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1. Keep your system up to date
Many users, by hook or by crook, tend to disable updates to their Windows. But along with updates, bug fixes that lead to performance drops and new versions of hardware drivers come to the system. Therefore, system updates can, in theory, reduce the power consumption of your PC.
By default, Windows 11 is updated only when the computer is connected to a power outlet. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically connect the laptop to a power outlet so that the system can download new security and performance patches.
If desired, this can also be done manually by clicking “Start” → “Settings” → “Windows Update” → “Check for Updates”.
2. Change display settings
The main source of power consumption in your laptop is the display. The brighter it is, the more the battery is consumed. Therefore, during battery operation, it is worth changing this setting.
You can do this in two ways:
- Press the brightness down button on the laptop keyboard in the F‑key row above the number row.
- Open Start → Settings → System → Display and adjust the slider under Brightness.
3. Adjust the power consumption of your system
The system power mode determines how intensively Windows 11 will allow the computer to use its processor, memory, and other resource-intensive components.
If economy mode is enabled, the processor will not overclock above a certain frequency. Performance will decrease, but the battery life will grow.
Click Start → Settings → System → Power & Battery and under Power Mode select Max. energy efficiency”.
Most importantly, do not forget to return the “Balanced” or “Max. performance” when you plug in again and want to play games or run greedy software, otherwise the computer will slow down.
4. Activate Battery Saver
In battery saver mode, Windows 11 lowers screen brightness, reduces notifications, and restricts background app activity. Usually the system activates it automatically when a certain percentage is reached.
But you can also turn it on manually. To do this, click “Start” → “Settings” → “System” → “Power and battery” and in the “Battery saver” section, click “Turn on now”.
Another option is to select “Always turn on battery saver automatically when” in the drop-down list and activate the “Decrease screen brightness in battery saver mode” checkbox. So you will significantly increase the battery life.
5. Set up background app activity
Windows 11 is chock-full of built-in apps for all sorts of purposes, and they love to bite off their share of battery life. It would be nice to limit those programs that you do not need all the time.
Click Start → Settings → System → Power and Battery, and under Battery Usage, look for the apps that use the most power. Then click on the icon with three dots and select “Manage background activities”. In the “Allow an application to run in the background” field, select “Never”.
Repeat this for all programs that you rarely use.
6. Adjust your computer’s sleep time
Another great way to improve Windows 11 battery life is to force the system to go to sleep when the device is not in use. By default, when running on battery power, the computer turns off the screen after 5 minutes and goes to sleep after 10 minutes. You can shorten the timeout.
To do this, click “Start” → “Settings” → “System” → “Power and battery” and in the “Screen and sleep” section, specify the time of activity. For example, 1 minute. Now, even if your PC is idle, energy will not be wasted.
7. Reduce the quality of the video being played
Some built-in Windows 11 apps like Microsoft Edge, Photos, and Movies & TV, as well as apps from the Microsoft Store like Hulu, Netflix, or Vudu can adjust the quality of the video they play based on your battery health.
If your laptop is running on battery power, the system will play the video at a lower quality, which will reduce the load on the device and save more power.
Click “Start” → “Settings” → “Applications” → “Video Playback” and activate the “Play videos at a lower resolution when running on battery” option.
8. Don’t leave your computer plugged in all the time
In general, different manufacturers have diametrically opposed opinions about whether it is possible to keep their laptops plugged into the network all the time.
Yes, Asus advises discharge the battery of devices to 50% at least once every two weeks and do not keep them connected to power all the time. A Dell does not consider it’s a problem. Company recommends install the Dell Power Manager proprietary utility, which will not allow either too low or excessive battery recharge.
But when connected to the network, the laptop also heats up more than usual, which is bad for lithium batteries. Therefore, in order to maintain the maximum service life, one should find compromise: Do not allow the device to discharge, but also do not keep it on the wire for too long.
It is best to connect your computer to the network when you need to get maximum performance for games or heavy software, and disconnect it after recharging to prevent overheating or overcharging the battery.
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