Laptop battery drains fast
If your laptop battery used to last all day and now struggles for a couple of hours, something is either using too much power or the battery is getting old. You can check both.
Quick fixes to try first
- Turn the screen brightness down. The screen is usually the biggest drain.
- Close programs and browser tabs you are not using.
- Disconnect USB devices you do not need, such as external drives and dongles.
- Turn on Battery Saver from the battery icon at the bottom right of the screen.
Step by step
- Open Settings.
- Windows 11: choose System, then Power & battery, then Battery usage. Windows 10: choose System, then Battery, then look at which apps use most power.
- If one app is using a lot and you do not need it, close it. Consider uninstalling it if you never use it.
- Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl, Shift and Esc together. Look at the Startup apps (Windows 11) or Startup (Windows 10) tab and disable things you do not need at start-up.
- In the same Power settings, check the Power mode is not set to the highest performance setting while on battery.
If that did not work
- Install any waiting updates, as they sometimes fix power problems.
- Restart the laptop fully. A restart can clear a program that is stuck using lots of power.
- Remember that batteries wear out. After two to four years of regular use, a shorter life is normal.
When to get more help
Stop and email us if the battery life drops suddenly from hours to minutes, the laptop shuts off at 30 or 40 per cent, the case feels swollen, the underside gets very hot while charging, or the trackpad has started to lift. A swollen battery can be dangerous, so stop using it and unplug it. Tell us the make and model and roughly how old the laptop is.
Did this help? If you are still stuck, email Vision Tech and tell us what you can see on the screen. Menus and button names can differ slightly between versions and makes. If something does not match, stop and ask rather than guess.