Fix 1: Change Power Plan
The first thing you need to do is set the default power plan on your laptop to prioritize longer battery life over performance. Here’s how you can do that.
Step 1: Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app and head to System > Power & battery.
Step 2: Scroll down to Power mode and use the drop-down menu to select Best power efficiency.
Fix 2: Enable Battery Saver
If your battery is still draining faster than usual, use the Battery Saver mode in Windows 11. You can configure it to activate automatically when the battery level drops below a certain threshold or keep it on continuously to extend battery life.
Step 1: Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app and head to System > Power & battery.
Step 2: Expand Battery saver and click Turn on now. Use the drop-down menu next to “Turn battery saver on automatically at” to specify the percentage level below which the battery saver should turn on automatically.
Fix 3: Tweak Display Settings
The display is one of the most power-hungry components on a laptop. To reduce battery drain, consider tweaking your display settings with the following adjustments.
You can start by dimming the screen a little. To do that, press the Windows key + A to open Quick Settings. Then use the slider next to the brightness icon to dim your screen.
Next, you can set custom graphics settings for apps on your PC to increase battery life. Here’s how.
Step 1: Open the Start menu, type in graphics settings, and press Enter.
Step 2: Select an app or program to modify its graphics settings and click Options.
Step 3: Select the Power saving option and hit Save.
In addition to the above, setting a darker theme on your Windows 11 laptop can help reduce the amount of power your screen uses.
Fix 4: Adjust Video Playback
If you regularly stream YouTube videos or watch movies on your PC, you can modify the video playback settings on Windows to optimize battery life. Here’s how.
Step 1: Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app and head to Apps > Video playback.
Step 2: Use the drop-down menu next to Battery options to select Optimize battery life. Then, tick the checkbox that reads Play video at a lower resolution when on battery to save power while streaming videos.
Fix 5: Disable Background Apps
Multi-tasking is a key feature of Windows, but it can lead to increased battery drain. To improve battery life, consider preventing unimportant apps from running in the background.
Step 1: Press the Windows key + I to launch the Settings app. In the System tab, go to Power & battery.
Step 2: Under Battery, select Battery usage.
Step 3: Locate an unimportant app that is using a major chunk of the battery, click the three-dot menu icon next to it, and select Manage background activity.
Step 4: Under Background apps permissions, select Never.
Fix 6: Disable Fast Startup
If you’ve enabled fast startup on Windows to speed up boot times, it might contribute to battery drain. Fast startup prevents your system from shutting down completely, which can lead to battery drain even when your PC is turned off.
Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog, type in control, and press Enter.
Step 2: Switch the view type to Large icons, and select Power Options.
Step 3: Click the Choose what the power buttons do on the left sidebar.
Step 4: Since you’ll need administrator permissions to disable the fast startup, click the text at the top Change settings that are currently unavailable.
Step 5: Uncheck the box that reads the Turn on fast startup (recommended) box, and hit Save Changes.
Fix 7: Check Energy Report
Lastly, if you’re using an older laptop, reviewing the Energy Report can be helpful. It provides insights into your battery’s health and performance, which can guide you in addressing any issues related to battery drain.
Step 1: Press the Windows key + X and select Windows Terminal (Admin) from the resulting menu.
Step 2: Type the command given below and press Enter.
powercfg /energy
It will inspect your laptop’s battery for about 60 seconds and generate a report. You can open the “energy-report.html” file from the given address for more details. The report will help you analyze the battery’s health and help you decide whether or not it needs replacing.
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Last updated on 01 August, 2024
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