low-power states whenever possible. These adjustments minimized battery drain during idle periods, resulting in significantly improved overall battery efficiency.
Cut down background activity
Reducing hidden battery drains from background apps
Background processes and unnecessary app activity can quietly yet substantially impact battery life. To address this, I systematically reviewed each installed app and disabled its background permissions via the Advanced options within Settings -> Apps. This action prevented apps from running unseen processes, significantly reducing power usage.
Additionally, I managed startup programs by disabling non-essential apps through Task Manager’s Startup tab. Windows widgets and chat features were also deactivated through Taskbar settings to minimize background data processing. These combined actions are not only helpful in prolonging a laptop's battery life but also help minimize unnecessary distractions, allowing for a more focused work environment.
Turned off unused wireless features
Shutting down wireless services when they're not needed
Wireless features, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and location services, continually search for connections and signals, even when not actively in use, resulting in unnecessary battery drain. To maximize efficiency, I made a conscious effort to disable Bluetooth and location services whenever they weren't necessary.
Similarly, turning off Wi-Fi in areas without reliable connectivity or when internet access wasn't needed provided further battery savings. Activating Airplane Mode during flights or in areas with weak signals also helped conserve power. These minor but intentional habits substantially extended the laptop's battery life and performance, particularly during travel.
Enabled USB Power Saving Options
Avoiding power loss from idle USB devices
Many users overlook that USB ports can draw battery power even when idle. To address this subtle drain, you can enable the option that allows your laptop to power off the USB when not in use. To do this, press the Windows key+ X to launch the Power Menu and select Device Manager from it. Now look for the "Universal Serial Bus controllers" section and expand it. Next, select your USB hubs, right-click on them, and choose Properties. Switch to the "Power Management" section and check the "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power."
Windows will now intelligently suspend power to USB ports that aren't actively in use, conserving battery life passively.
Bonus Tips
- When attending important meetings or sessions with a low-powered laptop, consider manually activating Battery Saver mode from the Action Center.
- Keep a shortcut to the Power & Battery settings handy on your Start menu. This allows quick adjustments on the fly.
- Periodically run the command powercfg /batteryreport in the command-line window to get valuable insights into your laptop's battery health.
Take control of your laptop battery life
On the surface, immediately enabling these settings may not yield noticeable changes. However, gradually, you'll notice an improvement in your laptop's runtime over an unplugged battery. This will help you enhance your productivity during travel or remote work. The best thing is that you don't need any third-party application or follow any complicated steps.
If you're frustrated by short battery life and prefer to avoid adding software or modifying your hardware, these simple Windows adjustments are worth trying. They are easy, quick to implement, and offer practical and tangible benefits that will keep your laptop running longer, exactly when you need it most.