Laptop battery drains fast — 5 habits you need to break

Many laptop owners notice that their battery begins to drain quickly just months after purchase. In the worst cases, it "dies" within a year, forcing users to work only when plugged in — and often, the real cause lies in everyday habits rather than the manufacturer.

This was reported by Gazeta.ua.

Habits that shorten your laptop’s battery life

The most common mistake is improper battery usage. If you mostly work from home or the office and rarely take your laptop on the go, experts recommend removing the battery and keeping the device plugged into the outlet. When you need to work remotely, simply insert the battery again. However, it shouldn’t sit unused for months — fully charge and discharge it at least once every five days to maintain capacity.

Another harmful habit is using your laptop on a bed, couch, or other soft surfaces. This blocks ventilation openings, trapping heat inside the device. Overheating can eventually cause hardware failure, including battery damage. To prevent this, always place your laptop on a flat, hard surface.

Leaving your laptop under direct sunlight is equally dangerous. The casing and internal components heat up, harming not only the battery but also the processor, hard drive, and graphics card. Prolonged exposure can degrade the entire system’s performance.

On the opposite end, exposing your laptop to extreme cold is just as harmful. If left outdoors in freezing temperatures for too long, the device can "freeze," leading to display and hard drive issues, and the battery will start draining faster. Just 20 minutes in severe cold can cause lasting damage, and repeated exposure may prevent the battery from charging altogether.

Lastly, constantly putting your laptop in sleep mode instead of shutting it down is another drain. In this mode, the system continues to consume power, slowly discharging the battery. The same applies if you keep your laptop plugged in all the time — the battery stays in a constant recharge cycle, which shortens its overall lifespan.

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