Best way to keep a laptop battery healthy?

[Kelemvor]

My wife and I use our laptops plugged in nearly 99% of the time. Is that OK for the battery of the laptop or would we want to use up the battery now and then to let it charge back up? She just got a new laptop so I want to make sure the battery lasts as long as we can keep it around for.

 

[amdhunter]

Just use it normally. Modern batteries aren't as tricky as they used to be in the past. It's a lotto now. Either you'll get a good battery that will last years, or you'll get a bum one. Only time will tell.

 

[MontyAC]

My wife and I use our laptops plugged in nearly 99% of the time. Is that OK for the battery of the laptop or would we want to use up the battery now and then to let it charge back up? She just got a new laptop so I want to make sure the battery lasts as long as we can keep it around for.

You should run down the battery then recharge. Don't run off the power cord or your battery will slowly die. See the laptop instructions regarding the battery.

 

[StrangerGuy]

Either you put it in a fridge and not use it or use it normally. Don't be like those idiots I see taking their laptop batteries once they are fully charged or while on AC power; it doesn't do anything to prolong the battery lifespan.

 

[amdhunter]

You should run down the battery then recharge. Don't run off the power cord or your battery will slowly die. See the laptop instructions regarding the battery.

I've never done this even once with my two year old Macbook Pro and it still holds a healthy charge. With moderate use I can still get 3-4 hours out of it on one charge. With light use, exponentially longer. I don't do much heavy use on it.

There's no need to drain batteries anymore - I'm not sure it made that much difference in the past either.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I really wouldn't worry about it much. By the time you start seeing any serious decreases in battery life you probably will be looking to buy a new laptop anyway.

 

[MontyAC]

My Lenovo and MacBook batteries died. Possibly because they were plugged in when the batteries were full.

 

[SlitheryDee]

My Lenovo and MacBook batteries died. Possibly because they were plugged in when the batteries were full.

A lot of people I know use their laptops like Kelemvor and his wife use theirs and have no problems. My gut feeling is that constantly charging them probably does have negative effects of battery capacity, but I doubt they result in batteries dying completely. It seems even that no serious reduction in battery capacity is seen during the time that most people use a single laptop. I would say that if you're expecting to keep a single laptop more than about 2 years, then expect to buy a new battery no matter how gingerly you treat it.

 

[MontyAC]

I just run them plugged in now, not going to waste money to get new batteries.

 

[Schfifty Five]

My 5 year old sony viao has been plugged in on AC most of its life and I can still get a full charge if I take it off AC power.

Just use your laptop normally w/o worrying too much about doing this or that to optimize the battery.

 

[Modelworks]

The best way to prolong the battery life is to remove the battery from the laptop once it is charged and you are using AC. Lithium batteries when charged start to lose capacity when exposed to heat for long periods, and most laptops can run pretty hot.

 

[Spungo]

There's no need to drain batteries anymore - I'm not sure it made that much difference in the past either.

I don't know about laptops but I know leaving a phone plugged in sure screws up the battery fast. They never last more than a year.

 

[BUTCH1]

Best info might be in another section of AT forums..

 

[Doppel]

The best way to prolong the battery life is to remove the battery from the laptop once it is charged and you are using AC. Lithium batteries when charged start to lose capacity when exposed to heat for long periods, and most laptops can run pretty hot.

@ 50% charge for lithium, not full...

 

[Modelworks]

@ 50% charge for lithium, not full...

50% is the recommended minimum for storage because it has the least chance of being effected by heat. Charging to full is going to be the normal routine for someone who uses a laptop at home and elsewhere without AC, charging to just 50% wouldn't be practical for most users since laptop battery life is already too short for most and a 50% charge, discharge routine would actually harm the cells more.

 

[Charles Kozierok]

The two main things that kill batteries are heat and overcharging. (Well, and time, but that kills everything.)

With older computers that used older battery technology, leaving them plugged in for long periods sometimes led to overcharging, and kept the batteries hot. So they died quickly.

Overcharging is less of an issue with modern lithium-ion batteries, all of which include smart charging technology. But heat is still a concern. Keeping the system cool is the best way to prolong battery life.

Running on battery and then recharging once in a while is also not a bad idea.

 

[Sonikku]

Use up the battery until it's done before recharging. 🙂 Charging it when it is not full but still has a moderate amount of power left will reduce the amount of time it can hold a charge.